greatcats
Engineer
This is the first segment of my four week trip, mostly by rail, in search of symphonies and other cultural events. So far, it has gone well, with a few complications to make it interesting. I had intended to depart Flagstaff on Monday, January 31, but was ill over the weekend and changed the reservation to a day later. I would have arrived Chicago probably OK, before the blizzard became messy, but I was not in shape to travel. So, on Tuesday morning I made the early morning walk from the Flagstaff Drury Inn, where my car is ensconced in the only covered parking garage in downtown, and boarded the Southwest Chief on the sleeper, " Wisconsin, " which except for one restroom that was locked for the entire trip, was in good shape, with little or no malfunctions. The attendant was Renee, a Filipino man who I had met last year from FLG to LAX. To his credit, he looked after his passengers and others agreed with me that he kept the car clean and tidy right up to arrival Chicago. The dining car was one of the better run that I have encountered in my travel and each meal my server was Richard, a 42 year rail employee. This man certainly added some class. ( He related to me that many years ago he was a young clerk on Western Pacific, at the time the line was applying to discontinue the California Zephyr. He went on a radio program and stated the railroad was chasing away business. The next day he was called in the office and told he no longer worked for WP. I had to laugh, because as a younger railroad clerk, I had a habit of talking back to management! ) All went well throughout the day, although the skies through northeastern New Mexico were gloomy and we thought we would be running into the blizzard, which we never did, but...........
The next morning arrival in Kansas City was about an hour late, as we had to wait for a very late westbounbd SWC from Chicago to pass and speed restrictions because of extreme cold. It appeared we were about to leave for Chicago, when Renee told me to pack my bags and get on the St. Louis train on the next track if I wanted to get to Chicago. So I was hurriedly packing when that train pulled out. I was quite annoyed, but it turned out to be bad information that should never have been passed out and I don't think the connecting train from St. Louis to Chicago ran,as we picked up people later from cancelled trains at STL. We sat all morning in Kansas City while decisions were being made. For watever reasons related to the storm, the normal Santa Fe route would not be taken and we would be routed by way of St. Louis. Intermediate passengers would be put up until the next day at Kansas City - Chicago passengers stayed on the train. ( although this could have been explained more clearly as to what was taking place. )
Shortly after 12:30pm, we departed and made the rather pokey run across Missouri to St. Louis, delayed by a few freights. ( I last rode this line in 1977, when the through sleeper ran via Kansas City. ) Obviously, people making connections were going to be out of luck, but this was not a problem for me. I had a ticket for the Cleveland Orchestra in Chicago, but received phone calls and Email that this event was cancelled. After a nearly hour stop in St. Louis we continued onto Chicago. I will say the train crews tried to be informative and helpful approaching Chicago. We pulled in a fashionable ten hours and 20 minutes late at 1:35am. The good thing was that we had arrived safely, unlike other means of transportation. Our train, while very late, had been a good place to be.
On to the next part of the adventure - Going up to Canal Street. Need taxi to the Hotel Palomar, at 505 North State St., 1.4 miles according to Mapquest. Was there a phalanx of cabs waiting for us? Of course not. Rather than stand out there for who knows how long fighting for a taxi, I said to hell with it, hoisted my backpack on my shoulders and towed the roller bag and walked at 2 am across the deserted streets of Chicago. Actually, for the most part, the streets and sidewalks were in fairly good shape. The temperature was 13 degrees, but no wind. In about thirty minutes this traveler huffed into the hotel lobby and the desk clerk was astonished at what I had just pulled off. I remarked it proved I was not a wimp, but that nice hotel room was a welcome sight. Later Thursday I enjoyed the Chicago Symphony performing the hair raising Shostakovich Symphony #5. Great stuff - this is why I am making this trip. The next morning, one of the more unpleasant parts of the trip: Since the train did not serve my purpose to get to my next concert Cincinnati, I opted to try Megabus. It turned out fine, but the boarding process was anything but pleasant. All of their buses, having come in from other points, were running an hour or two late. As you may know, Megabus does not have stations - they board out on the sidewalk a half block from Union Station. To their credit, they did have a Coach USA bus parked and running as a " warming bus " but there was a big crowd out there and the information as to what was happening was sketchy. I opted not to get on the parked bus, but to keep on top of the departure situation. Finally, the one marked " Indianapolis-Cincinnati " arrived, we loaded our bags in the back and boarded and left at 11:45 am, 45 minutes late. The driver, Gary, was an outstanding gent who I even tipped at the end of the trip. He cared about his passengers and kept us informed. When we were stopped for an accident scene on Interstate 65, he got off and inquired of truck drivers as to the status of the situation. I have to say these double decker buses made by VanHool are an impressive piece of equipment, seating 81 passengers. Sure, it is not as roomy as a train, blah blah blah, but overall this service was fine at a reasonable price. ( I am sure this is a non-union outfit. ) You will note that I am also a tour bus driver. Arrival in Cincinnati was at a sidewalk location downtown, only 2 blocks from my hotel, an hour and twenty minutes late. The next night I was at the Cincinnati Symphony for the Mahler Symphony #7 in the ornate Music Hall.
During the day I went over to the Cincinnati Union Terminal, now the Museum Center. I went in the History Museum, up to Tower A, run by the railroad club, and took a behind the scenes tour with a lady who knew her stuff, but could not fathom taking the train all those hours to New York. I am sure much has been written about this spectacular building, which even includes a pipe organ in the Rotunda. The concourse over the tracks was removed many years ago, but otherwise the place has been put to great use. After the concert, I hung out in the hotel lobby and around 2am took a cab back to the Terminal for the Cardinal to Washington. The waiting room is in the former Mens' Waiting Room, in all its Art Deco splendor. There was one agent on duty, a friendly and helpful gent. This has to be the world's most underutilized large train station. Most would agree that this train should run daily, but that has been rehashed over and over. It appeared about 25 to 30 passengers were waiting this early Sunday morning, Feb. 6, but I was the only sleeper passenger. The train arrived about 45 late and seven passengers got off the sleeper. Eugene showed me to my room and I promptly set up my BiPap breating machine and went to bed as we departed at 4:12 am. I slept fairly well far into the morning and skipped breakfast. I had missed the new River Gorge this trip, but did not care. I am not used to these wacko hours anymore and was feeling rather shot. The pizza at lunch was fairly decent, but I have said this before - these Diner Lite cars look like a junk shop, with supplies piled all over the place. The food and service were OK, but the car barely serves the purpose. It was a cloudy day and I was not feeling too energetic and spent most of the day reading on my new Kindle, a fabulous invention. We were delayed by a freight after leaving Charlottesville and arrived Washington just over an hour late. This was the second time I have ridden the Cardinal route, which is an interesting ride, but the minimalist consist, lack of daily operation, and plodding along bumpy branch line track in places, does not exactly speak glowingly of our rail system, does it?
I am here in DC, and will take Acela to Boston on Thursday, then to Chicago, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, San Diego, and back to Flagstaff. Thanks for reading.
The next morning arrival in Kansas City was about an hour late, as we had to wait for a very late westbounbd SWC from Chicago to pass and speed restrictions because of extreme cold. It appeared we were about to leave for Chicago, when Renee told me to pack my bags and get on the St. Louis train on the next track if I wanted to get to Chicago. So I was hurriedly packing when that train pulled out. I was quite annoyed, but it turned out to be bad information that should never have been passed out and I don't think the connecting train from St. Louis to Chicago ran,as we picked up people later from cancelled trains at STL. We sat all morning in Kansas City while decisions were being made. For watever reasons related to the storm, the normal Santa Fe route would not be taken and we would be routed by way of St. Louis. Intermediate passengers would be put up until the next day at Kansas City - Chicago passengers stayed on the train. ( although this could have been explained more clearly as to what was taking place. )
Shortly after 12:30pm, we departed and made the rather pokey run across Missouri to St. Louis, delayed by a few freights. ( I last rode this line in 1977, when the through sleeper ran via Kansas City. ) Obviously, people making connections were going to be out of luck, but this was not a problem for me. I had a ticket for the Cleveland Orchestra in Chicago, but received phone calls and Email that this event was cancelled. After a nearly hour stop in St. Louis we continued onto Chicago. I will say the train crews tried to be informative and helpful approaching Chicago. We pulled in a fashionable ten hours and 20 minutes late at 1:35am. The good thing was that we had arrived safely, unlike other means of transportation. Our train, while very late, had been a good place to be.
On to the next part of the adventure - Going up to Canal Street. Need taxi to the Hotel Palomar, at 505 North State St., 1.4 miles according to Mapquest. Was there a phalanx of cabs waiting for us? Of course not. Rather than stand out there for who knows how long fighting for a taxi, I said to hell with it, hoisted my backpack on my shoulders and towed the roller bag and walked at 2 am across the deserted streets of Chicago. Actually, for the most part, the streets and sidewalks were in fairly good shape. The temperature was 13 degrees, but no wind. In about thirty minutes this traveler huffed into the hotel lobby and the desk clerk was astonished at what I had just pulled off. I remarked it proved I was not a wimp, but that nice hotel room was a welcome sight. Later Thursday I enjoyed the Chicago Symphony performing the hair raising Shostakovich Symphony #5. Great stuff - this is why I am making this trip. The next morning, one of the more unpleasant parts of the trip: Since the train did not serve my purpose to get to my next concert Cincinnati, I opted to try Megabus. It turned out fine, but the boarding process was anything but pleasant. All of their buses, having come in from other points, were running an hour or two late. As you may know, Megabus does not have stations - they board out on the sidewalk a half block from Union Station. To their credit, they did have a Coach USA bus parked and running as a " warming bus " but there was a big crowd out there and the information as to what was happening was sketchy. I opted not to get on the parked bus, but to keep on top of the departure situation. Finally, the one marked " Indianapolis-Cincinnati " arrived, we loaded our bags in the back and boarded and left at 11:45 am, 45 minutes late. The driver, Gary, was an outstanding gent who I even tipped at the end of the trip. He cared about his passengers and kept us informed. When we were stopped for an accident scene on Interstate 65, he got off and inquired of truck drivers as to the status of the situation. I have to say these double decker buses made by VanHool are an impressive piece of equipment, seating 81 passengers. Sure, it is not as roomy as a train, blah blah blah, but overall this service was fine at a reasonable price. ( I am sure this is a non-union outfit. ) You will note that I am also a tour bus driver. Arrival in Cincinnati was at a sidewalk location downtown, only 2 blocks from my hotel, an hour and twenty minutes late. The next night I was at the Cincinnati Symphony for the Mahler Symphony #7 in the ornate Music Hall.
During the day I went over to the Cincinnati Union Terminal, now the Museum Center. I went in the History Museum, up to Tower A, run by the railroad club, and took a behind the scenes tour with a lady who knew her stuff, but could not fathom taking the train all those hours to New York. I am sure much has been written about this spectacular building, which even includes a pipe organ in the Rotunda. The concourse over the tracks was removed many years ago, but otherwise the place has been put to great use. After the concert, I hung out in the hotel lobby and around 2am took a cab back to the Terminal for the Cardinal to Washington. The waiting room is in the former Mens' Waiting Room, in all its Art Deco splendor. There was one agent on duty, a friendly and helpful gent. This has to be the world's most underutilized large train station. Most would agree that this train should run daily, but that has been rehashed over and over. It appeared about 25 to 30 passengers were waiting this early Sunday morning, Feb. 6, but I was the only sleeper passenger. The train arrived about 45 late and seven passengers got off the sleeper. Eugene showed me to my room and I promptly set up my BiPap breating machine and went to bed as we departed at 4:12 am. I slept fairly well far into the morning and skipped breakfast. I had missed the new River Gorge this trip, but did not care. I am not used to these wacko hours anymore and was feeling rather shot. The pizza at lunch was fairly decent, but I have said this before - these Diner Lite cars look like a junk shop, with supplies piled all over the place. The food and service were OK, but the car barely serves the purpose. It was a cloudy day and I was not feeling too energetic and spent most of the day reading on my new Kindle, a fabulous invention. We were delayed by a freight after leaving Charlottesville and arrived Washington just over an hour late. This was the second time I have ridden the Cardinal route, which is an interesting ride, but the minimalist consist, lack of daily operation, and plodding along bumpy branch line track in places, does not exactly speak glowingly of our rail system, does it?
I am here in DC, and will take Acela to Boston on Thursday, then to Chicago, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, San Diego, and back to Flagstaff. Thanks for reading.
