New member from British Columbia, Canada

[brianh]

Our daughter and I first rode down the west coast from Vancouver BC for spring break in 2013 or 14. We had a wonderful time, stopping in Portland for a night and then continuing on the Coast Starlight to LA. We had no problems in LA getting around on public transit, mostly buses (you called a number and a real person advised you which stop to go to, which bus to catch, and where to transfer to get to our destination) and otherwise walking around. Did a hike up to the Hollywood sign, checked out Santa Monica, shopped at Costco (we don't have booze in many of our Costcos) and outlet stores. My second trip was the same route, last October and November, solo with my folding bike. I am a 74 old retiree, male in good but not top shape, and am committed to trains and boats to get places. Prefer not to drive or fly, trying to walk and cycle as much as possible. Last year I stopped in Seattle for a night, and got on the Coast Starlight and stopped for a day in Dunsmuir (foot of Mount Shasta). The train passes through at 12:45AMish so the hotel I had booked kindly gave me the code so I could stay in the lobby until they opened up in the morning! That's service! Dunsmuir is a great little town with a railway culture and great trout fishing pools in the Sacramento River flowing through town. In town there is still the remains of the Eddy Match factory, for those old-timers that remember scratching wooden matches on the side of the box to get a fire lit. Carried on the next night and stopped in Chico for a day. The train stops at 4:12AMish so it was a bit tricker to get to the hotel in the dark with a bike but in the morning I saw lots of quiet streets to get around on near the station. Chico is a nice little college town. It is the sister city to Paradise, who you may remember was destroyed in a wildfire several years ago. From Chico I re-boarded the train and met friends who were already in San Luis Obispo. After some group time there I carried on up and down the coast on the Pacific Surfliner, to Solana Beach and then on to a bit of Route 66 (Victorville), Tehachapi and back to Santa Barbara. I went by Amtrak bus from Victorville to Tehachapi and from Tehachapi to Santa Barbara. I guess sometimes the train does run from Tehachapi to Bakersfield (mostly freight trains now) according to the museum director at the train museum in Tehachapi. I stayed in Santa Barbara for a few days enjoying the beaches and the town before heading back to Canada.
Looking forward now to crossing the US on Amtrak (the long way) on our way to spring training (baseball) in Florida next February/March. My wife and I are looking at taking our bicycles and again heading down the west coast to Santa Barbara, then over to El Paso via Los Angeles. Question: what is the difference between the Texas Eagle (422) and the Sunset Limited (2) from LA to El Paso? Is there a somewhat efficient way of getting from New Orleans to Savannah without going to Chicago or Washington DC? Thanks!

 

[pennyk]

Welcome to Amtrak Unlimited.

 

[oregon pioneer]

About the travel between New Orleans and Savannah: Ten years ago, Hubby and I did that trip in the reverse direction. After checking out train options, we decided the most efficient way to do the trip was by bus. We boarded in Savannah, took the bus to Jacksonville Florida (why the bus when there's a train on the same route? Convenience of stations for boarding and transfers). We transferred to a bus for New Orleans, and instead of spending the night sitting up (not for us), we stayed in Tallahassee, where we enjoyed the not-in-session atmosphere of the state capitol. In the morning, we boarded an early bus and got to NOL in time to check in at our hotel for a few days there.

We did not use any taxis or local buses on that leg, as we were able to walk from our hotels to the bus stops. Buses were mostly not crowded, but we passed through Pensacola the day before a holiday weekend, and from there to New Orleans, we had every seat full with cheerful young people from the base, headed home to family and friends for the holiday. I think they put on an extra section at Pensacola. There was wi-fi on the bus from Jacksonville to NOL, I do not remember about the other bus.

I think we also considered taking a bus between Atlanta and Savannah, but I don't remember if we found any good options. I also don't know the bicycle policies on the buses, as we were on foot.

 

[Maglev]

Question: what is the difference between the Texas Eagle (422) and the Sunset Limited (2) from LA to El Paso? Is there a somewhat efficient way of getting from New Orleans to Savannah without going to Chicago or Washington DC? Thanks!

Regarding trains 422 and 2, Amtrak operates three trains that serve two destinations, splitting at a middle point. In the case of the Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle (422), a sleeper and coach (train 422) for Chicago originate in Los Angeles as part of the same train (2) that is bound for New Orleans. At San Antonio, the sleeper and coach are tacked on to a train to Chicago. The rest of the cars continue to New Orleans. If you are just traveling to El Paso, 422 and 2 are essentially the same train. If you buy a coach ticket LA to El Paso, you may be seated in either the Chicago or New Orleans car regardless of which train your ticket shows, so go with the lowest fare. If you buy a sleeper ticket, you will be assigned a specific room, and it might make a difference to you. The Chicago (422) sleeper is at the end of the train, so it is farther from the lounge and dining cars; but you get the benefit of a window out the rear of the train. I think the New Orleans (2) sleeper might be right next to the locomotive, which can be stinky and noisy. Sometimes, there can be a significant difference in the sleeper cost of 422 versus 2.

Unfortunately, there is no convenient routing between New Orleans and Savannah. New Orleans, Chicago, and Washington are all fine cities that deserve exploration. My preferred routing would be the Sunset Limited to New Orleans, Crescent to Washington, then Meteor to Savannah.