I'd say come up the day before because most of us should be taking tours of equipment around the time 194 comes in and keep in mind 194 might run late so you would miss stuff. By the time 99 comes in and boards you wouldn't even see everything. I'd say come up Friday and go back on 99 Saturday. That's my suggestion.
You picked a great year for your first NTD!
40th anniversary of Amtrak and the train in DC!
To CHI?
Yeah! I was able to secure a guest preacher for 5/8, so Laura and I are going to WAS for a long weekend 5/6 - 5/9 and will attend NTD there. When I go to DC I normally stay outside the downtown and commute in, but does anyone have experience with downtown hotels and are willing to comment on it? My plan would be to drive to PHL and train down to DC. If I could find something nice (and affordable) close to WAS it would be great.
Same here. I went to PHL last year and it was great. But a long-weekend connected to NTD will be really cool. Any thoughts on hotels near the station?
If you go via NOL and take the Crescent, look into taking a roomette NOL-ATL and coach ATL-WAS instead. Sure, it's overnight in coach, and a day trip in the roomette. But that roomette is usually cheap (maybe like $50
As usual hate to agree with Dave but he is correct :giggle: about the NOL-ATL roomette, best deal on Amtrak IMO! However low bucket from NOL-WAS is only $142 which is also a fantastic deal for 4 meals and a room in a Viewliner!If you go via NOL and take the Crescent, look into taking a roomette NOL-ATL and coach ATL-WAS instead. Sure, it's overnight in coach, and a day trip in the roomette. But that roomette is usually cheap (maybe like $50) - and includes THREE meals!(The only meal you would need to buy - if you want it - is breakfast before you get to WAS about 10 AM IIRC!)
If you see me in the diner for breakfast it's probably because I skipped the previous dinner. If you see me there for lunch I probably skipped that morning's breakfast. Obviously I'm among a tiny minority of AU folks with my rather negative view of Amtrak's food service, but it has lasted for many years now and I don't see it changing anytime soon. Amtrak's food has never made me sick though, so at least it has that going for it.
Don't worry about the cost Dax. You can't take it with you so you might as well spend it here :giggle: :giggle: :giggle:Those are some good suggestions guys, but I think I'd rather have the roomette during the night and the coach/lounge seat during the day. Apparently Amtrak has heard of folks like me and prices their accommodations accordingly. D'oh! :angry2: As for the meals you need to remember I'm just not that big of a fan. It's just not fresh enough for me I guess. I really only need maybe one full meal to cover all the calories I'll require while sitting on my rear end all day.
