Cross-America trip in June; will appreciate advice

[meursault]

Hi all,

Recently got a US Rail Pass, will start using it this June. The only firm fixture is DC, where I'll be 10-13th for a conference. Otherwise, I can pretty much wherever I want; the only condition is that I have to be back in SF by June 24.

But so much choice! Plus I don't really know which places are worth visiting, and which are not. Here is what I'm currently thinking:

I live in the Bay Area, as per above.

(1) Leave around Friday or Saturday via Chicago route.

(2) Stop over one day in Salt Lake City (is it possible to travel SF-SLC by night, and get out in the morning?).

(3) Go to Chicago.

(4) Spend a few days there, as I have a couple of acquaintances there, plus its Chicago, the third biggest city in the US.

(5) Go on east, stop over one day in Pittsburgh (again have a friend there, plus a cool brewery).

(6) Arrive in DC early on 10th, so I can explore the city for one day before the conference starts.

(7) Leave late on 13th - which will also be free.

Now here's a problem. I like poker, and really want to visit Atlantic City for a day, the LV of the East Coast. The only problem is that it isn't connected to the Amtrak network. Is this solvable, or should I just move on? I don't mind missing it.

(8) Will definitely want to spend at least at least a couple of days in NY. Problem? I'm traveling on the cheap, and hotels there are expensive. Unless someone knows of a place to stay that's at least half-way decent and doesn't cost $150+ per night, I'll have to keep it to three days max.

Is it worth visiting Boston and the NE in general?

(9) The return. Here I'll have to make another major decision. I don't want to come back the way I came from, so that leaves:

(a) The northernmost route, and the one I'm favoring most. How realistic would it be to stop over at Yellowstone for a couple of days, rent a car and travel around; then come back and pass one day in Seattle, one day in Portland, before getting back to SF?

(b) The LV/Flagstaff/LA route. Doesn't really sound interesting. I've been to both LV and LA quite a few a few times anyway.

© The southernmost route, through Atlanta, New Orleans, El Paso, LA. Sounds rather more interesting than above, but not by a great deal. Not at all sure what a passing tourist would do in Houston let alone El Paso.

Is it generally possible to structure such a journey such that I'm mostly traveling by night, and visiting cities by day? I'll be going very light - just a couple of changes of clothes, laptop, and Kindle - which will fit in one rucksack. The only cities where I expect to stay more a day are Chicago, Washington, and NY.

Any thoughts? Advice? Before I start booking. Thanks.

 

[Jean]

Hi, apart from poker, do you have any specific interests? I would think you would enjoy Boston if you have an interest in American history and Yellowstone if you have an interest in nature/wild animals/scenery etc. I loved both these places, but am very interested in history, nature etc. I didn't find Boston especially spectacular as a city, but the train trip up there was very pleasant from a scenery point of view. I have never heard of anyone who didn't love New York, but I think you would have to find a hostel to get below $150 p/n. Re Yellowstone, you would get best value by staying inside the park, but it is probably booked out by now, there are several towns on the perimeter that would have inexpensive accommodation, maybe West Yellowstone IIRC. By best value I mean being close to everything, even so there is a lot of driving.

Jean

 

[Shanghai]

Sounds like a great trip.

The California Zephyr goes from Emeryville to Salt Lake City, arriving at 3:00am!!

I don't know if you would consider that a morning train!!

Going from Salt Lake City to Chicago, the CZ departs at 3:30am.

I like Boston as it is a small, compact city with many historical sites.

Of course, Washington DC has many sites and attractions.

Pittsburgh is good for one, maybe two days.

I have taken the Texas Eagle from LAX to CHI. It is a long trip.

Not too much scenery except if you like desert and sage brush.

Enjoy.

 

[benjibear]

I like Boston. Alot of historical things to do. Hotels are usually expensive here as well.

As for Atlantic City, NJ Transit runs regular service between Philadelphia and AC. You can actually book this through Amtrak.com but I am not sure if you can use your rail pass but it is not an expensive trip. IIRC it is only around $10 one way. Once you get to AC, there are busses to take you to the various casinos.

 

[meursault]

Okay, thanks for the advice all.

@Jean,

I used to like history museums and stuff like that several years ago, but now it feels more like I'm just ticking off boxes. So I now gravitate more towards stuff that you can't read about in books or Wikipedia.

So not really interested in Boston if it's mostly just the museums and 18th century costumes. The expensive hotels (via benjibear) are another minus. I'm now searching for experiences: Good food, districts to explore, natural wonders, and so forth.

Now driving around Yellowstone, seeing the geysers and stuff really interests me. A pity it might be booked out, though; I'll have to hurry up and check, just to make sure.

@Shanghai,

Very useful stuff, thanks! Ouch, yes, that's early indeed. Hope I manage to get some sleep before being woken in the middle of the night...

Only planning to be in Pittsburgh for one day - to meet my acquaintance, plus visit that Church Brewery.

 

[Ryan]

(b) The LV/Flagstaff/LA route. Doesn't really sound interesting. I've been to both LV and LA quite a few a few times anyway.

WARNING: The "LV" in question is Las Vegas, NM, NOT Las Vegas, NV.

Personally, I'd take the northern route home. To really avoid doubling up, I would take the Capitol Limited from Chicago to Washington, work my way up the east coast and then take the Lake Shore Limited from New York or Boston back to Chicago.

Is it generally possible to structure such a journey such that I'm mostly traveling by night, and visiting cities by day?

Depends on the cities - most city pairs have one train a day between them, so the train comes when it comes. For example, Chicago to Pittsburgh is an overnight (and super early morning), but Pittsburgh to Washington is that super early morning - early afternoon. Your stop in most of the cities that see one train daily will be by definition exactly 24 hours (assuming both trains are on time).

 

[Eric308]

About the nearest stop to Yellowstone heading west on the Empire Builder (the northern route) would be Shelby, MT. It's over 300 miles to Yellowstone from there. I would instead get off at Whitefish, MT...rent a car there and tour Glacier National Park which is just north. Spectacular place. I've been to all the national parks and Glacier is my favorite. http://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm

 

[grounded flyboy]

The expensive hotels (via benjibear) are another minus. I'm now searching for experiences: Good food, districts to explore, natural wonders, and so forth.

Check out the travelogue section of this forum and read the 2 Joes Gastronomic Adventures (there are 6 chapters, so far). We are doing just what you are looking for... riding trains, good food, and cold beer!

 

[Tracktwentynine]

Regarding New York, I often stay in Newark to get cheaper accommodations. There are several hotels within walking distance of Newark Penn (Amtrak) Station. At Newark Penn, you can get frequent NJ Transit (commuter) service into New York Penn Station. You can also take PATH, which is a subway-type system, with frequent trains. From Newark the service is direct to lower Manhattan, but to get to Midtown and NY Penn Station, you can transfer.

As for the California Zephyr, I believe the scenery is better (because of the daylight hours) going westbound. It might be better for you to travel to Washington by going up to Portland on the Coast Starlight and transferring to the Empire Builder (the northern route) there and riding to Chicago. (Additionally, the scenery is better eastbound on the Empire Builder).

Your return trip could be on the Zephyr, ending in the Bay Area.

Is there any reason you want to see Salt Lake City as opposed to Denver? I've been to both cities, and there's much, much more to see in Denver. I found Salt Lake City to be kind of boring, actually, though it is very scenic.

 

[Dan O]

Re Yellowstone--if you like nature, you can't spend too much time there. I was there w/ my family for a week and we drove over 700 miles in the park. It's big and you have to drive a lot to see animals. Well have to drive a good amount to see geysers, river, lake, etc. We did see a good amount of wildlife from wolves to grizzly bears and just about everything else except mountain lions. Most days we got up really early and drove to various valley looking for wildlife, spent the days looking at geysers, the lake, etc and spent evenings driving looking for wildlife.

Sounds like a great trip.

Dan

 

[hessjm]

(8) Will definitely want to spend at least at least a couple of days in NY. Problem? I'm traveling on the cheap, and hotels there are expensive. Unless someone knows of a place to stay that's at least half-way decent and doesn't cost $150+ per night, I'll have to keep it to three days max.

A few weeks ago, we rode Amtrak to MetroPark station and stayed at the Hilton Woodbridge in Iselin NJ, a short walk away for $100 plus $15 tax a night. We had about a 45 minute ride into New York using NJT.

 

[amamba]

Okay, thanks for the advice all.I used to like history museums and stuff like that several years ago, but now it feels more like I'm just ticking off boxes. So I now gravitate more towards stuff that you can't read about in books or Wikipedia.

So not really interested in Boston if it's mostly just the museums and 18th century costumes. The expensive hotels (via benjibear) are another minus. I'm now searching for experiences: Good food, districts to explore, natural wonders, and so forth.

Now driving around Yellowstone, seeing the geysers and stuff really interests me. A pity it might be booked out, though; I'll have to hurry up and check, just to make sure.

Boston is much more than just museums - and I have never seen anyone in an 18th century costume there. Boston is a fabulous city that is filled with great food and lots of fun experiences like going sailing in the charles river, taking a whale watching cruise, or just walking through the public garden and going on a swan boat ride.

That being said, if you are looking a city with great food, may I give you a plug for my home city, Providence, RI? Depending on when you are coming, you could try to time your visit with Waterfire (www.waterfire.org) which is pretty much the most amazing and best public art installation in the country. Providence is known for an amazing food scene and is light years more affordable than Boston.

As for yellowstone, I spent a summer in college working there. My job was to sit in the inbound call center in Mammoth Hot Springs and book hotel rooms and campgrounds for people that wanted to stay in the park at the hotels there, run by the park concessionaire. I can tell you that I worked from June - August and when people called looking for a room for that summer, it was hard because everything was booked up. People mostly called to book for the future year as reservations opened up 364 days in advance. And that was over 10 years ago.

Yellowstone is amazing and I wholeheartedly recommend it for everyone, but in conjunction with your train trip, I would suggest sticking to Glacier National park.

 

[VentureForth]

Do you have a 15-day or 30-day pass? If you have a 15 day pass, you're going to be in some trouble with your proposed itinerary. Remember - you only get 8 segments on the 15 day pass and 12 on the 30-day. Even on the 30-day, your 12 segments may be cutting it close. Here's how I'm counting it:

To arrive in DC on the 10th at 12:40 PM, you would need schedule as follows:

1) Emeryville to Salt Lake City (6/3 - 6/4) California Zephyr
2) Salt Lake City to Chicago (6/5 - 6/6) (24 hours in SLC) California Zephyr
3) Chicago to Pittsburg (6/8 - 6/9) (48 hours in CHI) Capitol Limited
4) Pittsburg to DC (6/10) Capitol Limited
5) DC to Philadelphia (6/13) Any Northeast Corridor train (Acela not included on railpass)
x) Philadelphia to Atlantic City and back to Philadelphia (6/13 - 6/15) - Not Amtrak; Doesn't count as a segment New Jersey Transit
6) Philadelphia to NYC (6/15) Northeast Regional
7) NYC to BOS (6/18) 72 Hours in NYC Northeast Regional
8) BOS to CHI (6/19-6/20) Lakeshore Limited
9) CHI to Shelby (6/20-6/21) Empire Builder
10) Shelby to Portland, ME (6/22 - 6/23) California Zephyr
11) Portland, ME to Emeryville (6/23 - 6/24) Coast Starlight

Now, as you can see, this takes 11 segments without a gambling stop in the West. If you prefer, you can possibly route your journey as such, visiting national parks on your way out and friends and Reno on your way back:

1) EMY - PDX (6/1 - 6/2)
2) PDX - SBY (6/2 - 6/3)
3) SBY - CHI (6/5 - 6/6)
4) CHI - PGH (6/7 - 6/8)
5) PGH - WAS (6/9 - 6/10)

Then,

6) WAS - PHL (6/13)
x) PHL - Atlantic City - PHL (6/13 - 6/15)
7) PHL - NYP (6/15)
8) NYP - BOS (6/17)
9) BOS - CHI (6/18 - 6/19)
10) CHI - SLC (6/20 - 6/21)
11) SLC - RNO (6/22 - 6/23)
12) RNO - EMY (6/24)

It's a tight schedule no matter how you slice it.

 

[Bob Dylan]

:hi: Nice Trip! I'm Envious!Some Great Suggestions already! We have members that Live in most of these Cities and have ridden All of the LD Trains so there is plenty of Info Available on this Site, Please ask once youve worked out a Draft itenerary! Just know that in the Summer these are Very Popular Cities, Trains and Places and will be Crowded and Mostly Expensive! (known as Top Bucket Prices) ITotally agree with Riding the Coast Starlight to Portland, then the Empire Builder to Chicago and the Capitol Limited to Washington DC! Personally Id skip Boston, New York Really is THE Apple and one could spend their Life there and not run out of sights and Things to do! You say youve done the Museum thing but DC has some of the Best Museums (including Government Buildings) in the World and most things are Free!!! Be sure and ride the Acela between Washington and New York! After New York either take The crescent to new orleans, another Fascinating City, then the City of New orleans to Chicago or take the Lake Shore Limited to Chicago, another Fascinating City, I recommend the Hostel international on Congress Downtown, its a Great Place! On the way Home The California Zephyr has Fantastic Scenery betwen Denver and Grand junction and Reno and the Bay Area! I agree Denver is probably a Better place to Viusit than Salt lake City but since you have a friend there perhaps one day Layover on the way Home would be Enough to hit the Highlites! (The Lake and Mormon Tabernacle are about it! ) I also agree that Glacier national Park in Montana is better than Yelllowstone, especially in the Summer when Yellowstone is so crowded and Really is so Far from Everything!

 

[Tracktwentynine]

9) CHI to Shelby (6/20-6/21) Empire Builder10) Shelby to Portland, ME (6/22 - 6/23) California Zephyr

11) Portland, ME to Emeryville (6/23 - 6/24) Coast Starlight

Note that #10 would be Shelby to Porland, OR (Oregon) on the Empire Builder.

Number 11 would be Portland, OR to Emeryville.

Portland, ME (Maine) would add a whole bunch of segments to the trip.

 

[the_traveler]

To further plug Providence, if you stay there (which is much affordable then Boston as Amamba said), you can take MBTA or Amtrak to Boston in less than 1 hour.

 

[Eric308]

9) CHI to Shelby (6/20-6/21) Empire Builder10) Shelby to Portland, ME (6/22 - 6/23) California Zephyr

11) Portland, ME to Emeryville (6/23 - 6/24) Coast Starlight

Note that #10 would be Shelby to Porland, OR (Oregon) on the Empire Builder.

Number 11 would be Portland, OR to Emeryville.

Portland, ME (Maine) would add a whole bunch of segments to the trip.

Good catch. Also fair to note that it's at least a 12 hour drive round trip from Shelby to Gardiner, MT (north Yellowstone entrance) That of course doesn't even count driving around Yellowstone. It's over two million acres (3500 sq. miles) and you can't do it justice in a day or even two full days. I was out there last summer and spent a week heading north from Grand Teton NP into Yellowstone and then many interior loops.

 

[VentureForth]

Thank you. I won't bother editing the post as I don't want to be a part of revisionist history. I would hate for anyone think you can jump from Shelby to Maine then Emeryville in 3 days on a train!! Stupid work kept me from concentrating on this much more necessary labor.

I agree with the time at Yellowstone. It'll be VERY hard to fit that in on ANY itinerary or agenda. The only real way that the OP can enjoy it in its splendor is by departing tomorrow. Then he gets at least two more days.

BTW, meursault, if you are on a 15-day pass, it will be VERY difficult to have ANY overnights.

An 8-segment, 15 day trip would look something like this:

1) EMY - CHI (Days 1-3)

2) CHI - WAS (Days 4-5)

3) WAS - NYC (Day 8)

4) NYC - BOS (Day 9)

5) BOS - CHI (Day 10-11)

6) CHI - PDX (Day 11 - 13)

7) PDX - EMY (Day 13 - 14)

This is only with one over night stopover in Chicago, conference in DC, overnight in NYC, overnight in BOS and that's it. There is room for ONE 24-hour stay - either in SLC or Pittsburgh - left in that itinerary. Keep in mind that there isn't a shower available to you in coach on the train.

All I can say is that I hope you have the 30-day!

 

[tomfuller]

I "m hoping that this is a 30 day USA Rail Pass. I have had several over the years.

I have got off in SLC in the middle of the night and picked up a rental car at 7AM. I don't recommend it.

Take the CZ all the way to Glenwood Springs CO. It arrives in daylight. There are two big old hotels across the Colorado River from the station. They are near the largest hot spring fed swimming pool in the world.

New Jersey Transit runs a train from 30th St. station in Philadelphia to Atlantic City. I don't know how many trips per day.

If you want to see a beautiful National Park, get off the EB in Whitefish MT and rent a car to go see Glacier

 

[Eric308]

I "m hoping that this is a 30 day USA Rail Pass. I have had several over the years.I have got off in SLC in the middle of the night and picked up a rental car at 7AM. I don't recommend it.

Take the CZ all the way to Glenwood Springs CO. It arrives in daylight. There are two big old hotels across the Colorado River from the station. They are near the largest hot spring fed swimming pool in the world.

New Jersey Transit runs a train from 30th St. station in Philadelphia to Atlantic City. I don't know how many trips per day.

If you want to see a beautiful National Park, get off the EB in Whitefish MT and rent a car to go see Glacier

Hey Tom...is there an echo in here? I said the same thing about Whitefish and Glacier up in #7. Seriously though, that's a great idea about Glenwood. I spent many an hour in those springs when I worked down in Aspen/Snowmass. Good tip.

http://www.visitglenwood.com/glenwood-hot-springs-pool

 

[June the Coach Rider]

If you want to see different cities, this might work for you and includes all the places you want to see I think.

Coast Starlight – Emeryville to Portland

Empire Builder – Portland to Chicago (stop in Glazier national park if time)

Stay a couple days in Chicago

Capitol Limited – Chicago to Pittsburgh

(you could add NY in here via the LSL or Cardinal if days work out)

Stay a couple days in Pittsburgh

Captol Limited – Pittsburgh to Washington

Stay a couple days in Washington

Crescent – Washington to New Orleans

Stay a couple days in New Orleans

City of New Orleans – New Orleans to Chicago

California Zephyr – Chicago to Salt Lake City

Stay in Salt Lake City

California Zephyr – Salt Lake City to Reno (casinos)

Stay in Reno

California Zephyr – Reno to Emeryville

(edited to add NY)

 

[meursault]

Wow, the response is amazing here. Thanks VentureForth in particular!

Yes, I have the 30 day pass.

Will consider the advice on SLC vs. Denver. One of the main reasons I wish to visit the former is because it's the center of Mormonism after all, hence somewhat significant. But Denver does appear to simply have more interesting things to do.

Anyway, I hadn't quite realized that my proposed itinerary was so tight. So I might have to dial back a bit on its scope. I'll post it up once I'm done finalizing it this evening.

 

[VentureForth]

I hope I didn't overwhelm you. It's amazing how fast a month can pass - especially when you're on a train!

Finally, my last bit of advise I try to offer everyone is to plan your trip the way you want it. But expect the worst. Hope for the best! It looks like you have a good plan to mitigate unwarranted delays or service disruptions. Obviously it's most important to get you to your conference on time, then get home by the 24th. Looks like there is plenty of overnights that could be cancelled if needed if things go bad. Of course, those overnights are great for showers and a real bed, too!

Remember that Amtrak is a quasi-Government run operation that is heavily unionized. You will find some who perform their duties above and beyond average expectations. You will also find others that do the bare minimum - if that. Quality of service can range from poor to excellent. You will likely experience the whole range with your itinerary. So long as you are aware of it, you can be mentally prepared.

Please post a trip report. We are always eager to know how one's trip went. With your desire to experience America, it will be a neat way for us to share in your adventure while we're couped up behind this desk at work. Dreaming. Planning.

 

[LWBaxter]

I agree with the Empire builder eastbound/California Zephur westbound suggestions. The scenery is better and the stopover time in SLC is better. You could rent a car and visit Yellowstone from SLC it is about the same distance as driving from Whitefish, MT. LWB

 

[meursault]

UPDATE:

Here is my final schedule. I dropped the Yellowstone idea entirely, and will now return late on the 25th.

Jun 2, 9pm: Depart to Seattle
Jun 4, 5pm: To Chicago
Jun 8 6pm: To Pittsburgh
Jun 10, 5am: To DC
Jun 13, 7pm: To NY
Jun 19, 11am: To Boston
Jun 20, 12pm: To Denver
Jun 23, 8am: To Salt Lake City
Jun 24, 11pm: To SF. Arrive back in SF on Jun 25, late evening.

Additional question(s):

(1) I'll be staying with a friend in Chicago, will be up partying to 3am in Pittsburgh (no way I am ever going to wake up at 4am LOL), already have a paid hotel for the conference in DC, will obviously get a hotel for the long stay in NY (actually probably in Newark, because NY is expensive).

So, that leaves Seattle, Boston, Denver, and SLC where I will have to get one night accommodations of some kind.

Are there cheapish hotels close to the railway stations at those places? I won't be spending a whole lot of time in some of those places, so I would prefer to spend as little time on commuting as possible.

(2) While I have all the tickets now, would it be possible to alter them later? Say, for whatever reason, I *really* love it in Boston, and decide to spend 3 days there instead of an evening, a night, and a morning.

Would it then be possible to speak with an Amtrak representative and "shift" the tickets outwards in time?

(3) While I really don't plan on doing this at all, say I arrive at a city at night and realize my hotel reservation was invalid. Or something equally drastic. How feasible then would it be to sleep in the railway station? Are there typically any places (like a cafe or two) in a standard-sized city that are open 24/7? Again, this is something I will be most eager to avoid, but all kinds of contingencies could potentially arise.

Thanks in advance.