Four Gardens and a Wedding - May 2023

[allanorn]

I've recently completed a two-week, all-Amtrak trip to five different cities (including LAX for layovers). The very short (tl;dr) version is that while Amtrak had a pretty bad May on some lines, including the ones I traveled on - everything worked very well. Most trains were on time or early, with two exceptions (one in my favor). Most staff on board were fantastic, and the food and amenities were as expected. I was blessed with the ideal 9.5/10 Amtrak vacation that can act as an example of a feasible vacation for anyone to take if they have the time and money.

So why this title? I was invited to a wedding in Oklahoma City the weekend before Memorial Day weekend. I usually take the last two weeks of May to travel as there's generally good weather everywhere and prices aren't at their peak for summer demand. This particular weekend and location were suboptimal because it generally takes a day to fly into OKC and a day to fly out, unless you live in a Midwest or Plains airline hub city, or Southwest has a non-stop. As I sat there thinking about how I was going to cram this wedding into a trip, the thought of using Amtrak for a two-trip suddenly appeared, and there was an inherent bonus of crossing off a couple of cities I haven't been to. The timing worked beautifully, so I booked the trip!

The "Gardens" part of the title comes from being a member of the Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego; thus I have reciprocal visiting privileges via the American Horticultural Society to over 300 gardens in the US and Canada. As our weather this year in Southern California has been exceptionally grey, I wanted to take the opportunity to be outside in the sun before "June Gloom".

A little about me before we begin. I enjoy slow travel and, in particular, modern rail travel. I enjoy watching steam and pre-diesel trains but I would not consider myself a railfan. My experiences with Amtrak started in the 2000s, so I have zero experience of pre-Amtrak or 20th century Amtrak. Any overnight rail travel is in a sleeper compartment. I also tend to stay in mid-range hotel chains (e.g. Hilton, IHG) or better, so I review hotels from that perspective.

I'll try to update this every couple of days.

 

[allanorn]

Segment 1: San Diego to Los Angeles - May 14, 2023

Segment 1A: San Diego to Oceanside - Amtrak 1777 11.03 - 11.55
Segment 1B: Oceanside to Irvine - Amtrak 3977 12.15-13.15 (rail replacement bus)
Segment 1C: Irvine to Los Angeles - Amtrak 777 13.49 - 14.57

There were a number of changes to my itinerary due to various works. After six months of a line closure due to a landslide south of San Clemente Pier, the line fully reopened on April 17th. Unfortunately, Metrolink closed the line again on April 28th after another landslide was spotted at the Casa Romantica, north of San Clemente Pier. Thus I had to be rebooked with a rail replacement bus bridge in the middle of what was going to be a Business Class run on the Surfliner.

The first segment went off without a hitch; we left on time and arrived on time. Nothing to report here, except the cafe car's coffee machine was broken and that it was unusually quiet. I can attribute this to traveling later on Mother's Day, and apparently there was a documented drop-off in ridership as people shunned the bus bridge.

For @Eric in East County and others asking - the rail replacement bus logistics were very good. The train arrives and departs in Oceanside on Track 2, closest to the station building, and the rail replacement buses were located by the curb closest to the track. Once you leave the train it's about a 50-yard walk to a bus, where you slide your luggage underneath the coach and get your ticket verified before boarding. The buses were clean and modern - more than satisfactory for an hour's ride. I was surprised they allocated an hour, but the planners know better than I do! We hit a few slow spots on Interstate 5, and we made it to Irvine at the scheduled time. The buses pulled up at the curb closest to the station, so it was another 50-yard walk or so to the platform after retrieving luggage. I've had worse experiences finding a bus I needed at Old Town if I'm being honest....

Unfortunately, at Irvine we were told that the line to Los Angeles was closed due to an incident near Santa Ana with no ETA on reopening. It was then that I started to panic a little, as I had a four-hour connection time to the Sunset Limited that was on separate tickets. Station staff weren't being very helpful as they weren't sure when our train was going to arrive. So it was a surprise when 777 pulled into Irvine on time, and we were instructed to board, even though the line ahead of us was closed. We left Irvine more or less on time.

It didn't take long to arrive at the scene of the incident, where we found Amtrak 774 stopped on the other track by a level crossing. There were about six or seven police officers on our side of the tracks, followed by a maintenance-of-way worker with a rather mangled BMX bike. Most of us were able to piece things together as the police allowed us to pull through. It was a somber ride up to Los Angeles, but we did arrive within a couple minutes of the scheduled time, thus everyone's connections were safe. (We found out that 774 later terminated in Santa Ana and the buses that were waiting at Irvine were redeployed to Santa Ana.)

Once inside Union Station I went into the lounge, stashed my bag, and then went into the city to run a few errands.

 

[allanorn]

During my layover in Los Angeles, I had one primary task and at least one other visit to make. These tasks were close to Pershing Square Metro station in downtown LA.

My primary task was to get to the Los Angeles City Library. As a California resident, if you have a valid license or ID from the DMV you can acquire a library card at any public library in California. I wanted a library card here because they have one of the largest e-book lending libraries in the state, with over 400,000 titles available on a Kindle.

My other task was to get a little something to eat to hold me over before the Sunset Limited. Due to another enforced schedule change (discussed in the next segment), the Sunset Limited departed at 19.30 instead of 22.00 - so I only needed a snack. Fortunately, Grand Central Market is close by with a number of food stalls. It's a great place to grab a bite to eat. I went with a currywurst and fries from Berlin Currywurst, and can recommend it for lighter fare if you're okay with enough fries for two people.

My unexpected stop, and one I highly recommend, was at The Last Bookstore. I passed by while walking to the library, and had enough time to stop in. I'm glad I did - it's got a ton of used and new books. There are two floors, and some very interesting turn-of-the-century architecture including vaults. I was able to look around and find the first five books of a series I was interested in buying on Kindle, for half as much as the Kindle versions. Just note that cell service is non-existent inside the building, and you probably want to set a timer so you can leave with plenty of time to make your next train.

To get to either location, I recommend a bus. The Metro "B" (red) line and "D" (purple) line have suffered from poor cleanliness and passenger safety standards that even I try to avoid it these days. You can walk, but it's thirty minutes one way and I would only do it in the daytime and if you're comfortable walking around rougher parts of a city. The DASH (LADOT) or #40 (Metro) are pretty efficient and can get you there in about 15 minutes from Union Station; other buses may require slightly longer walks to utilize but may be efficient when you need them.

 

[trainman74]

My primary task was to get to the Los Angeles City Library. As a California resident, if you have a valid license or ID from the DMV you can acquire a library card at any public library in California. I wanted a library card here because they have one of the largest e-book lending libraries in the state, with over 400,000 titles available on a Kindle.

For future reference, the Chinatown Branch is the closest location to Union Station -- but, of course, the Central Library is worth visiting even if you're not getting a library card, solely for the art and architecture (described on this page).

 

[Eric in East County]

For @Eric in East County and others asking - the rail replacement bus logistics were very good. The train arrives and departs in Oceanside on Track 2, closest to the station building, and the rail replacement buses were located by the curb closest to the track. Once you leave the train it's about a 50-yard walk to a bus, where you slide your luggage underneath the coach and get your ticket verified before boarding. The buses were clean and modern - more than satisfactory for an hour's ride. I was surprised they allocated an hour, but the planners know better than I do! We hit a few slow spots on Interstate 5, and we made it to Irvine at the scheduled time. The buses pulled up at the curb closest to the station, so it was another 50-yard walk or so to the platform after retrieving luggage. I've had worse experiences finding a bus I needed at Old Town if I'm being honest....

Thank you for describing in detail what you had to do. We are scheduled to take 777 from SAN to LAX later this month. If through service hasn't been restored by the date we're to leave, we'll probably end up having to do what you had to do. Knowing in advance what to expect makes everything a little less stressful. Thank you again.

 

[allanorn]

Segment 2: Los Angeles to ... Dallas?

Segment 2A: Los Angeles to San Antonio - Amtrak 422 19.30 May 14 - 02.20 May 16 (+1h37)
Engine 198 lead, 127 second

Originally the scheduled departure of the Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle from Los Angeles is at 10pm local. This was the expected departure time, but track work that was supposed to end on May 10th extended a little bit beyond that, so my departure time was moved back. This was a mixed blessing. On one hand, I was hoping to spend some time in Pasadena for dinner at Houston's and ice cream afterwards at Wanderlust Creamery. Both are fantastic and highly recommended. On the other hand, an earlier departure meant that Amtrak was providing dinner at no extra cost on the train as the departure time was during dinner service hours. The tipping point was that I was traveling on Mother's Day, so who knows how packed restaurants would be in the area.

This part of the trip went pretty well. UP has upgraded tracks so it's one of the smoother rides in the system right now. Going to sleep wasn't an issue either night. Harold was my sleeping car attendant, who is a class act and probably the best I had on the trip, getting a slight nod over my SCA on the Chief. I usually keep breakfast light and eat the salad with chicken at lunch on trains with traditional dining, to keep the calories in check and available for dinner. The first night's dinner was the pan-roasted chicken breast with a mixed green salad - both good, though I felt the chicken was a little dry/overdone. The second night was the steak with Caprese skewers. I think this was the steak that was a little crispy on one side, and I definitely remember the Mozzarella cheese on the skewers was still a little frozen when the appetizer appeared on the table.

We were pretty much on time from LA to El Paso. I guess we lost close to two hours between El Paso and Sanderson, but there wasn't any significant delay that I could point to that would cause it. I'm assuming it was mostly due to slow orders on the line due to the track work. In any event I was asleep by the time we reached San Antonio about 90 minutes after scheduled arrival, which was absorbed by the extra 2-1/2 hour padding. All I remember was waking up for a few minutes as we were shunted a couple of times in San Antonio to connect to the Texas Eagle.

Segment 2B: San Antonio to Fort Worth - Amtrak 422 May 16 07.00 - 13.58
Engine 69 lead (only engine)

We departed San Antonio on time and I was jolted awake as the train horns blasted coming out of the station. At San Antonio, we went from the last car in the Sunset Limited consist to the first car behind the locomotive. Some confusion reigned as Harold left at San Antonio and our replacement SCA wasn't due to be on board until San Marcos. Fortunately, someone was nice enough to make coffee for us in the sleeper car. Harold also provided instructions the night before to head to the cafe car (now behind us) once we wanted breakfast.

Our new SCA boarded in San Marcos, and I can't say anything about him. He didn't introduce himself, didn't say much, and was generally acting like the job was more of a chore than anything else. I would be miffed if this SCA was part of my first experience in a sleeper, but I recognize that it happens at times. I only had one brief conversation with him, and that was if it was okay if I left the train in Fort Worth instead of my ticketed destination of Dallas. He said that was okay, so I thanked him left it at that.

Lunch in the cafe car was the salmon. It wasn't bad, considering it was Flex dining and thus heated in a convection oven. It was completely cooked, and I'm not a big fan of completely-cooked salmon as it can easily dry out. We had to put in the order and seating time at breakfast, which didn't bother me. In fact, it was amusing as the cafe car attendant had made up seating tickets by roomette number or bedroom letter ahead of time and arranged them for lunch as assigned seating. I was probably more disappointed in the presentation as lunch was mostly served in the to-go boxes. I got to sit with a couple of older ladies heading on the train to St. Louis for a couple of days and we had a good conversation.

We hit all of our stops either on time or a couple of minutes early. While the run to Forth Worth isn't exciting, I was surprised at how many people boarded at Austin, and the Temple stop is pretty cool if you like vintage equipment and stations. I left the train at Fort Worth a few minutes early, just before 2pm, and headed to the hotel for a possible early check-in.

 

[allanorn]

When I originally made trip plans, I booked a hotel in Dallas. However, after looking at how insane TRE's pricing is and getting clear on what I wanted to see and where, it was better (and cheaper) to pivot to a hotel in Fort Worth. Fortunately I had one in mind, and it is a fantastic and relatively inexpensive hotel.

I booked the Hampton Inn & Suites Fort Worth Downtown - a new property that is about as close as you can get without being at the train station. It's two blocks from the Amtrak station, which also serves as the local transit hub for getting to the Stockyards. I booked a King suite on the 5th floor and it was very comfortable. Noise wasn't an issue at all, even with ongoing construction across the street. You hear train horns once in a while because of the station layout at Fort Worth, but it's often just a couple of quick toots unless someone's being obnoxious or unaware of their surroundings. It's across the street from the convention center, so not terribly located within downtown - but it's a ten-ish minute walk to the downtown restaurants, and I would be mindful of my surroundings (especially at night) as the local transients were a little more aggressive then they are in San Diego.

The facility is nice and new, with great staff, and the included breakfast is a pretty good service. I've never stayed at a Hampton Inn before, but I think it's great hotel and functionally equivalent to a Holiday Inn Express. The only issue I had was literally the toilet paper: it was the roughest stuff I've used in decades. It's saying something that Amtrak TP is better.

100% recommend; just bring your own roll.

 

[allanorn]

The first gardens I visited on this trip was the Dallas Arboretum. The garden style is similar to the Huntington, which I totally recommend for a full-day trip if you're visiting Los Angeles. I would consider the gardens more like an English-style garden, with lots of benches, shade, open spaces, and well-manicured flowers. Apparently they turn over a half-million plant bulbs a year: not only for seasonal flowers, but also because the Dallas summers tend to kill most every plant. (It shows in the Arboretum's pricing.) It's a really nice place to bring the family, and a book, and a picnic basket. They have special events like concerts when it's not so hot as to be incinerating, or too cold as to have snow on the ground. Those who don't pack food are invited to eat at the food court by the Gate 1 entrance, or at the Restaurant DeGolyer as I did. Lunch was a turkey club sandwich and chips, which were really good.

It's not a cheap visit: $16-20 per adult for a good chunk of the year, plus $11-15 for parking. I got in free with parking included because of my reciprocal membership, which entails sending an email to the admissions staff with some details about your membership. It's a half-hour ride on Bus #214 from the Dallas Amtrak station to the Gate 1 entrance, but ensure you board from the front of the station. Google Maps led me to a stop outside the Dallas Morning News building, which #214 doesn't serve.

However, I think this is one of the better outdoor experiences in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. Go if you have the time and enjoy being outdoors.

 

[allanorn]

Instead of going directly back on the TRE after the Arboretum, I explored Dallas a little bit and had dinner at Partenope Ristorante. I won't say much about this venue, except it is a must-visit for the Napoli-style pizza. I had a salad before the pizza and gelato afterwards, and they're equally as good.

 

[allanorn]

The day I left for my next destination, I went over to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. It's definitely different than the Arboretum. While the Arboretum is exceptionally manicured - perhaps too manicured - the Botanic Garden feels a little more natural. There's definitely more space and more woods, plus some amount of curation to each garden. However, this garden is more spread out than the Arboretum, which means you're going to be walking a lot between each garden unless you use the half-hourly tram. So visiting this after the Arboretum may seem like a let-down.

However - if you like Japanese-style gardens, this is your place. It's one of the better ones I've seen, and worth the price of admission probably by itself.



The downside of visiting the Botanic Garden is that the transit options are garbage: a once-hourly bus that drops you off by the side of a four-lane road with a posted 40-mph speed limit in front of the main entrance, and you're somehow supposed to cross that to reach the bus going back into Fort Worth. That bus also doesn't go downtown, which means you're transferring buses. You can also walk to the connection for a bus downtown, but it's 3/4 of a mile without shade and some of that is on grass. Suffice to say it's better to hail rideshare, and don't use Google Maps if you try to use transit: it tries to get you to go through a fenced-off area.

 

[allanorn]

Segment 3: Fort Worth to Oklahoma City - May 18, 2023

Amtrak 822 17.25 - 21.27
Engine 14 lead, Engine 30 on the back end (oriented to FTW)

How many people here know that there's a train to Oklahoma City? I would imagine a number of people here do, but that wasn't the case when I discussed this trip with anyone. They were aware of a train to Dallas (though most guessed it was the Chief), but nothing to Oklahoma City. So it was an opportunity to try a segment of Amtrak I had no conscious intention of ever using: the Heartland Flyer.

The Heartland Flyer consist is three very tired Superliner coaches with P42 engines on either side. I'm not even sure they rotate any of the coaches out, unless the Texas Eagle needs one and the Heartland Flyer is available to swap. There is a cafe, if you want to call it that, on the lower level of the middle car. During my runs on the Flyer, all I could think of was that there is an opportunity for the State of Oklahoma to get in on the order for a few coach cars and a couple of Chargers. However, I had an intuitive sense that Oklahoma doesn't have the appetite for more rail, even though the train was well utilized.

The scenery is much better once you get into Oklahoma. The Texas portion is mostly suburbs and ex-urban areas along I-35. However, there is a significant segment of the rails by the Washita River, which is quite nice to look at as the train snakes along one side or the other. As someone from Southern California I thought it was mostly going to be relatively dry Plains prairie, so I was surprised that it was quite green throughout the trip.

We were mostly 15 minutes late during the entire trip after leaving on time. I consulted the train status archives and noted this was pretty good performance, as I was expecting to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 minutes behind schedule. However, we arrived into Oklahoma City six minutes ahead of schedule due to some pretty massive scheduling padding by Amtrak. And this is where the fun was, because we were locked out of the station after leaving the train.

Apparently the city (who owns the station building and property surrounding it) changed the locks that day, and either didn't give Amtrak conductors a key beforehand, or didn't post anyone to meet the train. Imagine 150 people being locked on the platform! So the conductors called the fire department, who arrived within twenty minutes and chopped the locks. Someone in the city's operations department was going to be mad, but you can't let that many people linger on the platform for too long!

 

[allanorn]

I don't have a lot of recommendations for Oklahoma City in terms of restaurants, because I was there for a wedding with a bunch of my college classmates, or the perfect timing of an alumni meetup in a restaurant with free food. Thus a lot of food decisions were taken out of my hands. I can say Hatch Early Mood Food was good for breakfast (just arrive early), and The Garage had decent burgers. Either of those is pretty easy to reach via the streetcar. Kitchen No. 324 looked good, as well as Packard's, but I didn't get a chance to try them. Perhaps on the next trip....

The Bricktown neighborhood is where the nightlife is, and I'm guessing it has some good restaurants. I ate at a Cajun place for lunch one day and it wasn't bad. The neighborhood has a manmade canal, which is pretty nice to walk along for an hour to 90 minutes. I didn't get to try the miniature golf next to the canal though! Bricktown is served by the streetcar, so it's easy to get to if you're staying downtown. Friends were mentioning that parking was a little pricey though.

Speaking of transit: outside of the streetcar, there's effectively no transit in Oklahoma City. A lot of buses are half-hourly or once-hourly, and the network is as skeleton as the place I'm going to show later on - so don't rely on any buses to get you anywhere.

It's important to say that because you'll want to make an effort to get to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. It's a fantastic exhibit of life in the Plains and West. It's about half artwork and half historical artifacts, which is probably more art than I was expecting. Don't let that fool you; this is a well-curated museum covering the Westward Expansion to Indians to rodeos to actors that starred on the silver screen. At $15 for admission I think it's worth it, and you'll want to allocate a half-day to it - but don't forget to factor in rideshare if you don't have a car available. There are a couple of buses that are "close", if "close" is slightly over a mile of walking to/from the closest stop with no shade and few buses.

 

[allanorn]

The morning of the wedding I visited the Myriad Botanical Gardens. The outside portion is free and highly recommended. You won't need more than 30-45 minutes to explore the outside, and I think that's worth the effort. If it was cooler out I'd even suggest bringing a book or a phone full of podcasts and hanging out.

The conservatory ("The Crystal Bridge") is an impressive building spanning a koi pond, but it's otherwise relatively sparse inside. I'm not sure that I'd pay the $10.50 adult admission if you've been to other gardens with conservatories or greenhouses, but it was worth another 45 minutes or so as it was free to me. I think this one did a better job of explaining things to children, and was perhaps a little more interactive than others, so it might be worth eating the cost of the conservatory if you have younger kids with you.

 

[allanorn]

The wedding was at the Museum of Osteology. That's right, a bone museum. Not my first choice for a wedding, and probably far down on the list of spaces for many people. But my friends are engineers and scientists, and we're not normal people.

My friend (the bride) visited my other friend's (the groom) family in OKC, and on a lark decided to visit the museum. They fell in love with it, and met the owner as he was working on a couple of the exhibits. So when they decided to get married, her family and most of my friends could travel - but a lot of his family was in the DFW or OKC area and were less available to travel. Thus they decided to have the wedding in OKC, and called the museum to see if they can host a wedding. It turns out they have hosted a couple of them, so they weren't the first!

The owner got his start at six years old when he found a skull of a dog in his backyard. Ever since then, he's dedicated his life to bones. If you've been to medical school, or a biology class, or seen a skeleton in a museum - chances are that he supplies the bones and skeletons. It's only after he processed so many animals that he realized that he could save a few for an exhibit. So he built this one, and another one in central Florida. Both museums are the only ones dedicated to osteology in the USA!

As for the museum itself: It hosts something like 7000 skeletons, about one in ten they own, and it's not terribly large. I'd guess the viewing space is eighty feet by forty, and two floors with an exposed middle. You have to put tall and large skeletons somewhere! It is far from downtown, so you'll need a car or rideshare to visit. Whether or not you feel it's a visit is up to you, and I wouldn't blame anyone if they took a pass. But now I get to say I attended a wedding in a bone museum....

 

[allanorn]

By the way, Sir Indiana Bones made a brief visit - but was more upset it couldn't roam the museum as usual on the weekends!

 

[allanorn]

In Oklahoma City, I stayed at the Colcord Hotel. It's part of an upmarket boutique brand for Hilton. I loved this hotel! The service is impeccable, plus it's convenient to the train station (a flat ten-minute walk) and most everything downtown and in the Midtown district. I originally selected a basic King room, but went with the Corner King after receiving an upgrade offer near check-in time for $10 extra a night. I think it's worth the extra cash.

 

[allanorn]

Segment 4: Oklahoma City to St. Louis - May 21/22, 2023

Segment 4A: Oklahoma City to Fort Worth - Amtrak 821 08.25 - 12.27 May 21
Engine 30 leading, Engine 14 on the other end (oriented to OKC)

The Amtrak station at OKC is a mood:



Not much to say about this segment as it's the reverse of the trip from FTW to OKC, except that we didn't have to break into the station or platform to board the train. We were mostly a few minutes behind schedule but arrived into FTW about ten minutes early due to schedule padding.

Intermission: Fort Worth

For those worried about having anything to do in Fort Worth on a longer layover than a stop on the Eagle, you have a few options.

• Head over to the Fort Worth Water Garden and enjoy the shade and water features for a few minutes. If you have more time and are running on a caffeine deficit, Sons of Liberty is a bit further than the Water Garden and highly recommended.
• There's Barber's Bookstore on West 8th and Throckmorton. It's a used bookstore that is more like an adventure. Check the hours before heading over, and I would find somewhere to stash large luggage if this is an option.
• You can walk into downtown. Sundance Square is a twelve-minute walk from the station and CVS is probably about the same distance.

Food is more difficult, especially on a Sunday. Most people on a regular layover hit up the Subway in the station. There's a Corner Bakery about ten minutes from the station. There's also more available depending on when you're there (I saw a PF Changs if that sounds good). But if you have the time, I recommend Jake's Burgers and Beer if you want something outside of a sandwich or salad. I had a very good burger and tater tots here, and it appeared that the appetizers had some seriously generous portions. If you don't have time to sit down, Jake's does carry-out via a side door. You might be able to call in an order and run over to pick it up.

I wouldn't attempt a run to Jake's (or even the Subway) on a scheduled stop of the Eagle heading to Chicago. I'm not even sure you can make it there and back for takeout on a scheduled stop of the Eagle to San Antonio. However, I think you can make it if you're in Fort Worth for a transfer to or from the Heartland Flyer.

 

[allanorn]

Segment 4B: Fort Worth to St. Louis - Amtrak 22 14.20 May 21 (+52 mins) - 07.24 May 22
Engine 63 leading, 53 second

Once I reached Fort Worth on the Flyer, I checked the Eagle's performance and noted it was only 45 minutes behind schedule. That allowed me to reach Jake's for lunch. Afterwards I went across the street to Pax & Beneficia and used that as a lounge. They have very good coffee and comfortable seats, though the drinks are rather expensive.

The Eagle kept to being around 45 minutes late throughout the trip to Fort Worth, which was a good thing. The previous day it ate 90 minutes just after departing San Antonio, and arrived at Fort Worth three hours behind schedule. Boarding was easy after checking in with the coach conductors, where I headed to the vaunted Bedroom E.

This was the first time in a Bedroom, as I usually book Roomettes as a solo traveler and the Bedroom pricing is usually in the stratosphere. From that perspective: I like the Bedrooms! I loved the extra space, and I seem to have slept better than in a Roomette (was it the space, the location on the train, or the sleeping orientation?). I enjoyed having my own bathroom, though showering in that comically small space was more of a challenge avoiding falling over than anything else. I just don't know if it's worth the extra cash as a solo traveler for one night. My premium was $150 more than a Roomette.

Dinner was the short ribs. Given it's Flex dining, I thought they were pretty good! I won't argue that the meal arrived from the salt mines, and the portions are relatively small. However, by this point I wasn't too worried about eating a lot on a train.

Stephan was my SCA and he was good. No complaints as he kept everything tidy, was helpful with turndown service, and had fresh coffee in the morning.

We made up our lost time by Marshall, though an unscheduled crew change meant we were back to 40 minutes behind schedule when we departed there. But we made up all that time overnight, and I woke up to the conductor announcing we were arriving into St. Louis way ahead of schedule. The official arrival time was 38 minutes ahead of schedule, though we had to stay on the train while they attached an extra coach for the run to Chicago. I departed the train at 7am sharp, and headed into St. Louis to find breakfast and my hotel.

 

[allanorn]

I had a lot of choices for hotels in St. Louis, but they weren't great. It appeared that downtown hotels were expensive and not well-rated. I wanted to stay at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel, but I didn't feel comfortable committing to it. It was over $300 a night for a basic room and I was scared off by the reviews.

Instead I went to the AC Hotel in the Central West End. This was a good and new hotel in a great location. Staff were excellent, the room (a King Neighborhood View room) was pretty good, and you can't beat the neighborhood! I didn't avail myself of the breakfast ($16) or the bar, but it looks as if it everyone who did so enjoyed it. They made some strange design choices for the rooms (especially storage), and I wonder about how durable the furniture is. I might argue the walls and doors are a little thin as well. But for a room that was just over $200/night, it's worth the potential inconvenience of not staying close to attractions.



Getting there from the St. Louis Amtrak station is relatively easy. You can either take Metrolink to the Central West End station, then walk about 12-15 minutes north (a pretty safe walk), or from the Amtrak station the #10 bus is an option that drops you off by the library 1/2 block away. Of course, rideshare or taxi might be more desirable with more people or more luggage.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Segment 4B: Fort Worth to St. Louis - Amtrak 22 14.20 May 21 (+52 mins) - 07.24 May 22

Once I reached Fort Worth on the Flyer, I checked the Eagle's performance and noted it was only 45 minutes behind schedule. That allowed me to reach Jake's for lunch. Afterwards I went across the street to Pax & Beneficia and used that as a lounge. They have very good coffee and comfortable seats, though the drinks are rather expensive.

The Eagle kept to being around 45 minutes late throughout the trip to Fort Worth, which was a good thing. The previous day it ate 90 minutes just after departing San Antonio, and arrived at Fort Worth three hours behind schedule. Boarding was easy after checking in with the coach conductors, where I headed to the vaunted Bedroom E.

This was the first time in a Bedroom, as I usually book Roomettes as a solo traveler and the Bedroom pricing is usually in the stratosphere. From that perspective: I like the Bedrooms! I loved the extra space, and I seem to have slept better than in a Roomette (was it the space, the location on the train, or the sleeping orientation?). I enjoyed having my own bathroom, though showering in that comically small space was more of a challenge avoiding falling over than anything else. I just don't know if it's worth the extra cash as a solo traveler for one night. My premium was $150 more than a Roomette.

Dinner was the short ribs. Given it's Flex dining, I thought they were pretty good! I won't argue that the meal arrived from the salt mines, and the portions are relatively small. However, by this point I wasn't too worried about eating a lot on a train.

Stephan was my SCA and he was good. No complaints as he kept everything tidy, was helpful with turndown service, and had fresh coffee in the morning.

We made up our lost time by Marshall, though an unscheduled crew change there meant we were back to 40 minutes behind schedule when we departed there. But we made up all that time overnight, and I woke up to the conductor announcing we were arriving into St. Louis very ahead of schedule. The official arrival time was 38 minutes ahead of schedule, though we had to stay on the train while they attached an extra coach for the run to Chicago. I departed the train at 7am sharp, and headed into St. Louis to find breakfast and my hotel.

FYI, Marshall is a Regular Crew Change stop for the Eaglette.( Engineer and Conductors)

Thru Passengers can't deboard, and the Train has to back into the Station which is on a different Track than the Main.

The Train makes 2 Spots, one for the Crew Change/ Sleeper and a Second one for the Coaches.

 

[allanorn]

At the risk of being too much of a bandwidth hog, I won't speak in grave detail about everything in St. Louis. But here are my notes:

• Forest Park is a must-visit. It's larger than Central Park, and it has plenty to do there without being overwhelming. The St. Louis Zoo is also in the park, and free - but I didn't have quite enough time to stop in there.
• The National Museum of Transportation is a must-visit if you can get there. I'll post more in the discussion thread.
• The World Chess Hall of Fame is worth an hour of your time, even if you're not a chess player. They make an effort to tie chess to outside events, instead of it being a dry museum full of stuffy portraits and chess equipment from different matches. Free (donations requested). The gift shop inside is worth a look!
• If you want to learn more or play chess, the St. Louis Chess Club is across the street from the World Chess HOF. First day free, $5 for a day pass if you want to go inside and take seminars. I hadn't sat in front of a chess board in decades, but spent a couple of hours each night there attending seminars that they livestream and put on YouTube.
• Further north is Left Bank Books, a good new and used bookstore with a couple of cats in residence.
• Of course, no visit is complete without stopping at the Arch. You can ride to the top! It's $20 including the park admission fee. I would strongly suggest booking a day or two in advance after checking the weather, and book for an early time that isn't right when they open at 9am. I went up at 10am and it was not crowded at all. Definitely spend some time to tour the history exhibitions before going up (about an hour). Also stop in the gift shop after the ride to the top and prior to leaving.

Foodwise, the Central West End will have you covered for just about anything you want.

• Breakfast at First Watch is excellent but expensive. You won't leave hungry though.
• Breakfast at Kingside was a little cheaper but not quite as good in my opinion.
• Lunch was mostly at Pickles Deli and I recommend it.
• I did have lunch at Landry's by the Union Station hotel and I completely recommend their two-course lunch menu if you have the option. It's excellent value and the food's quite good.
• Kaldi's Coffee is worth a stop-in if you need a pick-me-up.
• I ate a Greek salad with steak at The Tenderloin Room, and I didn't feel this was good value. It was a good and generous salad but I might look for a steak elsewhere.
• I recommend Clementine's for ice cream!

But the best meal of the trip was at Brasserie by Niche:



I was lucky to just walk up at 8pm on a beautiful Wednesday night and they had plenty of tables available outside. I had cured olives, braised beef, a dessert that was okay (missing parts because I'm gluten-intolerant), and a half-carafe of their house red. The beef was very salty due to the bacon lardons - more than the short ribs on board Amtrak - but I rather expected that, and salt levels are often a personal preference. I would recommend reservations as they seem to get exceptionally busy!

 

[Augusta_H]

During my layover in Los Angeles, I had one primary task and at least one other visit to make. These tasks were close to Pershing Square Metro station in downtown LA.

My primary task was to get to the Los Angeles City Library. As a California resident, if you have a valid license or ID from the DMV you can acquire a library card at any public library in California. I wanted a library card here because they have one of the largest e-book lending libraries in the state, with over 400,000 titles available on a Kindle.

My other task was to get a little something to eat to hold me over before the Sunset Limited. Due to another enforced schedule change (discussed in the next segment), the Sunset Limited departed at 19.30 instead of 22.00 - so I only needed a snack. Fortunately, Grand Central Market is close by with a number of food stalls. It's a great place to grab a bite to eat. I went with a currywurst and fries from Berlin Currywurst, and can recommend it for lighter fare if you're okay with enough fries for two people.

My unexpected stop, and one I highly recommend, was at The Last Bookstore. I passed by while walking to the library, and had enough time to stop in. I'm glad I did - it's got a ton of used and new books. There are two floors, and some very interesting turn-of-the-century architecture including vaults. I was able to look around and find the first five books of a series I was interested in buying on Kindle, for half as much as the Kindle versions. Just note that cell service is non-existent inside the building, and you probably want to set a timer so you can leave with plenty of time to make your next train.

To get to either location, I recommend a bus. The Metro "B" (red) line and "D" (purple) line have suffered from poor cleanliness and passenger safety standards that even I try to avoid it these days. You can walk, but it's thirty minutes one way and I would only do it in the daytime and if you're comfortable walking around rougher parts of a city. The DASH (LADOT) or #40 (Metro) are pretty efficient and can get you there in about 15 minutes from Union Station; other buses may require slightly longer walks to utilize but may be efficient when you need them.

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Wow. Just Wow! I could stay in that bookstore forever!!

 

[allanorn]

The last gardens of the trip were at the Missouri Botanical Garden. This is a good space! I liked the variety of the different gardens, including a center to learn about growing local and native plants, plus a number of different gardens that aren't often seen (such as the Ottoman garden and a couple of Alpine gardens). It might be smaller than the Arboretum yet packs more variety. The Japanese garden is more like "Japanese walking path around a lake", but it was still nice. The cafe at the entrance was pretty good, and the gift shop had a variety of different things.

The extra artwork "Chihluy in the Garden" was a little distracting in spots, but I didn't mind it too much. In about four hours I was able to see everything except the Climatron, which is another conservatory/greenhouse. Being that was over 80 degrees and humid - I don't feel bad about skipping it.



Getting there is difficult if you don't have a car. The only transit is the #8 Bus, which leaves the Central West End bus depot (far from the Metrolink station) every hour. It stops in the Shaw district, which is an okay but not great neighborhood. Therefore it might be worthwhile to get rideshare; it's worth a visit on a pleasant day.

 

[allanorn]

Segment 5: St Louis to Chicago - May 25, 2023
Amtrak 302 06.40 - 12.05 (+54 mins)

This is the worst segment I had on the trip, for a couple of reasons.

First, the boarding procedure at St. Louis is dangerous. You go up escalators to cross the tracks, then down escalators to the platform. Because Amtrak staff scan every ticket before allowing you to board, a line forms pretty quickly that can back up to the escalator. Unfortunately there isn't anyone directing where the line goes - so if you're some of the later people to board, it's plausible that you end up coming down the escalator while people are stepping off and standing in line just in front of the escalator. I had to step around people with a 24" suitcase at the end of the escalator in order to not get crushed from the others coming behind me.

There's no reason to do boarding like this. Just have everyone board the train, or at least try to get those who aren't stopping in Chicago to board a specific carriage. It's faster plus you can have a station attendant direct traffic at the escalator instead of conductors. Conductors can scan tickets onboard, or if you really want - have someone scan tickets before going up the escalator in the station.

Second, the new Venture cars are perfectly fine for this length of a trip, but luggage space is tight. There seems to be less overhead space than any other coach car I've been on in America, and there isn't a whole lot of room to store "oversized" luggage (say, a 24" roll-aboard). The included bike racks appear to be nice, but everyone on this trip used it as extra space to store oversized luggage. It made for a maze to get between cars to go to the cafe.

The seats are more like airline slimline seats; they're definitely not gushy like Amfleet seats. I don't mind this, plus I think they got the seat pitch about right. I find coach seating in non-Venture cars to have too much seat pitch, which makes for an unnatural reach to the tray table and sometimes to get to the footrest. I get they had to shrink seat width down for ADA requirements, which makes seats narrower and thus more airplane-like. I imagine passengers of size may feel uncomfortable in the newer seats because of this; in those cases you may want to splurge for Business class - which I didn't scope out because I wasn't sure if it was on a newer Venture car.

The seats themselves are almost comfortable. I think they'll be better once more people sit on them and the cushioning breaks down a little. I really like the power being in between the two seats instead of being on a rail at the wall! The tray tables are also better - there's more room and they're easier to handle.

We left on time and lost 25 minutes due to waiting for a couple of trains to pass us, then lost another half hour or so north of Bloomington when PTC didn't recognize a highball. While it was cool to go 110mph in spots, I just don't think it does much right now. There are still way too many slower sections to improve the scheduling. Maybe it will be better once all the track upgrades are complete. I will say it was a smooth ride to Chicago; we weren't bouncing around at speed.

 

[Bembidion]

Thank you for your great post! We had a great trip from Meriden, CT to OKC a few years ago to visit our son and daughter in law who, at the time, lived in Norman, OK. Those botanical gardens are very nice; they have an bewildering variety of plants, and this is coming from an amateur botanist. They have a very nice minor league stadium in the Brick Town area if I recall correctly. We also went to a fascinating military museum. I appreciate you writing about some venues I did not know about.

As to the Heartland Flyer, itself I thought it was a pretty nice train and the scenery was much nicer than expected due to the rivers you mentioned. I liked the conductor; he had a voice like a preacher and said that anyone cussing would be thrown off the train!

Unfortunately, my son and his wife have since moved to Broken Arrow, OK near Tulsa so visiting by train may not be as practical. On the bright side, we are expecting to see them and their three recently adopted children at my daughter's wedding in Sarasota, Florida in July. Of course, we're taking Amtrak.