Here is my report of our latest Amtrak Adventure. Hope you enjoy.
After a week of sub-zero temperatures and snow, we were finally off for our Amtrak Florida vacation as we left Mr. Gato on the evening of January 14 heading up I-71 to Cleveland. Traffic was light and we arrived around 12:45am at the Cleveland station. There was only one other passenger waiting in the room, but others filtered in as I checked to see that Capitol Ltd. #30 was on time. Talked to our favorite agent working the desk this evening and he provided the latest Amtrak System Timetable, which has a great painting of Amtrak Loco 77 at San Luis Obispo depot.
Our train arrived at 1:55am and we proceeded to Car 3000 where we met our friendly car attendant who directed us to Bedroom D. He said everything was ready but when we arrived the beds had not been put down. I scurried downstairs and notified him of the error. He apologized and thought we were in Bedroom B, but quickly made up the bed and we were snuggled in our bunks in short order. We pulled out of Cleveland just a few minutes late as there were a large number of passengers boarding tonight. Our locomotives for today were P42 # 6 followed by P-40 #837 on HEP.
We were very tired and immediately were off to sleep. Woke up around Connellsville, Pa and we headed off to the diner for breakfast. Our dining companion this morning was Nita, who had also boarded in Cleveland. She was a nurse and was from Beachwood, Oh. She was headed to Virginia to see her three grandchildren and an interesting conversation, a tasty omelet, and croissant brought a great start to our trip. She had a son in Arizona and we discussed the possibility of taking the train to Flagstaff to visit him next summer. We passed through the Youghiogheny River valley on this cold winter morning.
We arrived in Cumberland, Maryland at 9:27am and I was able to get off the train and take a few photos of the station and train before we quickly moved on down the road. Passed through the huge CSX yard facility where my brother first trained to become an engineer back in the 1970s. Lots of locomotives and a nice tower highlight the yards.
I checked with the dining car staff and they noted that if we wanted a limited lunch we would need to arrive in the diner by 10:30. We decided to grab a quick Amtrak Burger since it had been four hours since breakfast. Here we met Julius, who had an interesting tale of his adventures in Colorado and Oklahoma. He was a poet and graduate student studying writing, but was also interested in partaking in the “weed scene”. He had purchased some newly legal marijuana in Denver, but made the mistake of taking it across the border into Oklahoma. He was arrested and jailed for three days before being released. He then was able to take the train (Heartland Flyer to Ft Worth, Texas Eagle to Chicago, and now our Capitol Ltd to Washington, where he will board with us on the Silver Star to return to his home in Florida. He had many other interesting stories of his early life in Columbia, family moving to Florida, and his days studying history and poetry. Kind of reminded me of my roommates at OSU back in the early 70s. A wild and crazy bunch. We had our burgers and talked until we reached Harpers Ferry around 11:30am. Always enjoy meeting interesting people on the train.
We were running about 15 minutes late, but would make that up in padding of the schedule later on. Passed through the tunnel into Maryland and soon were following the C&O Canal, the Potomac River, and other scenic venues. MARC stations were busy as we passed Point of Rocks, Maryland where the original B&O mainline met the Washington Branch. We arrived in Rockville at 12:20 still 13 minutes down but our arrival in WAS Union Station made up the time and we were actually 25 minutes early due to padding. We were concerned when we booked this trip that our close connection to the Silver Star leaving around 3pm might be in jeopardy if the CL were running very late, but no problem today.
We headed to the Acela Lounge, checked in with a friendly agent there, grabbed some snacks and placed our luggage in the storage room. This is a very nice lounge, better than New York in my opinion, but not as large as the Chicago Metro Lounge. We found some seats and rested a bit before going out to look over the station and get some fresh air. Construction continues on the ceiling after the earthquake caused so much damage, but it was not as restrictive as our last visit here. It was very cold outside and we decided with our limited time frame to not explore any museums today. Walked around outside and viewed tour buses and cabs lined up for customers. Found the offices of Joe Boardman at 60 Mass. But didn’t have an appointment, so moved on back inside. After a quick tour of some shops, we returned to the Acela Lounge for refreshment and to check on boarding times. Our Silver Star #91 had been assigned to Track 24 and Gate J. Someone would guide us down to the track platform, so we opted not to do a Red Cap today.
At 2:45 we were directed to our train headed by locomotives P-42s #100 and #2. We were in Car 9110, Bedroom A and were greeted by our friendly car attendant T Rivers. He lifted our bags onto the train and showed us our room. Lots more storage space in the Viewliner sleepers and I was able to lift our bags onto the upper storage areas and off the floor. We had hoped for a 5pm dinner time, but T had us down for 6:30 as the NY passengers had taken all the early times. We left the station right on time at 3:05pm and moved across the Potomac toward Alexandria. The impressive Masonic Temple on the hill is a reminder of our secretive history associated with the order. A few passengers boarded in Alexandria and we were off toward Richmond.
We passed the AutoTrain loading facility at Lorton, VA. Looked like they were all ready to go as soon as our train passed. Our Autotrain trip last year was a great train ride and may do it again someday. On down the line to Fredericksburg and Ashland, Virginia before arriving in Richmond around 5:15pm. Was able to get off the train for some photos of the Staples Mill Station and the waiting Train 90 Palmetto sitting on the other track. Lots of passengers getting on and off here including our friend Nita from Ohio. A quick crew change and we were off again. Boy was I hungry. I decided to go down to the café car for a hotdog to hold me over until supper. It was getting dark as we reached Petersburg and it was also time to make our way to the diner.
We arrived for our 6:30 seating and were joined by Morty and his son from Colorado, who were headed to Orlando for a trip to DisneyWorld and Universal Studios. We had an enjoyable steak dinner, with baked potato, and corn and some cheesecake to finish the deal. Yummy!!. Morty Jr. is autistic and our conversations revolved around the research and daily life of an autistic child. Since we have a friend whose son is autistic we could relate to the challenges the family has experienced. Morty lives near the area where we will be visiting on the SW Chief next summer and he invited us to contact him while we were there and perhaps ride some excursion railroads at that time. A very nice man who made our dinner experience one to remember.
We returned to our bedroom around 7:30 as were arriving at Rocky Mount, NC and the large railroad yard there. We had T put our beds down and then watched as we entered Raleigh, NC about 15 minutes ahead of schedule. Some new riding territory as this was our first Florida trip on the Star and its elongated route through the Carolinas. Headed off to bed around 10 for what would be a rough ride in the night. I slept for the first few hours but after Columbia the tracks were very bad and I was in and out of dreamland the remainder of the night until we reached Savannah around 4:30am.
[SIZE=12pt]Thursday January 16, 2014.[/SIZE]
Decided to get up and shower around 6am. We usually use the shower down the hall instead of our room unit since it leaves everything pretty wet in our bathroom. No waiting as we both freshened up and headed down to the diner for breakfast. Our dining companion this morning was John, who was a retired Navy pilot and flight instructor. He had traveled around the world since the late 1960s and was stationed at many airbases in the U.S. as an instructor. He was taking his grandson to Universal Studios and then to Puerto Rico where his grandson’s family lived. We enjoyed the cheese omelet, breakfast burrito special, grits and croissants as we talked about our train experiences and his military exploits. A very interesting man with a great personality and equally great stories to tell.
We had a quick fuel stop and crew change in Jacksonville as were starting to lose some time on the schedule. We arrived in Palatka about 30 minutes down and continued in that 30-40 minute range for the remainder of the trip. Still lots of construction and CSX traffic. We had a brief stop in Deland and were able to get off for a photo op and to talk with T. Rivers about his 25 year career with Amtrak. He had worked this Florida line most of his career and was concerned with the lack of funding in Congress for Amtrak. A real nice guy who liked to whistle while he worked.
Passed the AutoTrain facility in Sanford and then into Winter Park, our favorite destination in Florida. They are still working on completing the new station for the SunRail system. Many people disembarking here and we lost a little more time on our schedule. Arrived in Orlando at 10:45am and was able to get off for a quick exercise break before we heard the double horn signal to reboard. The Orlando station is a classic Spanish style façade and wish I had time to look inside but we were warned that the train would be leaving shortly and stay close to our car. Looked for our friend PennyK, but think she was doing yoga this morning.
We decided to go down to lunch around 11am and sat with an interesting young woman from Massachusetts who had studied medicine, worked as an EMT for five years and plans to become a doctor. She was taking a break for a cruise in Miami. And she is only 23 years old. We enjoyed our AmBurger with this pleasant and intelligent young person.
This section of Amtrak rail was also new to our travels and we enjoyed the trip to Tampa and the old town of Ybor City, where a large population of Cuban-Americans reside. Our stop in TPA was brief and we quickly headed back to Lakeland where we had stopped just a few minutes before in this rather strange routing scenario for the Silver Star. The Lakeland station is very modern and there were a considerable number of coach passengers heading south to Miami, etc. Now we turn south toward Winter Haven. We hoped we might see our friend Dick, who was boarding the northbound Silver Star today, but we were unable to get off the train in our brief stop and thus, may have missed him.
The trip south of Winter Haven is filled with orange groves and nice lakes, but becomes rather monotonous after a while. We finally reached West Palm Beach around 4:45pm about 35 minutes down. Lots of traffic on I-95 as we approach the Gold Coast cities of Deerfield Beach and Fort Lauderdale. We arrived in Hollywood around 6pm and said goodbye to our wonderful car attendant. There were plenty of cabs waiting at the station, so we hailed one and took off for our hotel at the Hampton Inn in Dania Beach. About a 3 mile ride for $13 + tip. Our hotel had a pleasant staff, who welcomed us and gave us a room on the 5th Floor. We like a higher floor where it is quieter. Mostly fast food places around the hotel and since we didn’t have our rental car yet we opted for a short walk to McDonalds for supper. Checked out the Kindle for news and weather and watched some TV before retiring after a long day of Amtraking.
[SIZE=12pt]Friday January 17, 2014[/SIZE]
After a great sleep in those Hampton Inn beds, we awoke and went downstairs for the free breakfast. I later called the Enterprise Car Rental office and made arrangements for them to pick us up at the hotel. Around 9am I rode over to the rental office and procured a 2014 Chevrolet Impala that had adequate room for my 6’6” frame and a huge trunk. Back to the hotel to pick up Claudia and the luggage and off to the Florida Keys we went. Traffic in the Fort Lauderdale to Miami area is crazy and with a half dozen toll roads to maneuver it was quite a chore finally making it down to Florida City. Decided to get some gas and lunch before we started out across the causeway to Key Largo.
Traffic on the Overseas Highway was not that bad and we rarely had to stop except for the numerous traffic lights on Largo. A considerable number of tourist-trap type businesses and congestion that was not exactly what I expected on these upper key islands. We passed through Tavenier and Plantation Key looking for evidence of the old Flagler Florida East Coast railroad that was built between 1905 and 1912 and although much of its existence has been removed by modern highways, the bridges connecting the keys are sometimes visible. We passed through Islamorada around noon and found it to be a bit more interesting with lots of fishing charter boats, some art shops, and boutiques. The first large bridge built by the railroad workers was the crossing between Lower Matecumbe Key and Long Key. It was on Matecumbe Key that the 1935 hurricane destroyed a train attempting to rescue workers and later contributed to the demise of the F.E.C. railroad to Key West. One sees more resort areas from this key on westward, including many RV camps, state parks and large marinas.
We arrived on Marathon Key at around 1pm and were pleasantly greeted by the staff at the Holiday Inn Express and allowed to check in early to our room. We had a nice room on the top floor (3rd) with a view of the Gulf side of the island. Did some unpacking and then headed into the heart of Marathon Key. We drove to the other end of the island and found the entrance to the Seven Mile Bridge with a parking area available so that one could walk out on the original railroad/highway bridge. A newer bridge was built in the 1980s which carries all highway traffic now. One of the unique aspects of this huge bridge is that its railings are made up of the old railroad rails which are showing signs of their 100 year old age. There were even some old railroad locks placed in the tie plate holes to provide some additional historic interest. It was a bit chilly on the bridge as the wind and the upper 60s temps presented a need for a light jacket when the sun moved behind the clouds. Took some photos but decided not to walk over a few hundred feet today.
We stopped by the old Pigeon Key Gift Shop which was a converted diner car said to have been used on the Key West Extension before 1935. Lots of interesting souvenirs, but wanted to find out about the boat trip to Pigeon Key that involved a 15 minute boat ride and two hour visit and tour of the former railroad workers camp on the island. We opted to wait until Monday to take the tour as our plans called for two days visiting in Key West. Moved on to the Marathon Key Chamber of Commerce, which had a nice display of local books and art and coupon books for local businesses. I purchased a recently published history of the Florida Key West Extension Railroad and asked about good places to eat on the island. Recommendations for several sea food restaurants and an especially popular place called Frank’s Grill with fine Italian food.
We then drove out to Sombrero Beach, which is the only public park beach on the island. Nice little park and recreation area, a small marina and pier. We will come back here to view a marvelous sunset later this evening. We decided to drive around the Sombrero Beach Golf Course and look at the homes in that area. The golf course is now a country club, but it did not look well cared for and probably was going to experience some renovations for its new members.
We decided to head over to Frank’s, but found they are only open for dinner after 5 so we explored an art gallery nearby until the crowds started forming at the restaurant. As we entered we were asked for our reservations, of which we had none. They were able to find a seat for us until their 6pm reservations arrived, so we happily ordered lasagna and eggplant parmesan and settled in for a great salad and homemade breads while waiting. The food was excellent, service prompt and friendly, and we enjoyed the small, but efficient Frank’s Grill. A great meal.
Just had time to make it back to Sombrero Beach for the brilliant sunset over the water. Lots of clouds lent themselves to be lit by the sunlight and we took some nice photos of our experience on the beach. Back to our hotel to review tomorrow’s activity plan and some TV before bed. A nice day exploring the Upper and Middle Keys.
[SIZE=12pt]Saturday January 18, 2014[/SIZE]
Started the morning with a great free breakfast. The hotel had filled up and since we waited a bit late to eat, the breakfast room was nearly full. But the servers kept the many choice items available and we eventually finished and headed out toward Key West. Our first trip over the Seven Mile Bridge gave us a better view of Pigeon Key, which is about 2 miles out, and a closeup view of the old and somewhat deteriorating railroad bridge. Several gaps were made in the bridge to allow for larger boat traffic, so it is no longer possible to travel the entire length of the bridge on foot or bicycle. A newer span rose high above the water to allow the channel to be used by large craft.
We traveled across smaller bridges to reach some keys by the name of Ohio and Bahia Honda. Ohio Key was so small that it only had one gas station and a large RV park (wondered how many Ohioans were camped there?). Bahia Honda was the site of the other major bridge construction project for the railroad. The remains of the original bridge are there and Claudia was able to get some good photos of it as I drove over the new bridge. Next stop was Big Pine, where a rare species of deer run around a local preserve. There was a nice flea market, craft bazaar on Big Pine today and with large crowds evident, we decided to stop and take a look. It exceeded our expectations of typical Florida flea markets, with many vendors providing quality art and jewelry and clothing. Claudia found a couple pieces of lapidary jewelry for her collection. No railroad lanterns, but I enjoyed the experience nonetheless. There was even a young girl dressed as a Swiss Alpine lass playing an accordion of popular tunes for tips. She was actually very talented and added to the overall interesting experience.
But time and Key West are waiting so we had to leave. We headed out again across numerous other keys and bridges until we reached Key West around 11am. Lots of traffic, road construction delays, and a lack of public parking made it difficult to maneuver around this larger than expected land mass. Came into town on Truman Street and we finally found a lot near the municipal building which allowed free parking on the weekends. We then walked into the area known as Truman Annex, which contained buildings formerly used as a compound for President Truman’s Little White House complex.
Walked to the Truman House, but found the next tour to be starting in almost an hour so opted to find somewhere to have lunch. Walked around Mallory Square and noted the Customs House Museum and several other spots for future exploring. Lots of tour buses taking the massive crowds around town. Unfortunately, we arrived on a day when two cruise ships had docked at the harbor and there were thousands of new visitors invading the city. We eventually walked down Duval Street and found Sloppy Joe’s Bar, the supposed hangout of Ernest Hemingway and friends back in the 1930s. Popular watering hole with some live entertainment on stage. Found a seat along a wall of b&w photos of Hemmingway and other barflies, large tarpon and a variety of other memorabilia. Claudia ordered the classic Sloppy Joe Sandwich while I opted for the grilled chicken. Both were excellent. Not a cheap place to eat, but you pay for the atmosphere and history. I am sure this is a wild place on Saturday night.
Among the other interesting things we noted on Key West were the numerous chickens and roosters roaming the streets and gardens of the city. There seemed to be a crowing rooster on every block. On our way back to the Truman House we stopped by the harbor area to view the two large cruise ships docked there. One was a Disney Wonder ship and the other was a Dutch vessel called the Nieuw Amsterdam based in Rotterdam. Long lines of passengers continued to make their way ashore after noon and so we decided to head back to Truman House to make the tour.
We arrived just in time for the 12:30 tour guided by Rene. He did an excellent job of showing us the numerous rooms, furniture and history of this fine building. Lots of interesting stories about the Truman family and other presidents who later came to stay here on vacations. The event lasted about an hour and after a break, we moved back to Mallory Square and the old Customs Building where the Key West Museum of Art and History is located. The first display was a collection of items by local artists and misc. art, pottery, and artifacts. Even had a display of McCoy pottery from my Ohio hometown. Several nice portraits on the wall of Flagler, Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, etc. On the second floor was a gallery of WPA art done on the Keys, a study of Hemingway’s life in photos, and a very good exhibit on the Florida East Coast RR extension with a film, gallery of photos, artifacts, etc. Also information on the history of wrecking, a practice of salvaging sunken ships for scrap and treasure that was a major part of Key West history. Got a nice magnet souvenir and it was time to move on.
There are statues throughout the city depicting famous or infamous characters and even a sculpture garden filled with bronzed characters of Key West history. Walked around this area and then headed south on Duval Street. We stopped at The Oldest House in Key West and were able to take a free self-guided tour of the house. The house was built in 1829 at a location about a block from its present site, where it was moved in 1834 due to high tides. The family that lived there was named Watlington and he was involved in the shipping business. Descendants of the family live in the house until 1970 when it was donated to the local historical society for preservation. Afterward we continued our walk down Duval, but decided to head back to the car to save our legs and feet for another day. On the way back we stopped at the O marker for US Route 1 for photos. Of course one group decided to hog the sign for several minutes, ignoring the fact that others would like to take a picture as well. Welcome to America.!
We drove out along the south beach area known as Smather’s Beach and past the airport before continuing back along the Overseas Hwy. Claudia took some moving photos of the Bahia Honda Bridge which was one of the more difficult projects for the railroad builders in 1912. Some additional photos of Pigeon Key before heading to Pizza Hut for supper. A rather disappointing experience as the restaurant had few customers, service was mediocre at best, and the building was tired and in need of repair. Should have opted for the seafood..smile. Stopped by the Bealls Outlet store, but it was not as nice as other Bealls Stores we visited in Florida. By the time we finished, it was dark so headed back to the hotel for TV.
[SIZE=12pt] Sunday January 19, 2014[/SIZE]
After another great breakfast we headed out again on US 1 for Key West. Traffic not quite so heavy today and after searching for new parking spots, decided to return to the municipal lot where we parked yesterday. We walked down Whitehead Street and found the Hemingway House with only a few patrons waiting for the tour. As we entered the gates, we saw the first of many resident cats, some of which have six toes and are all descended from Hemingway’s original cat Snowball. We walked around the outside until our tour began inside. Our tour guide was Dave, an outgoing and laid back sort of guy who offered his perspective on the life of Hemingway and his wives. It was an interesting tour filled with varied cats roaming the rooms, sleeping on chairs and beds. We traveled through all the rooms on both floors and balconies, outside to the various fountains, swimming pool, and gardens. Lots more cats out there as well. After the tour we could return to the rooms and also climb the steps to Hemingway’s studio that was decorated in its original setting and was quite interesting.
Afterward we walked across the street to the Lighthouse Museum, but since we have been inside many lighthouses in our day we opted to shoot photos outside of the building and grounds. Actually got a nice photo with flowers of the lighthouse from the Hemingway balcony. Looking for a place for lunch and first went into the Six Toed Cat next to the Hemingway House, but while we waited to be seated, noticed the menu didn’t offer much for me to eat. Moved on over to Duval Street and found Willie T’s, a bar decorated in dollar bills on the walls and posts signed by patrons. Seemed to have a good crowd, so we sat and had a great turkey club and quesadilla and tons of fries. Friendly atmosphere and some good musicians singing Jimmy Buffet tunes at the bar.
Decided to walk up Duval Street, go into some art galleries, and T shirt shops. Claudia got a nice piece of Key Lime Pie which she enjoyed on the steps of an historic church. Walked past Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville Bar, but didn’t go in since we already had lunch. A long line waiting across the street to get into the San Carlos Institute, which is an historic museum and theatre founded by Cubans in the 19th century. Jose Marti once spoke there. Would like to go here on another visit.
We walked down the street and eventually reached our car after some more shots of Marker 0. Wanted to attend the Sea Food Festival in the local park since it looked like it had some interesting vendors when we passed by earlier. Took a while to find a parking space but finally found one a few blocks away. The festival had some live music and plenty of food, but the vendors were not that good and sold mostly cheap tourist items. We decided to move on out to Smathers Beach, where a few people were sunbathing and walking the shore. It is a nice sandy beach, but no shells like in Marco Island.
Enjoyed the nice sunny day, but it was getting late and decided to head back to Marathon. Along the way we stopped at the Key Deer Sanctuary and found one lone deer along the highway eating. These are endangered species that are only about two feet tall.
We moved back to Marathon and stopped at Subway to get a sandwich to eat at Sombrero Beach to watch the sunset. We arrived in time for another beautiful display of color. It was then back to the hotel to watch some NFL football.
[SIZE=12pt]Monday January 20, 2014[/SIZE]
Our last day in the Keys, so we had breakfast and decided to take a quick tour of Key Colony Beach near our hotel. A causeway takes you along some waterways and canals with large yachts and some nice condos. We stopped at Sunset Park and walked out on the pier for some nice shots of boats and birds. Passed by the small golf course and even nicer homes. Back to Pigeon Key Gift Shop where we prepared for our trip out to the island. We had about a dozen others joining us with two crew members and the guide. A nice fifteen minute ride under the Seven Mile Bridge and through a narrow channel that took us to the island. The guide had us sit under some trees for an historic lecture on the work camp that served those who built and maintained the bridge. We then entered several of the old buildings followed by the resident cat, Buddy, who enjoyed the attention he was given by the tourists. A nice film ended the tour with a brief history of the construction of the railroad. Lots of photo opportunities. Some large groupers, garfish and some barracudas could be seen from the pier as we waited for our boat to return to the Marathon dock. Bought a nice T-shirt with painting of the bridge and Pigeon Key.
It was now time to head east and return up the Keys to our base in Hollywood. A nice ride on a very sunny day. Temps now in the mid 70s and not looking forward to the snow and cold up north. Lots of traffic in Key Largo and across the causeway as we finally reached Florida City. We decided to take the Florida Turnpike all the way up to Fort Lauderdale and this saved time and stress. We arrived back to the hotel in time to unload and then I took the car over to Enterprise. They eventually brought me back to the hotel and we opted for Taco Bell and McDonalds for supper. Made arrangements for a hotel shuttle to take us to the Hollywood Amtrak Station in the morning. Cost was $15, but worth getting there early and not waiting for a cab that might not arrive on time. Our room tonight seemed a little smaller and had a shower-only bathroom. But it was quiet and we got a well needed rest after a long day of exploring.
[SIZE=12pt]Tuesday January 21, 2014[/SIZE]
We were up early and packed. Had breakfast downstairs and then waited for our shuttle driver who arrived on time to take us to the Amtrak station. Lots of traffic on I-95, but made it in plenty of time. A few people waiting for the Tri-Rail trains. Amtrak station does not open until 8am so waited to get photos and talk to the agent in charge. Also had conversation with the baggage man who had his wagon sitting on the platform and took in checked bags outside. He once lived and worked in Pittsburgh and said he had had enough of cold weather. It was already warming up as the high today was to be near 78. Watched several Tri-Rail trains pass by and then our Amtrak #98 Silver Meteor arrived on time at 8:45. We were in Car 9810 Bedroom B pulled by Amtrak P-42 # 200 and 1. And low and behold we had T. Rivers as our car attendant again. He smiled and said welcome back to my train. The dining car LSA was also the same nice guy so it was going to be a pleasant beginning to our ride.
We were told breakfast was waiting in the diner, so we decided to have a little more to eat. Our dining companion was Jane from Massachusetts who had been living in Florida and was back visiting relatives. She was concerned over her NYP to BOS connections since the weather in the northeast has turned bad with blizzard predictions. Claudia had the breakfast burrito and I had my scrambled eggs and croissant. As we traveled up the Gold Coast of Florida we enjoyed the sunshine. Service was excellent.
As the morning progressed, we passed by more citrus groves, cattle farms, and lakes as we arrived in Sebring around 11:30am. We chose to go to lunch around noon and were joined by Craig, a Justice Dept. officer and Mike, who was looking forward to operating some snow plows in Washington DC tomorrow. Claudia had the Manhattan Chowder while I took on another AmBurger with cheese. Both men were personable and were interested in our Amtrak travels.
We arrived in Orlando about fifteen minutes late at 1:30pm and it started to rain, so we stayed close to the train. Claudia got a nice photo of Mr. Rivers, our car attendant and me. A quick stop and we were on our way. Raining harder as we stopped in Winter Park. Finally cleared off and got some shots of the AutoTrain finishing its loading at Sanford. Arrived in DeLand around 2:50 and noticed that Cole Brothers Circus trucks were stored in a lot near the train station. Remember going to their circuses when I was a kid.
By the time we reached Palatka the sun was shining and the train had not lost any time. A nice red caboose at the station complex. We blocked the street crossing for several minutes as our train was much too long for the platform. We arrived in Jacksonville around 5pm under cloudy skies. We had a 5pm dinner reservation, so did not get off the train there. Our dinner companions were a mother and daughter from the D.C. area who had been visiting relatives in Ocala, FL. The mother worked for a government agency and the daughter was attending college at the University of Maryland in College Park. They had the chicken dinner, while Claudia had the special rib eye and I had the regular steak and potato. An enjoyable conversation and ride into the north Florida countryside.
We stayed up until we arrived in Savannah, Ga and then had Mr. Rivers put our beds down for the night. A restful sleep on this section of track as we anticipate the big change in weather that is about to arrive.
[SIZE=12pt]Wednesday January 22, 2014 [/SIZE]
Pretty much slept through the night, but awakened when we stopped in Rocky Mount, NC around 3am. We were about 45 minutes down but seemed to move out of the yard well. Then our train came to a stop and I fell back to sleep. When I awoke again around 6am we still had not reached Petersburg, Va. and the train was traveling through snow. Not sure what happened but we were now three hours down. We got up and had breakfast with a nice young girl from Charlotte, NC who was on her way to Washington DC to serve as an intern for a research thinktank. She had recently returned from a trip to Spain and seemed to be well versed in world travel. Claudia loves those breakfast burritos and I stuck with my cheese omelet.
It was a cold snowy morning as we slowly moved through northern Virginia and eventually into Washington DC still over 3 hours late. We were concerned, as were several of our fellow travelers, about connections in New York City. Our friend from Massachusetts had called her daughter and she was told the weather might prohibit travel up the East Coast by train. Some of the Acelas had been cancelled. As we sat in the WAS station, we noticed numerous trains pulling in and having huge snow piles in the vestibules and around the trucks. Workers with shovels came out to remove the snow. We continue to sit after our two P42s had been removed and the toaster engine added. Several more trains arrived and left the station, but we did not move. We eventually were told a hose had broken on the engine and had to be repaired since there was no other replacements available at the time. We stepped outside for a minute but the wind chill was very cold and snow was blowing everywhere. We didn’t leave WAS until nearly 11:30am and we were very concerned about making our LSL connection later this afternoon.
We moved through the blowing snow at high speed and must have been quite a sight as we raced up the corridor. But we did not make up any time and after stops in Baltimore, Wilmington, Philly and Newark, we finally arrived in NYP at 2:37. The conductor told us we had plenty of time but we should report in to the Acela Lounge ASAP. We hauled our luggage up the escalator into a crowded and frenzied Penn Station. The line to get into the lounge was out the door and there were initially no seats left. The agent at the desk said we would be escorted to the train when it arrived but that both the Lake Shore and the Silver Star were being serviced in Sunnyside Yard and she did not know how soon they would be ready for boarding.
We eventually found two seats together and waited. Since we had no idea when our train would be ready we were afraid to venture too far from the lounge. We had gotten a couple of sandwiches from the café car of the Meteor before we got to NYP. It was good that they kept the car open later since many people had planned to eat lunch in New York. The café car attendant had sold nearly her entire inventory of sandwiches, chips and soda.
While we waited in the lounge we observed the population and its obsessive dependence on I-phones, tablets, and cell phones. Everyone was talking to someone, just not anyone in the lounge. **smile***. Most everyone was staying civil with all of the delayed and cancelled trains. Finally around 6:30pm our LSL #49 was called to board. We followed an agent with the “kindergarten walk” down the hall to an escalator that brought us to our train. Our sleeper was 4912, Bedroom B and our SCA was George. He seemed like a nice guy with a heavy German? Russian? accent. He told us we could go down to the diner and have supper while he checked in additional passengers. Our car was very warm and everything seemed o.k. as we went to the diner. The dining car servers also seemed to have a somewhat foreign accent as well. I thought perhaps we had entered a train in Europe by mistake…smile…
We were seated with a law school professor from NYU who was on his way to Valparaiso, Indiana for a lecture. He was very friendly and gave us lots of advice about a future trip to New York; where to eat and some hotel options. We later learned he was a very prominent name in legal circles and had written several books and had taught at the law school for over 25 years. Claudia and I both had the steaks, which were excellent. The dining car crew was very efficient and in good spirits considering all of the delays for our train. We continued our conversations with the professor for an hour or so when George stopped by to let us know our restroom was not operating and we would need to use the restrooms in the coach car—four cars up. I was not a happy camper about that, but we decided to go up to the coach to use the facilities before we returned to our sleeper. Why this car was sent out with inoperable restrooms is another reason why people question the Amtrak system. We found that our train had a café car behind the diner, which was not in use and must have been deadheaded back to Chicago.
We eventually returned to our sleeper and George first told us the restrooms seem to be working. But they soon had the yellow light come on again and we were back to square one. I asked if we could switch to a roomette if one were available and he said it really didn’t matter since all the restrooms had shut down. And the one in the coach car was not working now either. But we still left New York City under those conditions. Then the door between our room and the Bedroom A started rattling so loud we called for assistance. George found some cardboard that he wedged into the door way and that helped considerably.
We arrived in Albany around 9pm and it was almost 10pm by the time they switched locomotives and got everyone boarded. We had George put our beds down and we tried to get some sleep. Tracks were a bit rough in places as our train continued to lose time to CSX freights and the weather. Signal maintainers out everywhere trying to thaw switches. We eventually made it into Cleveland after 8am, nearly 4.5 hours down. George had trouble getting our stairway to release so we had to move up to the next sleeper to get off the train. We gave him a tip since he had worked hard under trying circumstances. But still, I think Amtrak, should have been better prepared since it had just gone through a weather emergency two weeks before. Yes, the equipment is old and falling apart. Sure will be glad when they get the new cars built and can put some of these old ones out to pasture.
Our biggest concern now was whether our car would start after sitting out in the cold for over a week at the CLE station. But happy day, when I hit the unlock button, the headlights came on—a good sign—and the car started right up. We had to sit and warm up a bit and listening to the local radio informed us of several bad accidents on the interstates that we luckily avoided. Managed to get back home a little after 10 am and our cat was surely happy to see us and we him.
But it is quite a shock going from 77 degrees in Miami when we left to the forecasted snow and subzero temps we are experiencing now. -11 tonight. BRRRR. Not quite sure why we northerners keep doing this??
[SIZE=12pt]General Evaluation of Amtrak Experience[/SIZE].
Most of our trip was very pleasurable. We had excellent car attendants and dining car personnel on all of our trains. The food was very good and although my wife was more able to enjoy some of the special menu items, I still think the steaks and eggs are great!. Our on time performance was good until the end of the trip and most of that was attributable to the severe weather conditions. Our sleeping cars are showing serious signs of age. Intercom systems did not work well and we had difficulty hearing announcements. Carpets are worn, bed mattresses were thin and soft. Temp controls did work fairly well. The bathroom situation is a continuing problem on some trains and the current vacuum system seems to be inefficient when weather or barometric pressures change. How does Amtrak expect an entire car load of passengers to share one bathroom in a 24 hour period? And the need to walk through four cars to get there??
The lounge staffs in Washington and New York were pleasant and helpful. We love our Cleveland agents and the new guy we met in Hollywood, FL was a pleasant and friendly man as well. Most of the conductors were friendly and businesslike. Our tickets were scanned in three out of four cases. I did not meet the “conductor from hell” on the Silvers that I experienced two years ago…smile.
The irony of the trip was that the Capitol Ltd #29 out of Washington was on time and if I had planned accordingly, we may have been able to get off 98 in DC and catch the Capitol home to Cleveland. But such is life..
So, we are still ready for another set of Amtrak rides in April and May, and looking forward to the West Coast Gathering in October. But hoping that we will have a better experience than our latest ride on the Lake Shore. As Amtrak “apologists” we can only make excuses so long for poor service situations. I would assume that Amtrak has lost a considerable amount of future passengers because of these recent events. And of course, the politicians will use the complaints in their efforts to destroy public passenger service on Amtrak.
[SIZE=12pt]Amtrak Florida Keys Trip Report[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]January 15-23, 2014[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Cleveland-Washington-Hollywood, FL. – Marathon Key- Key West- Hollywood-New York-Cleveland[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Wednesday January 15, 2014[/SIZE]After a week of sub-zero temperatures and snow, we were finally off for our Amtrak Florida vacation as we left Mr. Gato on the evening of January 14 heading up I-71 to Cleveland. Traffic was light and we arrived around 12:45am at the Cleveland station. There was only one other passenger waiting in the room, but others filtered in as I checked to see that Capitol Ltd. #30 was on time. Talked to our favorite agent working the desk this evening and he provided the latest Amtrak System Timetable, which has a great painting of Amtrak Loco 77 at San Luis Obispo depot.
Our train arrived at 1:55am and we proceeded to Car 3000 where we met our friendly car attendant who directed us to Bedroom D. He said everything was ready but when we arrived the beds had not been put down. I scurried downstairs and notified him of the error. He apologized and thought we were in Bedroom B, but quickly made up the bed and we were snuggled in our bunks in short order. We pulled out of Cleveland just a few minutes late as there were a large number of passengers boarding tonight. Our locomotives for today were P42 # 6 followed by P-40 #837 on HEP.
We were very tired and immediately were off to sleep. Woke up around Connellsville, Pa and we headed off to the diner for breakfast. Our dining companion this morning was Nita, who had also boarded in Cleveland. She was a nurse and was from Beachwood, Oh. She was headed to Virginia to see her three grandchildren and an interesting conversation, a tasty omelet, and croissant brought a great start to our trip. She had a son in Arizona and we discussed the possibility of taking the train to Flagstaff to visit him next summer. We passed through the Youghiogheny River valley on this cold winter morning.
We arrived in Cumberland, Maryland at 9:27am and I was able to get off the train and take a few photos of the station and train before we quickly moved on down the road. Passed through the huge CSX yard facility where my brother first trained to become an engineer back in the 1970s. Lots of locomotives and a nice tower highlight the yards.
I checked with the dining car staff and they noted that if we wanted a limited lunch we would need to arrive in the diner by 10:30. We decided to grab a quick Amtrak Burger since it had been four hours since breakfast. Here we met Julius, who had an interesting tale of his adventures in Colorado and Oklahoma. He was a poet and graduate student studying writing, but was also interested in partaking in the “weed scene”. He had purchased some newly legal marijuana in Denver, but made the mistake of taking it across the border into Oklahoma. He was arrested and jailed for three days before being released. He then was able to take the train (Heartland Flyer to Ft Worth, Texas Eagle to Chicago, and now our Capitol Ltd to Washington, where he will board with us on the Silver Star to return to his home in Florida. He had many other interesting stories of his early life in Columbia, family moving to Florida, and his days studying history and poetry. Kind of reminded me of my roommates at OSU back in the early 70s. A wild and crazy bunch. We had our burgers and talked until we reached Harpers Ferry around 11:30am. Always enjoy meeting interesting people on the train.
We were running about 15 minutes late, but would make that up in padding of the schedule later on. Passed through the tunnel into Maryland and soon were following the C&O Canal, the Potomac River, and other scenic venues. MARC stations were busy as we passed Point of Rocks, Maryland where the original B&O mainline met the Washington Branch. We arrived in Rockville at 12:20 still 13 minutes down but our arrival in WAS Union Station made up the time and we were actually 25 minutes early due to padding. We were concerned when we booked this trip that our close connection to the Silver Star leaving around 3pm might be in jeopardy if the CL were running very late, but no problem today.
We headed to the Acela Lounge, checked in with a friendly agent there, grabbed some snacks and placed our luggage in the storage room. This is a very nice lounge, better than New York in my opinion, but not as large as the Chicago Metro Lounge. We found some seats and rested a bit before going out to look over the station and get some fresh air. Construction continues on the ceiling after the earthquake caused so much damage, but it was not as restrictive as our last visit here. It was very cold outside and we decided with our limited time frame to not explore any museums today. Walked around outside and viewed tour buses and cabs lined up for customers. Found the offices of Joe Boardman at 60 Mass. But didn’t have an appointment, so moved on back inside. After a quick tour of some shops, we returned to the Acela Lounge for refreshment and to check on boarding times. Our Silver Star #91 had been assigned to Track 24 and Gate J. Someone would guide us down to the track platform, so we opted not to do a Red Cap today.
At 2:45 we were directed to our train headed by locomotives P-42s #100 and #2. We were in Car 9110, Bedroom A and were greeted by our friendly car attendant T Rivers. He lifted our bags onto the train and showed us our room. Lots more storage space in the Viewliner sleepers and I was able to lift our bags onto the upper storage areas and off the floor. We had hoped for a 5pm dinner time, but T had us down for 6:30 as the NY passengers had taken all the early times. We left the station right on time at 3:05pm and moved across the Potomac toward Alexandria. The impressive Masonic Temple on the hill is a reminder of our secretive history associated with the order. A few passengers boarded in Alexandria and we were off toward Richmond.
We passed the AutoTrain loading facility at Lorton, VA. Looked like they were all ready to go as soon as our train passed. Our Autotrain trip last year was a great train ride and may do it again someday. On down the line to Fredericksburg and Ashland, Virginia before arriving in Richmond around 5:15pm. Was able to get off the train for some photos of the Staples Mill Station and the waiting Train 90 Palmetto sitting on the other track. Lots of passengers getting on and off here including our friend Nita from Ohio. A quick crew change and we were off again. Boy was I hungry. I decided to go down to the café car for a hotdog to hold me over until supper. It was getting dark as we reached Petersburg and it was also time to make our way to the diner.
We arrived for our 6:30 seating and were joined by Morty and his son from Colorado, who were headed to Orlando for a trip to DisneyWorld and Universal Studios. We had an enjoyable steak dinner, with baked potato, and corn and some cheesecake to finish the deal. Yummy!!. Morty Jr. is autistic and our conversations revolved around the research and daily life of an autistic child. Since we have a friend whose son is autistic we could relate to the challenges the family has experienced. Morty lives near the area where we will be visiting on the SW Chief next summer and he invited us to contact him while we were there and perhaps ride some excursion railroads at that time. A very nice man who made our dinner experience one to remember.
We returned to our bedroom around 7:30 as were arriving at Rocky Mount, NC and the large railroad yard there. We had T put our beds down and then watched as we entered Raleigh, NC about 15 minutes ahead of schedule. Some new riding territory as this was our first Florida trip on the Star and its elongated route through the Carolinas. Headed off to bed around 10 for what would be a rough ride in the night. I slept for the first few hours but after Columbia the tracks were very bad and I was in and out of dreamland the remainder of the night until we reached Savannah around 4:30am.
[SIZE=12pt]Thursday January 16, 2014.[/SIZE]
Decided to get up and shower around 6am. We usually use the shower down the hall instead of our room unit since it leaves everything pretty wet in our bathroom. No waiting as we both freshened up and headed down to the diner for breakfast. Our dining companion this morning was John, who was a retired Navy pilot and flight instructor. He had traveled around the world since the late 1960s and was stationed at many airbases in the U.S. as an instructor. He was taking his grandson to Universal Studios and then to Puerto Rico where his grandson’s family lived. We enjoyed the cheese omelet, breakfast burrito special, grits and croissants as we talked about our train experiences and his military exploits. A very interesting man with a great personality and equally great stories to tell.
We had a quick fuel stop and crew change in Jacksonville as were starting to lose some time on the schedule. We arrived in Palatka about 30 minutes down and continued in that 30-40 minute range for the remainder of the trip. Still lots of construction and CSX traffic. We had a brief stop in Deland and were able to get off for a photo op and to talk with T. Rivers about his 25 year career with Amtrak. He had worked this Florida line most of his career and was concerned with the lack of funding in Congress for Amtrak. A real nice guy who liked to whistle while he worked.
Passed the AutoTrain facility in Sanford and then into Winter Park, our favorite destination in Florida. They are still working on completing the new station for the SunRail system. Many people disembarking here and we lost a little more time on our schedule. Arrived in Orlando at 10:45am and was able to get off for a quick exercise break before we heard the double horn signal to reboard. The Orlando station is a classic Spanish style façade and wish I had time to look inside but we were warned that the train would be leaving shortly and stay close to our car. Looked for our friend PennyK, but think she was doing yoga this morning.
We decided to go down to lunch around 11am and sat with an interesting young woman from Massachusetts who had studied medicine, worked as an EMT for five years and plans to become a doctor. She was taking a break for a cruise in Miami. And she is only 23 years old. We enjoyed our AmBurger with this pleasant and intelligent young person.
This section of Amtrak rail was also new to our travels and we enjoyed the trip to Tampa and the old town of Ybor City, where a large population of Cuban-Americans reside. Our stop in TPA was brief and we quickly headed back to Lakeland where we had stopped just a few minutes before in this rather strange routing scenario for the Silver Star. The Lakeland station is very modern and there were a considerable number of coach passengers heading south to Miami, etc. Now we turn south toward Winter Haven. We hoped we might see our friend Dick, who was boarding the northbound Silver Star today, but we were unable to get off the train in our brief stop and thus, may have missed him.
The trip south of Winter Haven is filled with orange groves and nice lakes, but becomes rather monotonous after a while. We finally reached West Palm Beach around 4:45pm about 35 minutes down. Lots of traffic on I-95 as we approach the Gold Coast cities of Deerfield Beach and Fort Lauderdale. We arrived in Hollywood around 6pm and said goodbye to our wonderful car attendant. There were plenty of cabs waiting at the station, so we hailed one and took off for our hotel at the Hampton Inn in Dania Beach. About a 3 mile ride for $13 + tip. Our hotel had a pleasant staff, who welcomed us and gave us a room on the 5th Floor. We like a higher floor where it is quieter. Mostly fast food places around the hotel and since we didn’t have our rental car yet we opted for a short walk to McDonalds for supper. Checked out the Kindle for news and weather and watched some TV before retiring after a long day of Amtraking.
[SIZE=12pt]Friday January 17, 2014[/SIZE]
After a great sleep in those Hampton Inn beds, we awoke and went downstairs for the free breakfast. I later called the Enterprise Car Rental office and made arrangements for them to pick us up at the hotel. Around 9am I rode over to the rental office and procured a 2014 Chevrolet Impala that had adequate room for my 6’6” frame and a huge trunk. Back to the hotel to pick up Claudia and the luggage and off to the Florida Keys we went. Traffic in the Fort Lauderdale to Miami area is crazy and with a half dozen toll roads to maneuver it was quite a chore finally making it down to Florida City. Decided to get some gas and lunch before we started out across the causeway to Key Largo.
Traffic on the Overseas Highway was not that bad and we rarely had to stop except for the numerous traffic lights on Largo. A considerable number of tourist-trap type businesses and congestion that was not exactly what I expected on these upper key islands. We passed through Tavenier and Plantation Key looking for evidence of the old Flagler Florida East Coast railroad that was built between 1905 and 1912 and although much of its existence has been removed by modern highways, the bridges connecting the keys are sometimes visible. We passed through Islamorada around noon and found it to be a bit more interesting with lots of fishing charter boats, some art shops, and boutiques. The first large bridge built by the railroad workers was the crossing between Lower Matecumbe Key and Long Key. It was on Matecumbe Key that the 1935 hurricane destroyed a train attempting to rescue workers and later contributed to the demise of the F.E.C. railroad to Key West. One sees more resort areas from this key on westward, including many RV camps, state parks and large marinas.
We arrived on Marathon Key at around 1pm and were pleasantly greeted by the staff at the Holiday Inn Express and allowed to check in early to our room. We had a nice room on the top floor (3rd) with a view of the Gulf side of the island. Did some unpacking and then headed into the heart of Marathon Key. We drove to the other end of the island and found the entrance to the Seven Mile Bridge with a parking area available so that one could walk out on the original railroad/highway bridge. A newer bridge was built in the 1980s which carries all highway traffic now. One of the unique aspects of this huge bridge is that its railings are made up of the old railroad rails which are showing signs of their 100 year old age. There were even some old railroad locks placed in the tie plate holes to provide some additional historic interest. It was a bit chilly on the bridge as the wind and the upper 60s temps presented a need for a light jacket when the sun moved behind the clouds. Took some photos but decided not to walk over a few hundred feet today.
We stopped by the old Pigeon Key Gift Shop which was a converted diner car said to have been used on the Key West Extension before 1935. Lots of interesting souvenirs, but wanted to find out about the boat trip to Pigeon Key that involved a 15 minute boat ride and two hour visit and tour of the former railroad workers camp on the island. We opted to wait until Monday to take the tour as our plans called for two days visiting in Key West. Moved on to the Marathon Key Chamber of Commerce, which had a nice display of local books and art and coupon books for local businesses. I purchased a recently published history of the Florida Key West Extension Railroad and asked about good places to eat on the island. Recommendations for several sea food restaurants and an especially popular place called Frank’s Grill with fine Italian food.
We then drove out to Sombrero Beach, which is the only public park beach on the island. Nice little park and recreation area, a small marina and pier. We will come back here to view a marvelous sunset later this evening. We decided to drive around the Sombrero Beach Golf Course and look at the homes in that area. The golf course is now a country club, but it did not look well cared for and probably was going to experience some renovations for its new members.
We decided to head over to Frank’s, but found they are only open for dinner after 5 so we explored an art gallery nearby until the crowds started forming at the restaurant. As we entered we were asked for our reservations, of which we had none. They were able to find a seat for us until their 6pm reservations arrived, so we happily ordered lasagna and eggplant parmesan and settled in for a great salad and homemade breads while waiting. The food was excellent, service prompt and friendly, and we enjoyed the small, but efficient Frank’s Grill. A great meal.
Just had time to make it back to Sombrero Beach for the brilliant sunset over the water. Lots of clouds lent themselves to be lit by the sunlight and we took some nice photos of our experience on the beach. Back to our hotel to review tomorrow’s activity plan and some TV before bed. A nice day exploring the Upper and Middle Keys.
[SIZE=12pt]Saturday January 18, 2014[/SIZE]
Started the morning with a great free breakfast. The hotel had filled up and since we waited a bit late to eat, the breakfast room was nearly full. But the servers kept the many choice items available and we eventually finished and headed out toward Key West. Our first trip over the Seven Mile Bridge gave us a better view of Pigeon Key, which is about 2 miles out, and a closeup view of the old and somewhat deteriorating railroad bridge. Several gaps were made in the bridge to allow for larger boat traffic, so it is no longer possible to travel the entire length of the bridge on foot or bicycle. A newer span rose high above the water to allow the channel to be used by large craft.
We traveled across smaller bridges to reach some keys by the name of Ohio and Bahia Honda. Ohio Key was so small that it only had one gas station and a large RV park (wondered how many Ohioans were camped there?). Bahia Honda was the site of the other major bridge construction project for the railroad. The remains of the original bridge are there and Claudia was able to get some good photos of it as I drove over the new bridge. Next stop was Big Pine, where a rare species of deer run around a local preserve. There was a nice flea market, craft bazaar on Big Pine today and with large crowds evident, we decided to stop and take a look. It exceeded our expectations of typical Florida flea markets, with many vendors providing quality art and jewelry and clothing. Claudia found a couple pieces of lapidary jewelry for her collection. No railroad lanterns, but I enjoyed the experience nonetheless. There was even a young girl dressed as a Swiss Alpine lass playing an accordion of popular tunes for tips. She was actually very talented and added to the overall interesting experience.
But time and Key West are waiting so we had to leave. We headed out again across numerous other keys and bridges until we reached Key West around 11am. Lots of traffic, road construction delays, and a lack of public parking made it difficult to maneuver around this larger than expected land mass. Came into town on Truman Street and we finally found a lot near the municipal building which allowed free parking on the weekends. We then walked into the area known as Truman Annex, which contained buildings formerly used as a compound for President Truman’s Little White House complex.
Walked to the Truman House, but found the next tour to be starting in almost an hour so opted to find somewhere to have lunch. Walked around Mallory Square and noted the Customs House Museum and several other spots for future exploring. Lots of tour buses taking the massive crowds around town. Unfortunately, we arrived on a day when two cruise ships had docked at the harbor and there were thousands of new visitors invading the city. We eventually walked down Duval Street and found Sloppy Joe’s Bar, the supposed hangout of Ernest Hemingway and friends back in the 1930s. Popular watering hole with some live entertainment on stage. Found a seat along a wall of b&w photos of Hemmingway and other barflies, large tarpon and a variety of other memorabilia. Claudia ordered the classic Sloppy Joe Sandwich while I opted for the grilled chicken. Both were excellent. Not a cheap place to eat, but you pay for the atmosphere and history. I am sure this is a wild place on Saturday night.
Among the other interesting things we noted on Key West were the numerous chickens and roosters roaming the streets and gardens of the city. There seemed to be a crowing rooster on every block. On our way back to the Truman House we stopped by the harbor area to view the two large cruise ships docked there. One was a Disney Wonder ship and the other was a Dutch vessel called the Nieuw Amsterdam based in Rotterdam. Long lines of passengers continued to make their way ashore after noon and so we decided to head back to Truman House to make the tour.
We arrived just in time for the 12:30 tour guided by Rene. He did an excellent job of showing us the numerous rooms, furniture and history of this fine building. Lots of interesting stories about the Truman family and other presidents who later came to stay here on vacations. The event lasted about an hour and after a break, we moved back to Mallory Square and the old Customs Building where the Key West Museum of Art and History is located. The first display was a collection of items by local artists and misc. art, pottery, and artifacts. Even had a display of McCoy pottery from my Ohio hometown. Several nice portraits on the wall of Flagler, Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, etc. On the second floor was a gallery of WPA art done on the Keys, a study of Hemingway’s life in photos, and a very good exhibit on the Florida East Coast RR extension with a film, gallery of photos, artifacts, etc. Also information on the history of wrecking, a practice of salvaging sunken ships for scrap and treasure that was a major part of Key West history. Got a nice magnet souvenir and it was time to move on.
There are statues throughout the city depicting famous or infamous characters and even a sculpture garden filled with bronzed characters of Key West history. Walked around this area and then headed south on Duval Street. We stopped at The Oldest House in Key West and were able to take a free self-guided tour of the house. The house was built in 1829 at a location about a block from its present site, where it was moved in 1834 due to high tides. The family that lived there was named Watlington and he was involved in the shipping business. Descendants of the family live in the house until 1970 when it was donated to the local historical society for preservation. Afterward we continued our walk down Duval, but decided to head back to the car to save our legs and feet for another day. On the way back we stopped at the O marker for US Route 1 for photos. Of course one group decided to hog the sign for several minutes, ignoring the fact that others would like to take a picture as well. Welcome to America.!
We drove out along the south beach area known as Smather’s Beach and past the airport before continuing back along the Overseas Hwy. Claudia took some moving photos of the Bahia Honda Bridge which was one of the more difficult projects for the railroad builders in 1912. Some additional photos of Pigeon Key before heading to Pizza Hut for supper. A rather disappointing experience as the restaurant had few customers, service was mediocre at best, and the building was tired and in need of repair. Should have opted for the seafood..smile. Stopped by the Bealls Outlet store, but it was not as nice as other Bealls Stores we visited in Florida. By the time we finished, it was dark so headed back to the hotel for TV.
[SIZE=12pt] Sunday January 19, 2014[/SIZE]
After another great breakfast we headed out again on US 1 for Key West. Traffic not quite so heavy today and after searching for new parking spots, decided to return to the municipal lot where we parked yesterday. We walked down Whitehead Street and found the Hemingway House with only a few patrons waiting for the tour. As we entered the gates, we saw the first of many resident cats, some of which have six toes and are all descended from Hemingway’s original cat Snowball. We walked around the outside until our tour began inside. Our tour guide was Dave, an outgoing and laid back sort of guy who offered his perspective on the life of Hemingway and his wives. It was an interesting tour filled with varied cats roaming the rooms, sleeping on chairs and beds. We traveled through all the rooms on both floors and balconies, outside to the various fountains, swimming pool, and gardens. Lots more cats out there as well. After the tour we could return to the rooms and also climb the steps to Hemingway’s studio that was decorated in its original setting and was quite interesting.
Afterward we walked across the street to the Lighthouse Museum, but since we have been inside many lighthouses in our day we opted to shoot photos outside of the building and grounds. Actually got a nice photo with flowers of the lighthouse from the Hemingway balcony. Looking for a place for lunch and first went into the Six Toed Cat next to the Hemingway House, but while we waited to be seated, noticed the menu didn’t offer much for me to eat. Moved on over to Duval Street and found Willie T’s, a bar decorated in dollar bills on the walls and posts signed by patrons. Seemed to have a good crowd, so we sat and had a great turkey club and quesadilla and tons of fries. Friendly atmosphere and some good musicians singing Jimmy Buffet tunes at the bar.
Decided to walk up Duval Street, go into some art galleries, and T shirt shops. Claudia got a nice piece of Key Lime Pie which she enjoyed on the steps of an historic church. Walked past Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville Bar, but didn’t go in since we already had lunch. A long line waiting across the street to get into the San Carlos Institute, which is an historic museum and theatre founded by Cubans in the 19th century. Jose Marti once spoke there. Would like to go here on another visit.
We walked down the street and eventually reached our car after some more shots of Marker 0. Wanted to attend the Sea Food Festival in the local park since it looked like it had some interesting vendors when we passed by earlier. Took a while to find a parking space but finally found one a few blocks away. The festival had some live music and plenty of food, but the vendors were not that good and sold mostly cheap tourist items. We decided to move on out to Smathers Beach, where a few people were sunbathing and walking the shore. It is a nice sandy beach, but no shells like in Marco Island.
Enjoyed the nice sunny day, but it was getting late and decided to head back to Marathon. Along the way we stopped at the Key Deer Sanctuary and found one lone deer along the highway eating. These are endangered species that are only about two feet tall.
We moved back to Marathon and stopped at Subway to get a sandwich to eat at Sombrero Beach to watch the sunset. We arrived in time for another beautiful display of color. It was then back to the hotel to watch some NFL football.
[SIZE=12pt]Monday January 20, 2014[/SIZE]
Our last day in the Keys, so we had breakfast and decided to take a quick tour of Key Colony Beach near our hotel. A causeway takes you along some waterways and canals with large yachts and some nice condos. We stopped at Sunset Park and walked out on the pier for some nice shots of boats and birds. Passed by the small golf course and even nicer homes. Back to Pigeon Key Gift Shop where we prepared for our trip out to the island. We had about a dozen others joining us with two crew members and the guide. A nice fifteen minute ride under the Seven Mile Bridge and through a narrow channel that took us to the island. The guide had us sit under some trees for an historic lecture on the work camp that served those who built and maintained the bridge. We then entered several of the old buildings followed by the resident cat, Buddy, who enjoyed the attention he was given by the tourists. A nice film ended the tour with a brief history of the construction of the railroad. Lots of photo opportunities. Some large groupers, garfish and some barracudas could be seen from the pier as we waited for our boat to return to the Marathon dock. Bought a nice T-shirt with painting of the bridge and Pigeon Key.
It was now time to head east and return up the Keys to our base in Hollywood. A nice ride on a very sunny day. Temps now in the mid 70s and not looking forward to the snow and cold up north. Lots of traffic in Key Largo and across the causeway as we finally reached Florida City. We decided to take the Florida Turnpike all the way up to Fort Lauderdale and this saved time and stress. We arrived back to the hotel in time to unload and then I took the car over to Enterprise. They eventually brought me back to the hotel and we opted for Taco Bell and McDonalds for supper. Made arrangements for a hotel shuttle to take us to the Hollywood Amtrak Station in the morning. Cost was $15, but worth getting there early and not waiting for a cab that might not arrive on time. Our room tonight seemed a little smaller and had a shower-only bathroom. But it was quiet and we got a well needed rest after a long day of exploring.
[SIZE=12pt]Tuesday January 21, 2014[/SIZE]
We were up early and packed. Had breakfast downstairs and then waited for our shuttle driver who arrived on time to take us to the Amtrak station. Lots of traffic on I-95, but made it in plenty of time. A few people waiting for the Tri-Rail trains. Amtrak station does not open until 8am so waited to get photos and talk to the agent in charge. Also had conversation with the baggage man who had his wagon sitting on the platform and took in checked bags outside. He once lived and worked in Pittsburgh and said he had had enough of cold weather. It was already warming up as the high today was to be near 78. Watched several Tri-Rail trains pass by and then our Amtrak #98 Silver Meteor arrived on time at 8:45. We were in Car 9810 Bedroom B pulled by Amtrak P-42 # 200 and 1. And low and behold we had T. Rivers as our car attendant again. He smiled and said welcome back to my train. The dining car LSA was also the same nice guy so it was going to be a pleasant beginning to our ride.
We were told breakfast was waiting in the diner, so we decided to have a little more to eat. Our dining companion was Jane from Massachusetts who had been living in Florida and was back visiting relatives. She was concerned over her NYP to BOS connections since the weather in the northeast has turned bad with blizzard predictions. Claudia had the breakfast burrito and I had my scrambled eggs and croissant. As we traveled up the Gold Coast of Florida we enjoyed the sunshine. Service was excellent.
As the morning progressed, we passed by more citrus groves, cattle farms, and lakes as we arrived in Sebring around 11:30am. We chose to go to lunch around noon and were joined by Craig, a Justice Dept. officer and Mike, who was looking forward to operating some snow plows in Washington DC tomorrow. Claudia had the Manhattan Chowder while I took on another AmBurger with cheese. Both men were personable and were interested in our Amtrak travels.
We arrived in Orlando about fifteen minutes late at 1:30pm and it started to rain, so we stayed close to the train. Claudia got a nice photo of Mr. Rivers, our car attendant and me. A quick stop and we were on our way. Raining harder as we stopped in Winter Park. Finally cleared off and got some shots of the AutoTrain finishing its loading at Sanford. Arrived in DeLand around 2:50 and noticed that Cole Brothers Circus trucks were stored in a lot near the train station. Remember going to their circuses when I was a kid.
By the time we reached Palatka the sun was shining and the train had not lost any time. A nice red caboose at the station complex. We blocked the street crossing for several minutes as our train was much too long for the platform. We arrived in Jacksonville around 5pm under cloudy skies. We had a 5pm dinner reservation, so did not get off the train there. Our dinner companions were a mother and daughter from the D.C. area who had been visiting relatives in Ocala, FL. The mother worked for a government agency and the daughter was attending college at the University of Maryland in College Park. They had the chicken dinner, while Claudia had the special rib eye and I had the regular steak and potato. An enjoyable conversation and ride into the north Florida countryside.
We stayed up until we arrived in Savannah, Ga and then had Mr. Rivers put our beds down for the night. A restful sleep on this section of track as we anticipate the big change in weather that is about to arrive.
[SIZE=12pt]Wednesday January 22, 2014 [/SIZE]
Pretty much slept through the night, but awakened when we stopped in Rocky Mount, NC around 3am. We were about 45 minutes down but seemed to move out of the yard well. Then our train came to a stop and I fell back to sleep. When I awoke again around 6am we still had not reached Petersburg, Va. and the train was traveling through snow. Not sure what happened but we were now three hours down. We got up and had breakfast with a nice young girl from Charlotte, NC who was on her way to Washington DC to serve as an intern for a research thinktank. She had recently returned from a trip to Spain and seemed to be well versed in world travel. Claudia loves those breakfast burritos and I stuck with my cheese omelet.
It was a cold snowy morning as we slowly moved through northern Virginia and eventually into Washington DC still over 3 hours late. We were concerned, as were several of our fellow travelers, about connections in New York City. Our friend from Massachusetts had called her daughter and she was told the weather might prohibit travel up the East Coast by train. Some of the Acelas had been cancelled. As we sat in the WAS station, we noticed numerous trains pulling in and having huge snow piles in the vestibules and around the trucks. Workers with shovels came out to remove the snow. We continue to sit after our two P42s had been removed and the toaster engine added. Several more trains arrived and left the station, but we did not move. We eventually were told a hose had broken on the engine and had to be repaired since there was no other replacements available at the time. We stepped outside for a minute but the wind chill was very cold and snow was blowing everywhere. We didn’t leave WAS until nearly 11:30am and we were very concerned about making our LSL connection later this afternoon.
We moved through the blowing snow at high speed and must have been quite a sight as we raced up the corridor. But we did not make up any time and after stops in Baltimore, Wilmington, Philly and Newark, we finally arrived in NYP at 2:37. The conductor told us we had plenty of time but we should report in to the Acela Lounge ASAP. We hauled our luggage up the escalator into a crowded and frenzied Penn Station. The line to get into the lounge was out the door and there were initially no seats left. The agent at the desk said we would be escorted to the train when it arrived but that both the Lake Shore and the Silver Star were being serviced in Sunnyside Yard and she did not know how soon they would be ready for boarding.
We eventually found two seats together and waited. Since we had no idea when our train would be ready we were afraid to venture too far from the lounge. We had gotten a couple of sandwiches from the café car of the Meteor before we got to NYP. It was good that they kept the car open later since many people had planned to eat lunch in New York. The café car attendant had sold nearly her entire inventory of sandwiches, chips and soda.
While we waited in the lounge we observed the population and its obsessive dependence on I-phones, tablets, and cell phones. Everyone was talking to someone, just not anyone in the lounge. **smile***. Most everyone was staying civil with all of the delayed and cancelled trains. Finally around 6:30pm our LSL #49 was called to board. We followed an agent with the “kindergarten walk” down the hall to an escalator that brought us to our train. Our sleeper was 4912, Bedroom B and our SCA was George. He seemed like a nice guy with a heavy German? Russian? accent. He told us we could go down to the diner and have supper while he checked in additional passengers. Our car was very warm and everything seemed o.k. as we went to the diner. The dining car servers also seemed to have a somewhat foreign accent as well. I thought perhaps we had entered a train in Europe by mistake…smile…
We were seated with a law school professor from NYU who was on his way to Valparaiso, Indiana for a lecture. He was very friendly and gave us lots of advice about a future trip to New York; where to eat and some hotel options. We later learned he was a very prominent name in legal circles and had written several books and had taught at the law school for over 25 years. Claudia and I both had the steaks, which were excellent. The dining car crew was very efficient and in good spirits considering all of the delays for our train. We continued our conversations with the professor for an hour or so when George stopped by to let us know our restroom was not operating and we would need to use the restrooms in the coach car—four cars up. I was not a happy camper about that, but we decided to go up to the coach to use the facilities before we returned to our sleeper. Why this car was sent out with inoperable restrooms is another reason why people question the Amtrak system. We found that our train had a café car behind the diner, which was not in use and must have been deadheaded back to Chicago.
We eventually returned to our sleeper and George first told us the restrooms seem to be working. But they soon had the yellow light come on again and we were back to square one. I asked if we could switch to a roomette if one were available and he said it really didn’t matter since all the restrooms had shut down. And the one in the coach car was not working now either. But we still left New York City under those conditions. Then the door between our room and the Bedroom A started rattling so loud we called for assistance. George found some cardboard that he wedged into the door way and that helped considerably.
We arrived in Albany around 9pm and it was almost 10pm by the time they switched locomotives and got everyone boarded. We had George put our beds down and we tried to get some sleep. Tracks were a bit rough in places as our train continued to lose time to CSX freights and the weather. Signal maintainers out everywhere trying to thaw switches. We eventually made it into Cleveland after 8am, nearly 4.5 hours down. George had trouble getting our stairway to release so we had to move up to the next sleeper to get off the train. We gave him a tip since he had worked hard under trying circumstances. But still, I think Amtrak, should have been better prepared since it had just gone through a weather emergency two weeks before. Yes, the equipment is old and falling apart. Sure will be glad when they get the new cars built and can put some of these old ones out to pasture.
Our biggest concern now was whether our car would start after sitting out in the cold for over a week at the CLE station. But happy day, when I hit the unlock button, the headlights came on—a good sign—and the car started right up. We had to sit and warm up a bit and listening to the local radio informed us of several bad accidents on the interstates that we luckily avoided. Managed to get back home a little after 10 am and our cat was surely happy to see us and we him.
But it is quite a shock going from 77 degrees in Miami when we left to the forecasted snow and subzero temps we are experiencing now. -11 tonight. BRRRR. Not quite sure why we northerners keep doing this??
[SIZE=12pt]General Evaluation of Amtrak Experience[/SIZE].
Most of our trip was very pleasurable. We had excellent car attendants and dining car personnel on all of our trains. The food was very good and although my wife was more able to enjoy some of the special menu items, I still think the steaks and eggs are great!. Our on time performance was good until the end of the trip and most of that was attributable to the severe weather conditions. Our sleeping cars are showing serious signs of age. Intercom systems did not work well and we had difficulty hearing announcements. Carpets are worn, bed mattresses were thin and soft. Temp controls did work fairly well. The bathroom situation is a continuing problem on some trains and the current vacuum system seems to be inefficient when weather or barometric pressures change. How does Amtrak expect an entire car load of passengers to share one bathroom in a 24 hour period? And the need to walk through four cars to get there??
The lounge staffs in Washington and New York were pleasant and helpful. We love our Cleveland agents and the new guy we met in Hollywood, FL was a pleasant and friendly man as well. Most of the conductors were friendly and businesslike. Our tickets were scanned in three out of four cases. I did not meet the “conductor from hell” on the Silvers that I experienced two years ago…smile.
The irony of the trip was that the Capitol Ltd #29 out of Washington was on time and if I had planned accordingly, we may have been able to get off 98 in DC and catch the Capitol home to Cleveland. But such is life..
So, we are still ready for another set of Amtrak rides in April and May, and looking forward to the West Coast Gathering in October. But hoping that we will have a better experience than our latest ride on the Lake Shore. As Amtrak “apologists” we can only make excuses so long for poor service situations. I would assume that Amtrak has lost a considerable amount of future passengers because of these recent events. And of course, the politicians will use the complaints in their efforts to destroy public passenger service on Amtrak.
I felt like I was there with you! 
