Hello everyone! Thank you so much for all your help prior to my trip. Not just in the topic I posted but in countless others. This forum is amazing!
There is not much to report overall, which is probably a plus and not a minus. I arrived at the Atlanta station in the evening about an hour before departure, and learned the train was about a half hour late. The Atlanta station is small is it was very crowded, but everyone was pleasant. I printed my tickets on the Quik-Trak and waited.
When it came time to board I found that I had greatly underestimated how heavy my bag was as I had to walk aways down the platform.
I was assigned a seat. I got the window, which I was happy about because it gave me access to the outlets for my gadgets. The only disappointment was I ended up in the seat in the middle of the car that is mostly wall and very little window, so there would be no sight seeing for me. I considered asking for a switch but really the access to electricity seemed like the most important thing at the time.
My seat mate got off in Charlotte, NC and I was not assigned another until Charlottesville, VA, so I got the whole row to myself from about 1:30am to about 7:30am. I had a difficult time sleeping but that is just me; I have a hard time sleeping anywhere but a bed. I had a mask and a neck pillow, and around dawn I eventually did fall into a pretty deep sleep sprawled across the seats before being woken very gingerly by the new seat mate.
That last hour seems to last a long time, but I guess that is how it is for any trip. The nicest thing (as compared to air travel) was getting off the train, walking like 25 paces to the curb and waiting just 4-5 minutes for my ride. So easy!
This portion of the Crescent is overnight both ways. My return trip was about the same, only I was seated in the aisle next to a nice man (traveling with his wife and three children) who turned out to be the loudest snorer in the world. :blink: I tried to wake him, gently at first then with more and more forceful poking, but nothing doing. I did have my iPod on with those earplug style headphones, but with him so close to me it didn't seem to make a difference. Other people in the car were turning around and giving me dirty looks, I guess feeling like I wasn't doing enough. I kept waiting for his wife (seated behind us with one of the kids) to wake up and say something to him, but realized that she is practiced at sleeping through the noise! :lol:
Next time maybe I will actually venture out of coach. I had food and water with me both times, so I had no need. I thought about just wandering up there but I was feeling pretty relaxed in my seat and not anxious to move around at all. Definitely at least checking out the cafe car next time though.
There is not much to report overall, which is probably a plus and not a minus. I arrived at the Atlanta station in the evening about an hour before departure, and learned the train was about a half hour late. The Atlanta station is small is it was very crowded, but everyone was pleasant. I printed my tickets on the Quik-Trak and waited.
When it came time to board I found that I had greatly underestimated how heavy my bag was as I had to walk aways down the platform.
I was assigned a seat. I got the window, which I was happy about because it gave me access to the outlets for my gadgets. The only disappointment was I ended up in the seat in the middle of the car that is mostly wall and very little window, so there would be no sight seeing for me. I considered asking for a switch but really the access to electricity seemed like the most important thing at the time.My seat mate got off in Charlotte, NC and I was not assigned another until Charlottesville, VA, so I got the whole row to myself from about 1:30am to about 7:30am. I had a difficult time sleeping but that is just me; I have a hard time sleeping anywhere but a bed. I had a mask and a neck pillow, and around dawn I eventually did fall into a pretty deep sleep sprawled across the seats before being woken very gingerly by the new seat mate.
That last hour seems to last a long time, but I guess that is how it is for any trip. The nicest thing (as compared to air travel) was getting off the train, walking like 25 paces to the curb and waiting just 4-5 minutes for my ride. So easy!
This portion of the Crescent is overnight both ways. My return trip was about the same, only I was seated in the aisle next to a nice man (traveling with his wife and three children) who turned out to be the loudest snorer in the world. :blink: I tried to wake him, gently at first then with more and more forceful poking, but nothing doing. I did have my iPod on with those earplug style headphones, but with him so close to me it didn't seem to make a difference. Other people in the car were turning around and giving me dirty looks, I guess feeling like I wasn't doing enough. I kept waiting for his wife (seated behind us with one of the kids) to wake up and say something to him, but realized that she is practiced at sleeping through the noise! :lol:
Next time maybe I will actually venture out of coach. I had food and water with me both times, so I had no need. I thought about just wandering up there but I was feeling pretty relaxed in my seat and not anxious to move around at all. Definitely at least checking out the cafe car next time though.
