June 12, 2011 - Houston - New Orleans, Sunset Limited
When I arrived at the Houston AMTRAK station at 4:15am for my 5:10am departure on the Sunset Limited to New Orleans I was happy to see that the train was already in. It wasn’t scheduled to arrive until 4:40am, so it was a good deal early this morning. When I picked up my tickets earlier this week, the agent advised me that any checked luggage had to tagged by 4:30. I was surprised that there was a line at the ticket counter. It was a short line, but a line non-the-less. Mary, the ticket agent, was very pleasant. She took care of checking the luggage, and it was nice that she was able to check the bag all the way to Atlanta so I won’t have to deal with it in New Orleans. I wasn’t sure if it would be possible to check the bag all the way, as I have to overnight in New Orleans and catch the Crescent tomorrow morning.
I was able to get roomettes on both trains at a reasonable price, so that is the way I am traveling this trip. When I made the reservation, I was assigned roomette number 4 in car 0230. The car has been given the name “Arizona.” I believe the car number was 32071. Greg, the SCA met me at the platform. He was very helpful to both myself, as well as to a wheelchair passenger that was detraining in Houston. He explained that my room wasn’t ready as the previous occupant had also detrained in Houston, but allowed me to sit in Roomette number 9 while he prepared mine. He also had a couple of more passengers he was waiting to board, so it was only maybe 10 to 15 minutes before he informed me that my room was ready. Due to the hour of the day, and the lack of sleep the night before, I requested that it be made for sleeping instead of sitting! It was not a problem. In the night configuration the roomette is perfect for one person, but would be cramped for two! When I sit on the side of the bed, my knees almost touch the door to the hall. If you travel with someone in a roomette, if you didn’t know them well before the trip started, you would know them very well after getting ready for bed the first night! The roomette seems to be in good condition with everything in working order.
I got up at around 7:10 or so and got ready for breakfast. The dining car was very nice. It was a more up to date configuration than the dining car I experienced on the Empire Builder 8 or so years ago. I’m not sure if it was simply a newer car, or just a re-modeled car, but it had a more modern feel and layout. I was greeted promptly by Regina who seated me at a table with a couple who had been on the train since L.A. They are headed for Newark, NJ to attend a wedding, so they will also be on The Crescent in the morning. Regina did a great job keeping my coffee cup full. The only 2 items I was aware that they were out of were cinnamon raisin bread and pork sausage patties. I wasn’t sure how well stocked they would still be as this is the last morning of the run. As I finished breakfast, we crossed the Sabine into Louisiana. I stepped into the Sightseer Lounge Car. Not crowded at all there, some people still sleeping. It appeared very well kept. It feels like we are making good time so far!
Headed to lunch at around 11:15. Since we are near the end of the trip, they served from the “Express” menu with limited selections. The selections included a fresh salad - it looked huge and very good, a hamburger, a veggie burger, and the continental breakfast (fruit and cereal). There may have been one other item, but I can’t remember. I chose to have the burger. The burger was pretty good with a very fresh bun. It came with a pickle and some chips. Haagen-Dazs ice cream cups were offered for dessert. I chose the Raspberry Sorbet. Cynthia was my server this time around. She did an excellent job and made sure I had everything I needed. I sat with a very nice couple from Vero Beach, Florida. They are on the home stretch of a 30 day rail pass that has taken them across the country and back. They have stopped along the way visiting friends and family. They stated that they were on the last run of the Empire Builder before all the cancellations due to flooding occurred. They did have to take the alternate route due to issues on the regular route. Speaking of flooding, we went through Morgan City and crossed the Atchafalaya River. The water was still very high, and some of the buildings on the river side of the levee were still flooded. Shortly afterwards, we stopped in Schriever, Louisiana, the last stop before New Orleans while at lunch. So far the trip has been excellent. Everyone I have come into contact with has been very pleasant and customer oriented.
We arrived in New Orleans just about 1 hour 20 minutes EARLY! I chose to spend the evening at the Sheraton Hotel on Canal Street. It’s only 10 to 15 minutes from the station by cab.
June 13, 2011 New Orleans - Atlanta, The Crescent
Woke up in a panic at 6:16am for a 7:00am departure! I either hit snooze or set the alarm wrong! I was really glad to be a short cab ride back to the station. I threw everything together, and was in the lobby and checked out by 6:35, and made it to the station by 6:45! I had planned on checking out the Magnolia Room, but that plan was busted! There were still lines for boarding, but was on the train by 6:52! Hectic morning!
Once again I’m in a roomette for this leg of the trip. Today it’s number 3 in car 2011. The Crescent uses Viewliner equipment since the train ends up on the Northeast Corridor for part of the run. I think the roomette feels a bit less cramped than the one on the Superliner. The room seems to have a better set up for the carryons, and you can actually stand and turn around even with the door closed and the seats in the night time configuration. My roomette was once again in good condition with everything in working order. The car was originally called Palm View, but has been refurbished, and the name plate on the outside of the car just says Viewliner 62029. The other sleeper in the consist is Sylvan View. The Car Attendant’s name is Bree and she is very helpful and thorough. My car appears almost empty this morning so all is quiet.
The dining car opened at around 7:15ish and I went for breakfast. The diner was a more traditional set up booth wise, but seem to be in very good condition and well maintained. My waiter, Joe, is very good. I had the omelette with grits, sausage and croissant. I have to give the omelette an average rating. I liked the eggs yesterday better! After breakfast, I came back to the room and slept for about an hour and a half. Around 11 I went and showered since I didn’t manage that this morning due to the alarm clock fiasco. The shower room was a challenge between the motion of the train, and the cramped quarters. Bree had the room well stocked and it worked!
Joe also waited on me at lunch. This was full service lunch. The Regional Special was shrimp and corn gumbo over rice, The Chef’s Selection was Chipolte Beef, and the Fresh Deli Sandwich was Turkey. Of course they had the other standard items, and I decided to try the veggie burger. It was very good. The desserts offered were Mississippi Mud Cheesecake, Regular Cheesecake, Bread Pudding, and the standard assortment of ice cream. I decided to hold off dessert until dinner.
Passing thru Tuscaloosa you see a good deal of the tornado damage from the storms earlier in the month. We were 15 or 20 minutes late into Tuscaloosa, but made up that time on the way into Birmingham. It was looking like we were going to be about 15 minutes early into BIrmingham, but at 2:00p we stopped just short of the station. The Southbound Crescent was running late and was in the station, so we had to wait until it cleared before we could go in. We ended up about 30 minutes late.
The Birmingham stop introduced many more passengers to my sleeper car. It feels much fuller now with much more activity up and down the halls. Shortly after we departed Birmingham, the Lead Service Attendant dropped by for dinner reservations. I chose to go to the 6:00pm seating as the train was scheduled into Atlanta at 7:35, Even though we were running behind, I wanted to be sure to have time to enjoy my meal and then get ready to detrain in Atlanta. The dinner specials all revolved around seafood, and I wasn’t particularly in the mood for fish, so I ended up ordering the steak. It was surprisingly better than expected! I’ve had worse steaks at many hotel restaurants I have dined in. It was served with a starter salad, and then the steak came with green beans and baked potato. The desserts were the same as the lunch selection, and I had the Mississippi Mud Cheesecake. It was very tasty. The overall meal was made even more interesting as I was seated at the table with the volunteers from the National Park Service that conducted the Trails and Rails program between New Orleans and Atlanta. We had very enjoyable conversations throughout the meal.
I returned to my roomette to prepare for arrival in Atlanta. We were around 30 minutes late into the station. It took quite a while for the luggage to begin arriving from the platform, but they were organized in distributing it. The only thing was that after everyone else had their bag, my was no where to be seen. Luckily the station Agent was very helpful. It ended up that somehow it was left downstairs, so was very relieved when she located it and brought it up. One nice thing about the Atlanta waiting room is that the location above the platform give you a bird’s eye view of the train. The Crescent consist today was 2 engines, baggage car, 2 sleepers, Dining car, Lounge car, and 5 coaches.
Overall it was a very enjoyable and successful trip. I look forward to my next train trip. I just wish I knew when it was going to occur!
When I arrived at the Houston AMTRAK station at 4:15am for my 5:10am departure on the Sunset Limited to New Orleans I was happy to see that the train was already in. It wasn’t scheduled to arrive until 4:40am, so it was a good deal early this morning. When I picked up my tickets earlier this week, the agent advised me that any checked luggage had to tagged by 4:30. I was surprised that there was a line at the ticket counter. It was a short line, but a line non-the-less. Mary, the ticket agent, was very pleasant. She took care of checking the luggage, and it was nice that she was able to check the bag all the way to Atlanta so I won’t have to deal with it in New Orleans. I wasn’t sure if it would be possible to check the bag all the way, as I have to overnight in New Orleans and catch the Crescent tomorrow morning.
I was able to get roomettes on both trains at a reasonable price, so that is the way I am traveling this trip. When I made the reservation, I was assigned roomette number 4 in car 0230. The car has been given the name “Arizona.” I believe the car number was 32071. Greg, the SCA met me at the platform. He was very helpful to both myself, as well as to a wheelchair passenger that was detraining in Houston. He explained that my room wasn’t ready as the previous occupant had also detrained in Houston, but allowed me to sit in Roomette number 9 while he prepared mine. He also had a couple of more passengers he was waiting to board, so it was only maybe 10 to 15 minutes before he informed me that my room was ready. Due to the hour of the day, and the lack of sleep the night before, I requested that it be made for sleeping instead of sitting! It was not a problem. In the night configuration the roomette is perfect for one person, but would be cramped for two! When I sit on the side of the bed, my knees almost touch the door to the hall. If you travel with someone in a roomette, if you didn’t know them well before the trip started, you would know them very well after getting ready for bed the first night! The roomette seems to be in good condition with everything in working order.
I got up at around 7:10 or so and got ready for breakfast. The dining car was very nice. It was a more up to date configuration than the dining car I experienced on the Empire Builder 8 or so years ago. I’m not sure if it was simply a newer car, or just a re-modeled car, but it had a more modern feel and layout. I was greeted promptly by Regina who seated me at a table with a couple who had been on the train since L.A. They are headed for Newark, NJ to attend a wedding, so they will also be on The Crescent in the morning. Regina did a great job keeping my coffee cup full. The only 2 items I was aware that they were out of were cinnamon raisin bread and pork sausage patties. I wasn’t sure how well stocked they would still be as this is the last morning of the run. As I finished breakfast, we crossed the Sabine into Louisiana. I stepped into the Sightseer Lounge Car. Not crowded at all there, some people still sleeping. It appeared very well kept. It feels like we are making good time so far!
Headed to lunch at around 11:15. Since we are near the end of the trip, they served from the “Express” menu with limited selections. The selections included a fresh salad - it looked huge and very good, a hamburger, a veggie burger, and the continental breakfast (fruit and cereal). There may have been one other item, but I can’t remember. I chose to have the burger. The burger was pretty good with a very fresh bun. It came with a pickle and some chips. Haagen-Dazs ice cream cups were offered for dessert. I chose the Raspberry Sorbet. Cynthia was my server this time around. She did an excellent job and made sure I had everything I needed. I sat with a very nice couple from Vero Beach, Florida. They are on the home stretch of a 30 day rail pass that has taken them across the country and back. They have stopped along the way visiting friends and family. They stated that they were on the last run of the Empire Builder before all the cancellations due to flooding occurred. They did have to take the alternate route due to issues on the regular route. Speaking of flooding, we went through Morgan City and crossed the Atchafalaya River. The water was still very high, and some of the buildings on the river side of the levee were still flooded. Shortly afterwards, we stopped in Schriever, Louisiana, the last stop before New Orleans while at lunch. So far the trip has been excellent. Everyone I have come into contact with has been very pleasant and customer oriented.
We arrived in New Orleans just about 1 hour 20 minutes EARLY! I chose to spend the evening at the Sheraton Hotel on Canal Street. It’s only 10 to 15 minutes from the station by cab.
June 13, 2011 New Orleans - Atlanta, The Crescent
Woke up in a panic at 6:16am for a 7:00am departure! I either hit snooze or set the alarm wrong! I was really glad to be a short cab ride back to the station. I threw everything together, and was in the lobby and checked out by 6:35, and made it to the station by 6:45! I had planned on checking out the Magnolia Room, but that plan was busted! There were still lines for boarding, but was on the train by 6:52! Hectic morning!
Once again I’m in a roomette for this leg of the trip. Today it’s number 3 in car 2011. The Crescent uses Viewliner equipment since the train ends up on the Northeast Corridor for part of the run. I think the roomette feels a bit less cramped than the one on the Superliner. The room seems to have a better set up for the carryons, and you can actually stand and turn around even with the door closed and the seats in the night time configuration. My roomette was once again in good condition with everything in working order. The car was originally called Palm View, but has been refurbished, and the name plate on the outside of the car just says Viewliner 62029. The other sleeper in the consist is Sylvan View. The Car Attendant’s name is Bree and she is very helpful and thorough. My car appears almost empty this morning so all is quiet.
The dining car opened at around 7:15ish and I went for breakfast. The diner was a more traditional set up booth wise, but seem to be in very good condition and well maintained. My waiter, Joe, is very good. I had the omelette with grits, sausage and croissant. I have to give the omelette an average rating. I liked the eggs yesterday better! After breakfast, I came back to the room and slept for about an hour and a half. Around 11 I went and showered since I didn’t manage that this morning due to the alarm clock fiasco. The shower room was a challenge between the motion of the train, and the cramped quarters. Bree had the room well stocked and it worked!
Joe also waited on me at lunch. This was full service lunch. The Regional Special was shrimp and corn gumbo over rice, The Chef’s Selection was Chipolte Beef, and the Fresh Deli Sandwich was Turkey. Of course they had the other standard items, and I decided to try the veggie burger. It was very good. The desserts offered were Mississippi Mud Cheesecake, Regular Cheesecake, Bread Pudding, and the standard assortment of ice cream. I decided to hold off dessert until dinner.
Passing thru Tuscaloosa you see a good deal of the tornado damage from the storms earlier in the month. We were 15 or 20 minutes late into Tuscaloosa, but made up that time on the way into Birmingham. It was looking like we were going to be about 15 minutes early into BIrmingham, but at 2:00p we stopped just short of the station. The Southbound Crescent was running late and was in the station, so we had to wait until it cleared before we could go in. We ended up about 30 minutes late.
The Birmingham stop introduced many more passengers to my sleeper car. It feels much fuller now with much more activity up and down the halls. Shortly after we departed Birmingham, the Lead Service Attendant dropped by for dinner reservations. I chose to go to the 6:00pm seating as the train was scheduled into Atlanta at 7:35, Even though we were running behind, I wanted to be sure to have time to enjoy my meal and then get ready to detrain in Atlanta. The dinner specials all revolved around seafood, and I wasn’t particularly in the mood for fish, so I ended up ordering the steak. It was surprisingly better than expected! I’ve had worse steaks at many hotel restaurants I have dined in. It was served with a starter salad, and then the steak came with green beans and baked potato. The desserts were the same as the lunch selection, and I had the Mississippi Mud Cheesecake. It was very tasty. The overall meal was made even more interesting as I was seated at the table with the volunteers from the National Park Service that conducted the Trails and Rails program between New Orleans and Atlanta. We had very enjoyable conversations throughout the meal.
I returned to my roomette to prepare for arrival in Atlanta. We were around 30 minutes late into the station. It took quite a while for the luggage to begin arriving from the platform, but they were organized in distributing it. The only thing was that after everyone else had their bag, my was no where to be seen. Luckily the station Agent was very helpful. It ended up that somehow it was left downstairs, so was very relieved when she located it and brought it up. One nice thing about the Atlanta waiting room is that the location above the platform give you a bird’s eye view of the train. The Crescent consist today was 2 engines, baggage car, 2 sleepers, Dining car, Lounge car, and 5 coaches.
Overall it was a very enjoyable and successful trip. I look forward to my next train trip. I just wish I knew when it was going to occur!
