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HasTy

Train Attendant
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Aug 1, 2011
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So since none of you know my better half (yet) I am planning a trip for our 2 year anniversary together and asking her to marry me at some point on the trip. She got all excited at the prospect of a cross country trip and dangerously gave me free reign to plan this trip. I am currently thinking of a trip along the lines of this:

LAX to NOL via SL

forced overnight in NOL

NOL to WAS via Crescent

Overnight 2 nights in WAS

WAS to NYP via Acela

Overnight in NYC

NYP to CHI via LSL

CHI to SEA via EB

SEA to LAX via CS

This is all up to suggestion but this is the best grand circle I could come up with off the cuff.

EDIT: This is being planned for early to mid January of 2017.
 
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the_traveler said:
First, the train to NOL does not go thru STL. You can take the SWC up to CHI and do a same day connection to the CONO.
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I am confused nowhere did I say I was going through STL...I did say that I was taking the Sunset Limited (SL) from LAX to NOL.
 
brianpmcdonnell17 said:
HasTy said:
the_traveler said:
First, the train to NOL does not go thru STL. You can take the SWC up to CHI and do a same day connection to the CONO.
Click to expand...
I am confused nowhere did I say I was going through STL...I did say that I was taking the Sunset Limited (SL) from LAX to NOL.
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I think he misread SL (Sunset Limited) as STL (St. Louis).
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Got it...sorry if my reply came off as a little rude when I first wrote it didn't but as I look back at how easy that could have been skewed it seems a little rude now.
 
I didn't see anything amiss with your reply to The Traveler.

Your trip seems like a lot of train time. Is your gf a train lover? If not, she will likely tire of the train, particularly the sameness of the food. Maybe you could plan in more overnights between legs of train travel.

If you are only staying over in NOLA because you have to [forced], I would skip it. The Sunset Ltd is the least interesting of the cross-country routes imo; and so with the Crescent too. I would go with the Southwest Chief then Capitol Ltd or Cardinal to Washington. Both of those routes have more to offer than the other 2. But the food is potentially going to be a problem wherever you go because it's pretty much all the same on all routes.

Sounds like a great trip though. Good way to really get to know someone = together 24/7 for a week or so. :mellow:
 
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I would spend an additional night in NOL and possibly pop the question while dining at Commanders Palace. I bet if you contacted them during your planning process they would go out of their way to make it a memorable evening for both of you!
 
hessjm said:
I would spend an additional night in NOL and possibly pop the question while dining at Commanders Palace. I bet if you contacted them during your planning process they would go out of their way to make it a memorable evening for both of you!
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An excellent suggestion. Commander's is probably our favorite restaurant, anywhere. Customer service is outstanding and they would make the proposal very memorable. Ask the maitre d' if Lally Brennan is on site. She's the matriarch of the Brennan family that owns several NOL restaurants as she will stop by and make the occasion very special. Since it is pricey, go for lunch when food is just as good, but a bit less expensive, and a nice daytime walk in the Garden District from the wonderful St. Charles streetcar line. January is a great time in NOL, not crowded and usually a pleasant temperature. A very romantic city.

I also second the post that said be careful about too many train days - you want her to want more, not be weary of train travel. I would do your loop in the west and save the east for later. Or, fly one way and train the other - which would save a bunch of money. More time in the cities would, I suspect, be very appreciated.
 
Seaboard92 said:
I would personally take the Cardinal westbound NYP-CHI. It's an amazing. And scenic route.
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Depending on the time of year. I rode it westbound in Oct a few years ago and missed the New River Gorge due to darkness.
 
Congrats on having a fiancee that trusts you enough to plan a cross country journey via train.

As others have said, I too recommend at least 2 nights in New Orleans which is a Magical place! If time is limited I agree that the Sunset Ltd. could be skipped,fly to New Orleans!

Take the Crescent as planned to Washington, spend 2 nights, then First Class Acela to New York where at least 2 nights is suggested in another Magical Place.

I also suggest you Fly to Chicago, then catch the California Zephyr ( best scenery in this Country) to Emeryville, spend the night and then ride the Starlight down the Coast to LA in the Pacific Parlour Car. (great scenery in Daylight!)

Since it is January it will be Cold and get dark early and the Lake Shore, Empire Builder and the Seattle to Emeryville Routes will mostly be Cold,Damp and Dreary.
 
HasTy said:
brianpmcdonnell17 said:
HasTy said:
the_traveler said:
First, the train to NOL does not go thru STL. You can take the SWC up to CHI and do a same day connection to the CONO.
Click to expand...
I am confused nowhere did I say I was going through STL...I did say that I was taking the Sunset Limited (SL) from LAX to NOL.
Click to expand...
I think he misread SL (Sunset Limited) as STL (St. Louis).
Click to expand...
Got it...sorry if my reply came off as a little rude when I first wrote it didn't but as I look back at how easy that could have been skewed it seems a little rude now.
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My apologies!
Yes, I did misread SL as STL! And if it appears that I thought your reply was rude, I'm sorry. It was not.
 
So first off thanks for all the suggestions...when she first asked about doing this trip and I was talking about places to overnight she said do we have to stop overnight why not stay on the train straight through...

Now that we have talked about it though i think maybe skipping the Sunset and going with the chief is a better idea I try to avoid an east bound Cap as I always end up bustituted in the winter it never fails...I will go back to the drawing board and perhaps come up with a better idea tomorrow morning when I am more awake.
 
You might want to consider going up to Boston, a very nice tourist walk-friendly city. Then either the train or fly to Chicago to continue your trip. The Freedom Trail is worth a whirl. However you decide, it sounds like a good time!
 
City of Miami said:
Your trip seems like a lot of train time. Is your gf a train lover? If not, she will likely tire of the train, particularly the sameness of the food. Maybe you could plan in more overnights between legs of train travel.
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Concur, emphatically. Perhaps your overnights in cities along the way will be enough to prevent cabin fever, but I would be concerned about such a long trip.

The Sunset Ltd is the least interesting of the cross-country routes imo; and so with the Crescent too. I would go with the Southwest Chief then Capitol Ltd or Cardinal to Washington.
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I would rank the Sunset Limited and the Southwest Chief as about equal, and each is clearly inferior to either the California Zephyr or the Empire Builder. Nonetheless, there is no bad long-distance train in the west, in my opinion.

On a recent Sunset Limited trip, I saw a roadrunner and a zone-tailed hawk for the first time; I hadn't even known the zone-tailed hawk existed. If neither you nor your friend enjoy spotting birds, this is probably not interesting.

While I agree that the Capitol Limited and the Cardinal are more interesting than the Crescent, I'll paraphrase myself: there is no bad long-distance train in the east, in my opinion. (I have not taken the Auto Train, but I would not expect to change my mind.)

If you (or anyone else, for that matter) mentioned anything about accommodations, I missed. If you finances allow it, I would recommend bedrooms on the western trains, except for one leg to see what you think of a roomette. If money is tight, then get roomettes except for one leg in a bedroom. (If money is tight, why are you taking this trip?) On Viewliners, I find the roomettes much more comfortable than on Superliners, and therefore the bedroom is more of a luxury.

In summary, my concern about your plans would be the number of nights on the train in a relatively short time and not about the routing. My only other comment would be that you might want to pop the question near the end of the trip, after you have lived in cramped quarters for longer.
 
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Modified Schedule thanks to your input is:

LAX to CHI via the SWC

CHI to WAS on the Cap

4 days in WAS

WAS to CHI on the Cardinal

CHI to SEA on the EB

Overnight in SEA

SEA to LAX on the CS.

Willem,

I am looking at price difference between the difference of a bedroom and a roomette as we have done trips in both... I just have never done a circle tour before.
 
When you are travelling using the Viewliners (Cardinal) your fiancée may prefer the bedroom over the roomette for the privacy of the toilet. Superliners are not a problem that way. Now, as you are a young couple, the bedroom offers the opportunity to be very close at night instead of separate beds. Considering that you are proposing during this trip, this may be want to think out how your fiancée will be once you propose. Also, when we did a long loop this summer, seeing the same menu over and over did detract some from the overall enjoyment of our 11 day trip, but staying a night or two in various cities really helped us enjoy our trip.
 
Here's a trip that'll either make her a real train fan or kill all interest in taking another train trip:

MarathonTripe.jpg

Longest one I've found with no repeats.
 
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