Mike
Train Attendant
The purpose of my trip to Anniston was to see some friends over in Douglasville,Georgia. The reason I chose Anniston over Atlanta was I didn't want to deal with traffic and the prospect of getting lost in Atlanta. Anniston is 67 miles from Douglasville,but I considered the straight shot down I-20 was worth the trade off. Before I left,I went to RandMcNally.com and printed off driving directions to different places and kept them in a binder.
The Days Inn is a great place to stay in Anniston. It is 1.1 miles from the Amtrak station. The rate I got was around 49$ a night. The only downside is the Days Inn website claims it is walking distance to Walmart. Whoever said that must be in great shape,lol All rooms at this location have a microwave and mini refridgerator. Across the street is a McDonalds and a Captain D's.
The biggest adjustment I had to make was getting used to central standard time. I dealt with this by using my cell phone to keep up with the time since it switches time zones automatically. The only problem I had with the local Enterprise Rent-A Car was my car wasn't ready. They compensated for this with great customer service. I spent that Friday basically getting my bearings by going to Walmart and the local mall.
Saturday morning it rained buckets and the National Weather Service issued flood watches and warnings for the area. Finally the rain subsided,and I took off that evening for Douglasville. The drive was about an hour. I met some wonderful folks from the Georgia room on AOL at Gipsons,which isn't a bad place to party.
Sunday I spent mainly relaxing and watching the race from Pocono. I did drive around town some and go to the mall and had lunch at Shoney's and supper at Firehouse Subs,which is my favorite sub after Quizno's.
Monday I returned my rental car and checked out of the hotel. 20 was running an hour and a half late. The only other person getting on in Anniston was a lady heading to Boston. Me and her and her family talked about chatting experiences which made the wait time go a little faster. The station cartaker also sells stuff like binoculars and other assorted trinkets. Nobody bought anything,lol.
20 finally arrived and we boarded. I was seated next to a man also from North Carolina who was returning from New Orleans. His name was Charles,he had been helping with Hurricane Katrina reconstruction. We talked about that till dinner time. The steak I had was pretty good. I got off during the Atlanta stop to stretch my legs. Its funny to watch folks try to head down stairs before the boarding call is made,only to be ushered back up the steps,lol. I slept until the Clemson stop,where I decided to call my friend who lived in Anderson,SC. After that,I slept off and on until we got to Greensboro,30 minutes late. All in all,a pretty good trip.
The Days Inn is a great place to stay in Anniston. It is 1.1 miles from the Amtrak station. The rate I got was around 49$ a night. The only downside is the Days Inn website claims it is walking distance to Walmart. Whoever said that must be in great shape,lol All rooms at this location have a microwave and mini refridgerator. Across the street is a McDonalds and a Captain D's.
The biggest adjustment I had to make was getting used to central standard time. I dealt with this by using my cell phone to keep up with the time since it switches time zones automatically. The only problem I had with the local Enterprise Rent-A Car was my car wasn't ready. They compensated for this with great customer service. I spent that Friday basically getting my bearings by going to Walmart and the local mall.
Saturday morning it rained buckets and the National Weather Service issued flood watches and warnings for the area. Finally the rain subsided,and I took off that evening for Douglasville. The drive was about an hour. I met some wonderful folks from the Georgia room on AOL at Gipsons,which isn't a bad place to party.
Sunday I spent mainly relaxing and watching the race from Pocono. I did drive around town some and go to the mall and had lunch at Shoney's and supper at Firehouse Subs,which is my favorite sub after Quizno's.
Monday I returned my rental car and checked out of the hotel. 20 was running an hour and a half late. The only other person getting on in Anniston was a lady heading to Boston. Me and her and her family talked about chatting experiences which made the wait time go a little faster. The station cartaker also sells stuff like binoculars and other assorted trinkets. Nobody bought anything,lol.
20 finally arrived and we boarded. I was seated next to a man also from North Carolina who was returning from New Orleans. His name was Charles,he had been helping with Hurricane Katrina reconstruction. We talked about that till dinner time. The steak I had was pretty good. I got off during the Atlanta stop to stretch my legs. Its funny to watch folks try to head down stairs before the boarding call is made,only to be ushered back up the steps,lol. I slept until the Clemson stop,where I decided to call my friend who lived in Anderson,SC. After that,I slept off and on until we got to Greensboro,30 minutes late. All in all,a pretty good trip.
