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Thanks for the scenery tips! :) I really do want to see some cemeteries, swamps, and shacks.

Since I have that layover in NOL, I'm going to try to find some cemeteries to explore. I also plan to walk around the French Quarter and maybe find a fun souvenir shop. My friends will kill me if I don't bring back something New Orleans-ish for them. ;)
 
SarahZ said:
I called and scheduled it from Slidell to Kalamazoo, and they counted it as one two-zone award. Thanks for the tip, guys!

The reason I couldn't book from NOL to KAL via WAS the same way is because the CONO is available for that leg. From Slidell, as Traveler said, the Crescent and CL are the only way to get back to Chicago.

So, I just have to pay a whopping $13 for the 50-ish minute trip from NOL to Slidell, and then I can switch to my roomette. :)

When I board, I might ask if I can get into my roomette right away. Do you think that would be allowed? If not, how do I switch from Coach to roomette mid-trip? Do I just walk through the cars, or do I have to detrain and then board at the sleepers?

I'm pretty excited. I've never been in a Viewliner. This is going to be awesome.
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Congrats on the itinerary. I would say you would have an excellent chance of starting your trip in the roomette. The boarding process in New Orleans, unless it has changed since my last trip out of there, is to have your ticket scanned at the station gate. Once leaving the gate area I would walk directly to the sleeper car and show your itinerary to the SCA. You should be accommodated. Silly if they did not. By the way, which car do you have? I enjoy riding on the Crescent. Good service crews on all my travels.
 
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I'm in the transdorm on the CONO, car 2011 on the Crescent, and car 2901 on the CL.

crescent2 - I really wanted to take the Cardinal at some point, but the schedule doesn't work out. I tried to do a round-trip on the Cap by itself, with an overnight or two in DC, but the rooms were sold out on the days that fit my schedule. I'll have to save that one for another time.

Edited to fix a train name
 
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SarahZ said:
Thanks for the scenery tips! :) I really do want to see some cemeteries, swamps, and shacks.

Since I have that layover in NOL, I'm going to try to find some cemeteries to explore. I also plan to walk around the French Quarter and maybe find a fun souvenir shop. My friends will kill me if I don't bring back something New Orleans-ish for them. ;)
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I do not want to discourage you but please do not go cemetery exploring on your own. Go on a guided tour. The National Park Service at one time conducted cemetery tours from their French Market location but it appears this has ceased. I was fortunate to go on this tour and the Park Ranger gave us a stern warning on not wandering off from the group. He said that in one such case a couple walked away from the group and was robbed at gunpoint. Please be careful. There are way to many places for thieves to hide in those NOL cemeteries.

Regarding the 2011 car on the Crescent. Hopefully you will get Rob for your SCA. Had him twice in this car and his service is impeccable.
 
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When you board the Crescent in NOL, board the sleeper, show both tickets - and there should be no problem! I've done that when connecting from the CS to CZ in MTZ. Chances are nobody is going to occupy that sleeper for the 1 hour trip.
 
Dovecote said:
SarahZ said:
Thanks for the scenery tips! :) I really do want to see some cemeteries, swamps, and shacks.

Since I have that layover in NOL, I'm going to try to find some cemeteries to explore. I also plan to walk around the French Quarter and maybe find a fun souvenir shop. My friends will kill me if I don't bring back something New Orleans-ish for them. ;)
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I do not want to discourage you but please do not go cemetery exploring on your own. Go on a guided tour. The National Park Service at one time conducted cemetery tours from their French Market location but it appears this has ceased. I was fortunate to go on this tour and the Park Ranger gave us a stern warning on not wandering off from the group. He said that in one such case a couple walked away from the group and was robbed at gunpoint. Please be careful. There are way to many places for thieves to hide in those NOL cemeteries.
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Thank you for that tip. :) I'll be sure to schedule a guided tour if I decide to go exploring.

the_traveler:

When you board the Crescent in NOL, board the sleeper, show both tickets - and there should be no problem! I've done that when connecting from the CS to CZ in MTZ. Chances are nobody is going to occupy that sleeper for the 1 hour trip.
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That's a good idea! I'll probably go straight to breakfast anyway (do they serve breakfast out of NOL?), so it's really just a matter of setting my luggage down and then heading to the diner.
 
Oh, my, Sarah, finding a souvenir shop may be a problem. NOT!!! :giggle:

I consider myself lucky to have found accommodations on the Cardinal and the Cap on relatively short notice. I've never been to that area of the US (except a brief layover in CHI) and am eager to see it.

After hubby's mobility limitations happened, we took a city bus tour that included an extended stop at one of the cemeteries. We loved it. I don't think they are within walking distance from the Quarter, but I could be mistaken, and I'm not sure of the streetcar routes. Might need a taxi. Dovecote's point is valid; we were with a group. There's safety in numbers most any place. The main part of the FQ always has many people out and about, and police presence. (It's their bread and butter so they take care of it.) The summer is probably not as crowded as in the milder seasons, but there have always been more than enough people that I felt safe there. Some parts of the city of NO would not be safe.

Brad and Angelina own (I guess they still do?) a place near the edge of the FQ that's opposite from the Canal St. edge if you're into things like that. Can't see much except the doors. I only know that because there's a geocache named Brangelina across the street from them that I've found. I think the horse carriage tours go by it and point it out, too, but we've never taken one of those.

There are swamp and plantation excursions but we also never did those, and you probably won't have time this visit. The tracks will cross some swampy areas but not big submerged swamps, the best I can remember.

The last time we were there, we saw a few houses from the train that still had not been repaired from the Katrina damage. Hopefully all have been done by now.

Georgia is hot and humid, so I'm used to it, but New Orleans in the summer is HOT, so plan for that. Fortunately there are shops, restaurants, stores, pastry shops, art shops, etc. everywhere to duck into the A/C as needed.

Have fun in the Big Easy!
 
Excellent get Sarah! Also when in NOL take the Algiers Ferry Roundtrip across the Mississippi, its Free and is a nice little trip!

A day pass for the 3 Street Cars Lines is a heck of a deal! Hopefully you'll snag a deal on your Hotel, there are so many to choose from!

A suggested eating joint by the French Market that the locals frequent is Coops on Decatur. Amtrak crews go there! So many places, so little time!
 
jimhudson said:
Excellent get Sarah! Also when in NOL take the Algiers Ferry Roundtrip across the Mississippi, its Free and is a nice little trip!

A day pass for the 3 Street Cars Lines is a heck of a deal! Hopefully you'll snag a deal on your Hotel, there are so many to choose from!

A suggested eating joint by the French Market that the locals frequent is Coops on Decatur. Amtrak crews go there! So many places, so little time!
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The ferry sounds nice. :) Maybe I'll schedule that and a graveyard tour.

I'm staying at Le Pavillon. I read good reviews about it here, and it's nicely situated between the Amtrak station and the French Quarter. I'm paying $113 for one night in a queen room. The pictures look gorgeous; I'm looking forward to checking it out once I'm done exploring the city. I'm going to get about zero sleep before the Crescent leaves, but that means I'll sleep well that night. :)
 
Nice plan and Le Pavillon is a nice hotel! The saying around NOL is that no-one comes to waste time sleeping, sort of like Vegas! Sleep on the trains when its dark! LOL

Deciding what to buy isn't easy, check out the French Market for sure!

No rez or ticket needed for the ferry, they run continuously back and forth from NOL to Algiers across the Big Muddy!
 
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I haven't been to NOL since before Katrina. It was the year that they changed the schedule while I was on my Rail Pass. I arrived at the station a few minutes after 7 and the Crescent had already left.

I got a ride with an Amtrak employee in a Jeep Wagoneer to Slidell. I was there about 10 minutes before the train arrived. Be in the station by 6:45AM.

For sure get a begniet at Cafe du Monde.
 
The graveyard and garden district guided tours don't run Sunday afternoon or evening (the ones I found, anyway), but I did find a handy-dandy walking tour guide for the Garden District, which includes a cemetery and some of the homes that inspired Anne Rice's novels, including two of her former home(s):

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/new-orleans/717266

That should satisfy my desire for history, architecture, and graveyards all in one walk. :) Michigan gets quite humid in the summer, so I'm not too worried about the heat. I'll be prepared with light clothing, a floppy hat, and lots of water. I can always duck into a shop w/ A/C, like others mentioned. It's supposed to be 93 on Sunday, with a chance of storms, so the humidity is going to be out of sight, I imagine.

I'm excited that I'll be there the day before Bastille Day. That should be fun. I'll be sure to try a beignet. I don't think I've ever had one.
 
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jimhudson said:
Bet you can't eat just one! LOL

And have you had Louisiana style coffee with chicory? Let's just say its an acquired taste! Best to stick with the Regular Joe if you're not a Cajun!!!
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I don't really care for coffee. I like coffee drinks, but not coffee itself.

I also can't handle spicy food, and I don't like seafood. I do, however, love French food. :)
 
Just redeemed a one-zone roomette from NOL-CIN. I'm using the Crescent to get there, and am spending a night. I look forward to spending some time in New Orleans, even if it is only a short time.
 
CHI-RNO would be a great trip, and after renting a car in Reno you could drive completely around Lake Tahoe as well as experience the steam excursion train in Virginia City.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum
 
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chakk said:
CHI-RNO would be a great trip, and after renting a car in Reno you could drive completely around Lake Tahoe as well as experience the steam excursion train in Virginia City.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum
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This trip was completed four weeks ago. :)
 

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