Post-vaccine Amtrak travel
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20th Century Rider
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Golly gee wizzerooo! To have almost 27,000 posts like Jis it will take me at least 20 years... hmmm... wonder what Amtrak will look like then???Gee, Jis, I didn’t think you were THAT old.
BTW... it seems the further we go into the future, the bigger the noses are on those trains... like some of us aging Jimmy Durante types!
[Just speaking for myself... but my nose is not that big... yet!]
jis
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I collected something like 2000 TQP in 2019 and 0 in 2020. But I was Select+ in 2019, due to some 11000 TQP in 2018.
https://www.discovery.com/science/ears-nose-get-bigger-old-ageGolly gee wizzerooo! To have almost 27,000 posts like Jis it will take me at least 20 years... hmmm... wonder what Amtrak will look like then???
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BTW... it seems the further we go into the future, the bigger the noses are on those trains... like some of us aging Jimmy Durante types!
Which one?
20th Century Rider
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Is that a condition brought about by eating too many flex meals???
Then stay home until the enough of the rest of us get vaccinated to reach herd immunity and you get a free ride on the backs of everyone who did get vaccinated.
On the money. Unfortunately.
MilwaukeeRoadLover
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I bet there were alot of these people during the 1918 pandemic. If only we would learn from our experiences...
Ha. Well, not many survivors from the 1918 pandemic still with us to learn from. And we also know the average American is a poor student of history. Not to mention flu vaccines weren't developed until 20-30 years after that worldwide disaster. All they had to rely on was herd immunity, and many millions of deaths. Thankfully, we have come a very long way since.
Once I finally get vaccinated, and the immunity kicks in, my first Amtrak trip will be up to New York to check out the Moynihan Train Hall. I got my Select Plus for 2021 despite not having earned the TQP, so I'm looking forward to checking out the new Metropolitan Lounge.
After that, who knows...Maybe a triangle trip to Boston -> LSL 449 to Albany --> Baltimore. Maybe out to Pittsburgh on the Cap, and then back east on the Pennsylvanian to ride over the Horseshoe Curve in daylight. (I rode over it at night in 1973). And if they ever reopen the northern border and VIA resumes full service, I really do want to ride the Canadian and maybe also the train the Churchill. But probably not in 2021.
After that, who knows...Maybe a triangle trip to Boston -> LSL 449 to Albany --> Baltimore. Maybe out to Pittsburgh on the Cap, and then back east on the Pennsylvanian to ride over the Horseshoe Curve in daylight. (I rode over it at night in 1973). And if they ever reopen the northern border and VIA resumes full service, I really do want to ride the Canadian and maybe also the train the Churchill. But probably not in 2021.
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neroden
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And masks. They also relied on masks, and they worked.
New York State put out a great PSA showing people wearing masks in the 1918 Pandemic. Pay attention to the cat:
If everyone were as responsible about masking up as the people in those photos (most people weren't, both in 1918 and now), this would all be over a lot sooner, with a lot less injury and death. It upsets me because it's not that hard. My fiancee, who has sleep apnea, had to sleep wearing a mask. In the emergency room. It was fine. The callousness of anti-maskers is astounding and depressing.
Once it's safe enough to travel again, I basically plan to go ***everywhere*** in the US: I'm going to visit everyone I know. Right now it isn't safe to eat out and many grocery stores are unsafe due to anti-maskers, making it quite difficult to come up with a safe itinerary. (Takeout and delivery, I guess.) Food is actually the issue: both Amtrak, public transit agencies, and hotels are enforcing mask requirements enough for me to be comfortable in my safety, but I have to eat.
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Dakota 400
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I do as well. Should have done it 2-3 years ago; kept delaying in making a booking. Now, I have to wonder. Is it too late? Not as young as I once was.
That and the Ocean. I can’t wait to ride that one – I just hope it comes back.
Just during the last year since COVID has become an issue, the few times we’ve had to visit a medical facility to pick up prescriptions, there is always a checkpoint at the entrance where someone with a handheld device takes our temperatures. We assume that this is to determine if we have fevers. We also assume that those people who are found to have fevers are denied admittance.
We’ve not read where Amtrak has adopted a similar practice with passengers waiting to board. If this ever does come to pass, could Amtrak personnel prevent someone with a ticket from boarding their train if they have a fever?
Eric & Pat
We’ve not read where Amtrak has adopted a similar practice with passengers waiting to board. If this ever does come to pass, could Amtrak personnel prevent someone with a ticket from boarding their train if they have a fever?
Eric & Pat
jis
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Here is some background information on why temperature checks are not done any more at most places....
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisett...hecks-notoriously-inaccurate/?sh=55d2aee433f0
For one doctor appt I had last year - during the hot summer - they checked my temperature when I entered the building. It was slightly elevated so she told me to wait a minute or two, in the A/C, and she'd take it again, and the 2nd time it was normal. They knew patients are waiting in their cars, per instructions, until about 5 mins before their appts, so they probably would register a higher temp when they first came into the building.
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They used to check temps at doctor's offices around here, but they discontinued that about three or four months back.
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With the wearing of masks going on the “honor” system in 15 states, and the rollout of vaccines still army in the 1b priority list, I am concerned once I have both my shots and have 94% immunity, that still Amtrak will be just as it is now because the easing up was premature with too many getting the virus. I want to take several train trips, but I want thing to be operating normally.
jis
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Wait till third quarter at the earliest. If things proceed according to plans everyone that wants to be vaccinated will probably get it by June/July, even though theoretically it could be as early as the end of May.
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You are probably right. I just miss the enjoyment of riding the train, especially taking one of the grandkids with me. Just getting impatient.
I wonder if Amtrak realizes or cares about the pent up demand once train travel becomes viable again.
I wonder if Amtrak realizes or cares about the pent up demand once train travel becomes viable again.
jis
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This is rich. According to the the New York State website, all travelers from out of state have to quarantine. However, many states, like mine, seem to have much lower rates of new Codvid than New York. According to today's (3/7/21) Washington Post, the national rate of cases is 18 per 100,000 residents. The rate for Maryland is 12 per 100,00, and the rate for New York is 38 per 100,000. So who should be quarantined? Anyway, until New York's numbers come down, I guess I can hold off visiting the Moynihan Train Hall.
