Any National Train Day stories?

[MrFSS]

Wow. Reading this just completely made my day
But I'm really looking forward to taking a lot of trains from May 21 to early June. I'll spend a day riding the MAX light rail in Portland, and then probably take the Cascades to Seattle, rent a car, drive up to British Columbia and at least watch the Canadian come through Kamloops, and take the Builder back east from Seattle (which means I'll have ridden the entire train, including both Portland and Seattle ends).

The Canadian is in Kamloops at 11 at night or 2 in the morning (if it is on time), depending on which way it is going and only three times a week. It will be dark! You may be able to see the Rocky Mountaineer there, too.

 

[The Metropolitan]

I'll spend a day riding the MAX light rail in Portland, and then probably take the Cascades to Seattle, rent a car, drive up to British Columbia and at least watch the Canadian come through Kamloops...

Will they let you cross the Border in a rented car? You might want to check on this. Otherwise, you could take the Train from Seattle to Vancouver, BC and THEN rent a car to visit Kamloops.

Curiously, I was just looking at this on Zipcar...

http://www.zipcar.com/how/faqs/faq-44

And it's an AGR Partner too!

 

[wayman]

I'll spend a day riding the MAX light rail in Portland, and then probably take the Cascades to Seattle, rent a car, drive up to British Columbia and at least watch the Canadian come through Kamloops...

Will they let you cross the Border in a rented car? You might want to check on this. Otherwise, you could take the Train from Seattle to Vancouver, BC and THEN rent a car to visit Kamloops.

I'm assuming yes, because when I priced a rental car from Enterprise in Seattle, the fine print said I could drive the car within a several state/province area including Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and several others I forget. Now, I suppose there's a distinction between "will Enterprise allow me to drive the car into Canada" and "will US border control allow it" and "will Canadian border control allow it".... Yes, worth looking into; I was assuming it would be cheaper to rent the car in Seattle than in Vancouver (and indeed, it was only $157 taxes included for a week, which seems like a good deal).

I'll give AAA a call; I'm assuming they're up on those sorts of details. Or is there a better resource?

--Will

 

[jackal]

I'll spend a day riding the MAX light rail in Portland, and then probably take the Cascades to Seattle, rent a car, drive up to British Columbia and at least watch the Canadian come through Kamloops...

Will they let you cross the Border in a rented car? You might want to check on this. Otherwise, you could take the Train from Seattle to Vancouver, BC and THEN rent a car to visit Kamloops.

I'm assuming yes, because when I priced a rental car from Enterprise in Seattle, the fine print said I could drive the car within a several state/province area including Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and several others I forget. Now, I suppose there's a distinction between "will Enterprise allow me to drive the car into Canada" and "will US border control allow it" and "will Canadian border control allow it".... Yes, worth looking into; I was assuming it would be cheaper to rent the car in Seattle than in Vancouver (and indeed, it was only $157 taxes included for a week, which seems like a good deal).

I'll give AAA a call; I'm assuming they're up on those sorts of details. Or is there a better resource?

--Will

It's my understanding that CBP has no problem with Americans driving cars, rental or personal, into Canada, and the US INS has no problem with them coming back. It's up to the individual company whether they want to let their cars cross the border (and therefore take on the risk of hassling trying to reposess a vehicle from a deadbeat renter or car thief with different police agencies, laws, insurance regulations, etc.).

CBP, however, will NOT let a Canadian resident drive an American rental car into Canada. I guess they feel threatened by competition from American cities and their lower taxes--and rather than responding like a capitalist company would (e.g. lowering prices, or in this case, taxes, to boost their business), they respond like any good government would--make it illegal. :lol:

 

[SharonLPK]

Sharon,
Thanks for a first timer's perspective on things.

Glad you had a good time and I too hope that this benefits them long term.

The fact that Union Station is in a great location for tourist-ing helped make the day... did not have to rent a car, plenty to see/do within walking distance, etc. Is the station in Washington DC as tourist-friendly, I'm already thinking of planning another trip

 

[AlanB]

The fact that Union Station is in a great location for tourist-ing helped make the day... did not have to rent a car, plenty to see/do within walking distance, etc. Is the station in Washington DC as tourist-friendly, I'm already thinking of planning another trip

Probably more so, since the Washington Union Station received a major overhaul about 30 years ago or so. It now has an entire food court and mini-mall right inside the station. The DC Metro is right downstairs to take you anywhere within the city. And many of the sights are within walking distance of WUS.

 

[Steven B]

The fact that Union Station is in a great location for tourist-ing helped make the day... did not have to rent a car, plenty to see/do within walking distance, etc. Is the station in Washington DC as tourist-friendly, I'm already thinking of planning another trip

Probably more so, since the Washington Union Station received a major overhaul about 30 years ago or so. It now has an entire food court and mini-mall right inside the station. The DC Metro is right downstairs to take you anywhere within the city. And many of the sights are within walking distance of WUS.

I think Washington Union Station is the nicest station in the entire Amtrak system. Definitely worth a visit, and very centrally located in DC. The US Capitol building is just a short walk away.

The renovation was actually in 1988, so it was only 20 years ago, and the station still looks great. There are about 60 shops in the station building, along with about 40 places to eat. Union Station website

You can easily see all the major sights in DC without a car. The city is very walkable, and the subway system is excellent.

 

[MStrain]

More importantly, does anyone have any PHOTOS from National Train Day???????

 

[MrFSS]

The fact that Union Station is in a great location for tourist-ing helped make the day... did not have to rent a car, plenty to see/do within walking distance, etc. Is the station in Washington DC as tourist-friendly, I'm already thinking of planning another trip

Probably more so, since the Washington Union Station received a major overhaul about 30 years ago or so. It now has an entire food court and mini-mall right inside the station. The DC Metro is right downstairs to take you anywhere within the city. And many of the sights are within walking distance of WUS.

I think Washington Union Station is the nicest station in the entire Amtrak system. Definitely worth a visit, and very centrally located in DC. The US Capitol building is just a short walk away.

The renovation was actually in 1988, so it was only 20 years ago, and the station still looks great. There are about 60 shops in the station building, along with about 40 places to eat. Union Station website

You can easily see all the major sights in DC without a car. The city is very walkable, and the subway system is excellent.

I will be there for a day in July. Anyone know what the policy for taking pictures inside the station might be? I would be discreet and will only be interested in the architecture, etc.

Thanks!!

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

The train is nice; it's articulated so that you don't have to jump over bouncing plates between cars but even as an engineer in the seat who had run at 110 mph I really didn't care for 150~ you can't even count the telegraph poles!

I'd never noticed that, but I guess that's the benefit of the semi-permanent coupling arrangement on those trainsets.

 

[Steven B]

I will be there for a day in July. Anyone know what the policy for taking pictures inside the station might be? I would be discreet and will only be interested in the architecture, etc.

My understanding is that photography is permitted throughout the station, as long as it's for personal, non-commercial use (no tripods). Security guards, however, may not be well-informed and might still say something if if they see you. When I was there on Saturday, though, everyone was taking pictures without any problem.

 

[chuljin]

More importantly, does anyone have any PHOTOS from National Train Day???????

Photos here, and an accompanying trip report here. Enjoy!

 

[SharonLPK]

More importantly, does anyone have any PHOTOS from National Train Day???????

Photos here, and an accompanying trip report here. Enjoy!

Thanks for sharing the photos, I hope to figure out how to get some posted also

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Did anybody attend this event in Atlanta?

I was unable to go due to prior family commitments.