dadonatrain
Service Attendant
I did a spur of the moment train trip to see the final day of racing at Saratoga Springs on Labor Day and then a bucket list trip to Portland, ME, to see the Portland Head Light. Nine rides and all of them almost dead on time! And the windows were pretty clean too!
And I should mention all my rides were in business class except when I bought myself a present from me to me and took two rides on the Acela in first class! About which more later, below.
I live in Clemson, SC, where starting any Amtrak train trip violates the 8th amendment against cruel and unusual punishment because of schedules, IMO. So I drove to Durham, NC, where I stayed with sis and stashed my car with her.
I started in Durham on 80, the Carolinian, which was only 20 minutes late. Got to Alexandria, VA, right on time. Stayed overnight there, cuz I know the area well enough to find a decent hotel, or so I thought! The heat wouldn’t work. But this is a train trip report, so I’ll stop digressing.
Sunday I took 164, Northeast Regional, from DC to New York. Right on time all the way. Part way there, we hit 124 mph and this wasn’t even the Acela! After a short layover in the Moynihan Train Hall, I hopped on the Ethan Allen Express for Saratoga Springs.
One comment I’d add about boarding in Moynihan: riding business or first class entitles you, they say, to priority boarding, but I never saw any provision at all for it. We all just ganged up in a single pretty orderly but very lonnnnngggg line to ride down the escalator to the platform and jostle our way past each other to get to the business class or first class coaches wherever they were. Not what I had envisioned. In Washington there were separate lines for priority and general, more like in airports. Mor what I had expected.
Monday, Labor Day, I spent at the track watching the final day of the meet. I’ve always loved watching horse races and watching people watching horse races too, so it was great fun. Eight of the twelve races needed a photo to determine final positions, and one of them was a dead heat!
Tuesday I took Ethan Allen’s express back to New York Penn Station. Signal issues (the conductor’s term) explained the half hour delay leaving Saratoga Springs. But we were still nearly on time at Penn. Overnight at The Gatsby Hotel on the lower east side. Funky. Not great (it’s a hotel, not a book) but pretty good.
Wednesday I took the Acela to Boston, and this was definitely a bucket list present from me to me. I took first class. I’ll be completely honest. It got me the right to relax in the Metropolitan Lounge in Penn Station before boarding, which is nice and pretty and modern and comfortable, and food and wine were complimentary on board, but beyond that it just wasn’t worth the cost at all, IMO. The lunch was quite good, especially for train food, but still…
After arriving in Boston South Station on time, I had plenty of time to walk leisurely to Boston North for my Downeaster to Portland. Again, right on time all the way. Business class here was unassigned but reserved seating but otherwise like business class on the other trains I rode.
Thursday was the highlight for me. When I was a little boy, our family had a jigsaw puzzle of the Portland Head Light. Google it if you want to know more. It’s a beautiful light house on the coast of Maine, and I have always wanted to see the real deal. And I did! It was wonderful for me, anyway!
Friday, I took another right on time Downeaster to Boston North. Walked back to Boston South again. Then I hopped back on the Acela, first class again (on time) from Boston to Washington. Once again, I’ll be candid that the cost wasn’t justified at all. Here, even the Metropolitan Lounge disappointed me. Spartan decor, meager refreshments (free, I’ll admit), just not worth the hype. But the trip was mostly for the rides and the Acela definitely did not disappoint! Once this baby hit 144.8 mph, I definitely saw some serious ****!
Final ride was today, Saturday, from DC back to Durham, NC, on 79, the Carolinian southbound, to pick up my car and drive home.
All things considered, it was a wonderful trip. I’d ride trains for the sake of riding trains. Watching the world go by out a train window is about as much fun as I can have at my age. And this trip definitely met my needs in those respects. And to add on 8 of 12 photo finishes AND the Portland Head Light, well, it doesn’t get much better than that for this dadonatrain.
And I should mention all my rides were in business class except when I bought myself a present from me to me and took two rides on the Acela in first class! About which more later, below.
I live in Clemson, SC, where starting any Amtrak train trip violates the 8th amendment against cruel and unusual punishment because of schedules, IMO. So I drove to Durham, NC, where I stayed with sis and stashed my car with her.
I started in Durham on 80, the Carolinian, which was only 20 minutes late. Got to Alexandria, VA, right on time. Stayed overnight there, cuz I know the area well enough to find a decent hotel, or so I thought! The heat wouldn’t work. But this is a train trip report, so I’ll stop digressing.
Sunday I took 164, Northeast Regional, from DC to New York. Right on time all the way. Part way there, we hit 124 mph and this wasn’t even the Acela! After a short layover in the Moynihan Train Hall, I hopped on the Ethan Allen Express for Saratoga Springs.
One comment I’d add about boarding in Moynihan: riding business or first class entitles you, they say, to priority boarding, but I never saw any provision at all for it. We all just ganged up in a single pretty orderly but very lonnnnngggg line to ride down the escalator to the platform and jostle our way past each other to get to the business class or first class coaches wherever they were. Not what I had envisioned. In Washington there were separate lines for priority and general, more like in airports. Mor what I had expected.
Monday, Labor Day, I spent at the track watching the final day of the meet. I’ve always loved watching horse races and watching people watching horse races too, so it was great fun. Eight of the twelve races needed a photo to determine final positions, and one of them was a dead heat!
Tuesday I took Ethan Allen’s express back to New York Penn Station. Signal issues (the conductor’s term) explained the half hour delay leaving Saratoga Springs. But we were still nearly on time at Penn. Overnight at The Gatsby Hotel on the lower east side. Funky. Not great (it’s a hotel, not a book) but pretty good.
Wednesday I took the Acela to Boston, and this was definitely a bucket list present from me to me. I took first class. I’ll be completely honest. It got me the right to relax in the Metropolitan Lounge in Penn Station before boarding, which is nice and pretty and modern and comfortable, and food and wine were complimentary on board, but beyond that it just wasn’t worth the cost at all, IMO. The lunch was quite good, especially for train food, but still…
After arriving in Boston South Station on time, I had plenty of time to walk leisurely to Boston North for my Downeaster to Portland. Again, right on time all the way. Business class here was unassigned but reserved seating but otherwise like business class on the other trains I rode.
Thursday was the highlight for me. When I was a little boy, our family had a jigsaw puzzle of the Portland Head Light. Google it if you want to know more. It’s a beautiful light house on the coast of Maine, and I have always wanted to see the real deal. And I did! It was wonderful for me, anyway!
Friday, I took another right on time Downeaster to Boston North. Walked back to Boston South again. Then I hopped back on the Acela, first class again (on time) from Boston to Washington. Once again, I’ll be candid that the cost wasn’t justified at all. Here, even the Metropolitan Lounge disappointed me. Spartan decor, meager refreshments (free, I’ll admit), just not worth the hype. But the trip was mostly for the rides and the Acela definitely did not disappoint! Once this baby hit 144.8 mph, I definitely saw some serious ****!
Final ride was today, Saturday, from DC back to Durham, NC, on 79, the Carolinian southbound, to pick up my car and drive home.
All things considered, it was a wonderful trip. I’d ride trains for the sake of riding trains. Watching the world go by out a train window is about as much fun as I can have at my age. And this trip definitely met my needs in those respects. And to add on 8 of 12 photo finishes AND the Portland Head Light, well, it doesn’t get much better than that for this dadonatrain.
