Back in Europe for more than a week now and time to write about our recent experiences and travels around America, mainly with Amtrak. I don't have the writing ability and flair of others who write their travelogues here, so will try to give my impressions in another form, here goes.
Before arriving in Chicago this February we had used a total of 3 sleeper trains. #1 from Marseilles to Calais, a slow French night train. This was our introduction of going to sleep in one place and waking in another, magical. #2 from Paris to Madrid. One of the last of the super 1st class+ train journey run in partnership between Spanish and French rail, it was cancelled a few weeks after we travelled (don't believe it was our fault). Eating an evening meal and breakfast the following morning in a very nice dining car while the world went past our window, can't beat it. #3 The Ghan from Adelaide to Darwin, a real long distance train of 2 1/2 days, time for a small community to form. First time where we went to sleep, woke up 8 hours later and felt we were in the same place although the reality was 800 kms further down the tracks. The realisation that some countries are vast and the longer you are on a train the more attached you become to just being there.
Although we have visited the US on 6 or 7 previous occasions this was to be our first ever Amtrak train experiences. We chose the California Zephyr west bound to start as we really like Chicago, and the CZ for all the obvious reasons. We particularly wanted to travel west in winter, what a good choice. That took us to San Francisco, a city we had never visited, then onto San Luis Obispo via bus, San Joachin and bus, then onto LA with the Pacific Surfliner.
All these journeys have been written about on this forum many times so wont describe the physical journey hardly at all. What did affect us greatly was the people we met along the way and the various reasons for travelling by LD train, so this is a personal view of this part of our travels around America by public transport.
On the 24th February arrived into O'Hare from London with the temperatures very low, some pockets of snow downtown. It's our second visit to Chicago and we were pleased to return, our last visit had been mid-summer with great humidity, we were looking for the complete opposite and got it. We walked for a few hours around the State Street area and were taken with how people just get on with their lives even though it was so cold. Spoke to a young black man working in a fast food outlet, he explained how he had got his job, that he thought it was a very good job and how difficult it was to get a regular job for someone his age. He impressed us with his attitude and his happy nature, good start to meeting people.
Next morning round to Union Station to leave our checked and on-board luggage in the lounge, quick look around the station (Great Hall was taken over by a corporate event) and across to Lou Mitchells for breakfast as recommended by many here and it didn't disappoint. Our server was Beverly, boy did she have a talent for making people feel at ease. All round top experience.
A quick shop for a few snacks to take on board (we weren't going to need lunch after Lou Mitchells) and back to the Union Station Lounge. Very surprised by how full the lounge was but it later dawned on me that so may LD trains leave from Chicago.
Looked around the lounge and saw it was mainly elderly people, no problem as we are in our 60's but do like speaking with younger people too. Had mixed feelings anticipating the 'Kindergarten Walk' , have never wanted to be organised by someone else so I busied myself with making sure I had the camera ready to photo this epic event to take my mind off of it. It was all people say and more. Did talk to Amtrak staff about it, some smiled and some looked confused or even a little offended.
Seeing our first Amtrak LD train close up was exciting, so much larger than European trains and larger than The Ghan too. Left to our own devices once on board with excitement being the overwhelming emotion.
The slow ride out of Chicago was interesting to the first time rider, we find many regular day to day situations interesting wherever we are anyway. The car attendant was pleasant but didn't have a lot of go in him, we found out he was waiting for retirement and think maybe just going through the motions or even just having an off trip.
That evening we were seated at dinner with another pair of Brits, it appears we live parallel lives. They from southern England as are we, they were on the cusp of retiring but still worked hard full time, so are we. They were going through to SF, so were we. They had bought a holiday home in France, so did we. They were going to retire to France, so will we. They live less than a 2 1/2 drive from our French home, we had all chosen the same region. They had travelled the previous day from NYC to Chicago with the Lake Shore Limited, were 6 hours late getting to CHI and couldn't make their CZ connection. They were put up by Amtrak in a 'very nice hotel' and caught the CZ a day late, the one we were on. So the fact that we were seated at the dinner table together was pure chance and a pleasant one it was too. We will be meeting up with this couple again this August as they organise a literary event in France and we are invited, thank you Amtrak.
There had been snow storms around the end of February all around the US northern and central mid west. We were so lucky as the snow was pristine as we left Denver and continued snowing lightly for most of that day. it was a picture perfect setting for CZ journey over the Rockies. What surprised us was how it all disappeared as we descended down the west side and largely also through the Sierra Nevadas.
We continued to meet many interesting and lovely people in the dining car and enjoyed the random nature of it, that then led on to meeting up again in the sightseeing lounge. There was Ruth from Taiwan who became our travelling companion for another week, a lovely man who lived near to Indianapolis who was making a sad but eventually enlightening journey, a couple from Chesapeake, she an economics professor, he an art teacher who were great conversationalists with wicked sense of humour but very kindly too, then there was a large man with a small dog, the dog injured it's foot on board so was made such a fuss of for the whole journey, a very friendly and interesting pair they were, plus many more. I asked a lady who lives on a cattle farm how could she could see so quickly whether a deer was male or female, me thinking she had superb eyesight being able to spot what was between their rear legs at a distance and at speed, she replied with cutting disdain "the large antlers!" and then laughed so hard the whole car joined in, there were many more experiences.
We along with other first time Amtrak riders arrived at Emeryville completely enamoured with Amtrak LD sleeper train travel, it's got the lot. Plain riding a train, seeing the world pass by your window, eating on the move with good company, meeting people from all over with a story to tell and the time to tell it, and the best for us, a sense of community for a fleeting moment.
San Francisco was new to us as was California. What to say except in our eyes SF is a special place for all good reasons and if I had to pick one word to describe it above all others it would be 'friendly'. We have a friend living there who took us out for dinner across the Golden Gate Bridge, returning to SF we came down a hill and saw San Francisco in all it's glory by night, the Bay Bridge is spectacular all lit up.
Our new companion Ruth arranged a special meal for us. As a Chinese speaker she had checked out where the best place in ChinaTown to eat and we had a Chinese meal the like of which we have never eaten, wonderful. The bus drivers, the poor, the office workers in street, hotel workers and everyone we came into contact with were kind to strangers. That doesn't mean talkative just prepared to help or advise the 3 of us visitors, such a gentle city, we'll be back.
Warning! This Is a Rant!
Made a 2 day excursion by rental car down the coast as far as half way down the Big Sur, then returned to Salinas to visit the NationalSteinbeckCenter, that's where our luck ran out. Early morning walked into the center and told we couldn't enter as it was a school trip day and no visitors outside the school groups were allowed in. I explained that after reading most of Steinbeck's work over 40 years ago I had waited to pay homage and to understand how and why he wrote his books. That his writing had affected my life quite heavily and that we had come from England just to visit. The idiot at the entrance (I am being polite) said that more or less we could have come from Mars but we weren't getting in as rules is rules. In the UK we would call this man a 'Jobsworth', ie "it's more than my jobs worth..." . I just managed to remain civil but it was a big big disappointment to me. There was a younger person with the Pompous ... who explained to him how we could access some of the center, but no it was never going to be. I walked out speechless. Rosie said she would return to the center and explain this was a very very important thing for me and perhaps with a feminine more gentle approach we might be allowed in, but she returned in short order with Mr Pompous barring entry.
Now before someone explains it's about security for children and insurance and and and, Rosie is a school teacher and we know how it works with modern restaints around children, but this one of life's major disappointments for me. We couldn't return the next day as onward train journeys were booked so had to leave Salinas that day, ah well...
Next day we moved onto San Luis Obispo just the two of us as Ruth was flying to her next destination and we were using the San Joachin in coach. Gave Ruth big hugs as we were going to miss her a lot, although she did threaten to catch up with us when we reached the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. But this lovely lady travelling the world on her own had other things to consider too so maybe not.
On leaving SF we had to use the new temporary bus station at Folsom Street, it was just fine, a little less handy for public transport but that was the only drawback. There was a slightly rowdy man in the bus station but he was pretty harmless, and the staff coped easily with his frustration.
Bussed across to Emeryville, train on time and down the valley to SLO. We'll not to SLO at all but to Hanford, Ca where we were shipped to another bus to make the connection into SLO. SLO is the happiest town in America according to Opra, can't argue with that as it all seemed well to do neat and tidy. I think the large college campus keeps the place from becoming stuffy but it was good to us. Next morning very early the taxi was late, and then later. The streets were traffic-less so it wasn't as though the driver had got caught up in a jam. 25 minutes late and the cab company are now despatching several cabs to pick us up as the Pacific Surfliner doesn't wait for anyone apparently.
The ride down to SLO was interesting as this was where Steinbeck based a few of his novels. The flat central valley is huge and very flat, to my eyes as interesting as almost any other scenery due to the Steinbeck connection. Along the way saw a vehicle scrap yard on the left side, but it also had a number of planes in there too, and rare ones at that! Very odd indeed in the middle of nowhere.
The Surfliner from SLO to LA (coach) was for us the best part of the California coast. We saw plenty of sea life including whales and couldn't believe the size of the Vandenberg Airbase and how close to the cliff edge they had built the track, quite spectacular. Most of this journey was very beautiful in a typically California way, well a Californian way as seen in the movies at least.
Arrived in LA with a 6 hour layover, time to eat at Phillipes (again recommended here and another co-incidence occurred), visit and tour LA City Hall and take a look at the station before heading out on the South West Chief to Kansas City later that evening, but that's for part 2.
Before arriving in Chicago this February we had used a total of 3 sleeper trains. #1 from Marseilles to Calais, a slow French night train. This was our introduction of going to sleep in one place and waking in another, magical. #2 from Paris to Madrid. One of the last of the super 1st class+ train journey run in partnership between Spanish and French rail, it was cancelled a few weeks after we travelled (don't believe it was our fault). Eating an evening meal and breakfast the following morning in a very nice dining car while the world went past our window, can't beat it. #3 The Ghan from Adelaide to Darwin, a real long distance train of 2 1/2 days, time for a small community to form. First time where we went to sleep, woke up 8 hours later and felt we were in the same place although the reality was 800 kms further down the tracks. The realisation that some countries are vast and the longer you are on a train the more attached you become to just being there.
Although we have visited the US on 6 or 7 previous occasions this was to be our first ever Amtrak train experiences. We chose the California Zephyr west bound to start as we really like Chicago, and the CZ for all the obvious reasons. We particularly wanted to travel west in winter, what a good choice. That took us to San Francisco, a city we had never visited, then onto San Luis Obispo via bus, San Joachin and bus, then onto LA with the Pacific Surfliner.
All these journeys have been written about on this forum many times so wont describe the physical journey hardly at all. What did affect us greatly was the people we met along the way and the various reasons for travelling by LD train, so this is a personal view of this part of our travels around America by public transport.
On the 24th February arrived into O'Hare from London with the temperatures very low, some pockets of snow downtown. It's our second visit to Chicago and we were pleased to return, our last visit had been mid-summer with great humidity, we were looking for the complete opposite and got it. We walked for a few hours around the State Street area and were taken with how people just get on with their lives even though it was so cold. Spoke to a young black man working in a fast food outlet, he explained how he had got his job, that he thought it was a very good job and how difficult it was to get a regular job for someone his age. He impressed us with his attitude and his happy nature, good start to meeting people.
Next morning round to Union Station to leave our checked and on-board luggage in the lounge, quick look around the station (Great Hall was taken over by a corporate event) and across to Lou Mitchells for breakfast as recommended by many here and it didn't disappoint. Our server was Beverly, boy did she have a talent for making people feel at ease. All round top experience.
A quick shop for a few snacks to take on board (we weren't going to need lunch after Lou Mitchells) and back to the Union Station Lounge. Very surprised by how full the lounge was but it later dawned on me that so may LD trains leave from Chicago.
Looked around the lounge and saw it was mainly elderly people, no problem as we are in our 60's but do like speaking with younger people too. Had mixed feelings anticipating the 'Kindergarten Walk' , have never wanted to be organised by someone else so I busied myself with making sure I had the camera ready to photo this epic event to take my mind off of it. It was all people say and more. Did talk to Amtrak staff about it, some smiled and some looked confused or even a little offended.
Seeing our first Amtrak LD train close up was exciting, so much larger than European trains and larger than The Ghan too. Left to our own devices once on board with excitement being the overwhelming emotion.
The slow ride out of Chicago was interesting to the first time rider, we find many regular day to day situations interesting wherever we are anyway. The car attendant was pleasant but didn't have a lot of go in him, we found out he was waiting for retirement and think maybe just going through the motions or even just having an off trip.
That evening we were seated at dinner with another pair of Brits, it appears we live parallel lives. They from southern England as are we, they were on the cusp of retiring but still worked hard full time, so are we. They were going through to SF, so were we. They had bought a holiday home in France, so did we. They were going to retire to France, so will we. They live less than a 2 1/2 drive from our French home, we had all chosen the same region. They had travelled the previous day from NYC to Chicago with the Lake Shore Limited, were 6 hours late getting to CHI and couldn't make their CZ connection. They were put up by Amtrak in a 'very nice hotel' and caught the CZ a day late, the one we were on. So the fact that we were seated at the dinner table together was pure chance and a pleasant one it was too. We will be meeting up with this couple again this August as they organise a literary event in France and we are invited, thank you Amtrak.
There had been snow storms around the end of February all around the US northern and central mid west. We were so lucky as the snow was pristine as we left Denver and continued snowing lightly for most of that day. it was a picture perfect setting for CZ journey over the Rockies. What surprised us was how it all disappeared as we descended down the west side and largely also through the Sierra Nevadas.
We continued to meet many interesting and lovely people in the dining car and enjoyed the random nature of it, that then led on to meeting up again in the sightseeing lounge. There was Ruth from Taiwan who became our travelling companion for another week, a lovely man who lived near to Indianapolis who was making a sad but eventually enlightening journey, a couple from Chesapeake, she an economics professor, he an art teacher who were great conversationalists with wicked sense of humour but very kindly too, then there was a large man with a small dog, the dog injured it's foot on board so was made such a fuss of for the whole journey, a very friendly and interesting pair they were, plus many more. I asked a lady who lives on a cattle farm how could she could see so quickly whether a deer was male or female, me thinking she had superb eyesight being able to spot what was between their rear legs at a distance and at speed, she replied with cutting disdain "the large antlers!" and then laughed so hard the whole car joined in, there were many more experiences.
We along with other first time Amtrak riders arrived at Emeryville completely enamoured with Amtrak LD sleeper train travel, it's got the lot. Plain riding a train, seeing the world pass by your window, eating on the move with good company, meeting people from all over with a story to tell and the time to tell it, and the best for us, a sense of community for a fleeting moment.
San Francisco was new to us as was California. What to say except in our eyes SF is a special place for all good reasons and if I had to pick one word to describe it above all others it would be 'friendly'. We have a friend living there who took us out for dinner across the Golden Gate Bridge, returning to SF we came down a hill and saw San Francisco in all it's glory by night, the Bay Bridge is spectacular all lit up.
Our new companion Ruth arranged a special meal for us. As a Chinese speaker she had checked out where the best place in ChinaTown to eat and we had a Chinese meal the like of which we have never eaten, wonderful. The bus drivers, the poor, the office workers in street, hotel workers and everyone we came into contact with were kind to strangers. That doesn't mean talkative just prepared to help or advise the 3 of us visitors, such a gentle city, we'll be back.
Warning! This Is a Rant!
Made a 2 day excursion by rental car down the coast as far as half way down the Big Sur, then returned to Salinas to visit the NationalSteinbeckCenter, that's where our luck ran out. Early morning walked into the center and told we couldn't enter as it was a school trip day and no visitors outside the school groups were allowed in. I explained that after reading most of Steinbeck's work over 40 years ago I had waited to pay homage and to understand how and why he wrote his books. That his writing had affected my life quite heavily and that we had come from England just to visit. The idiot at the entrance (I am being polite) said that more or less we could have come from Mars but we weren't getting in as rules is rules. In the UK we would call this man a 'Jobsworth', ie "it's more than my jobs worth..." . I just managed to remain civil but it was a big big disappointment to me. There was a younger person with the Pompous ... who explained to him how we could access some of the center, but no it was never going to be. I walked out speechless. Rosie said she would return to the center and explain this was a very very important thing for me and perhaps with a feminine more gentle approach we might be allowed in, but she returned in short order with Mr Pompous barring entry.
Now before someone explains it's about security for children and insurance and and and, Rosie is a school teacher and we know how it works with modern restaints around children, but this one of life's major disappointments for me. We couldn't return the next day as onward train journeys were booked so had to leave Salinas that day, ah well...
Next day we moved onto San Luis Obispo just the two of us as Ruth was flying to her next destination and we were using the San Joachin in coach. Gave Ruth big hugs as we were going to miss her a lot, although she did threaten to catch up with us when we reached the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. But this lovely lady travelling the world on her own had other things to consider too so maybe not.
On leaving SF we had to use the new temporary bus station at Folsom Street, it was just fine, a little less handy for public transport but that was the only drawback. There was a slightly rowdy man in the bus station but he was pretty harmless, and the staff coped easily with his frustration.
Bussed across to Emeryville, train on time and down the valley to SLO. We'll not to SLO at all but to Hanford, Ca where we were shipped to another bus to make the connection into SLO. SLO is the happiest town in America according to Opra, can't argue with that as it all seemed well to do neat and tidy. I think the large college campus keeps the place from becoming stuffy but it was good to us. Next morning very early the taxi was late, and then later. The streets were traffic-less so it wasn't as though the driver had got caught up in a jam. 25 minutes late and the cab company are now despatching several cabs to pick us up as the Pacific Surfliner doesn't wait for anyone apparently.
The ride down to SLO was interesting as this was where Steinbeck based a few of his novels. The flat central valley is huge and very flat, to my eyes as interesting as almost any other scenery due to the Steinbeck connection. Along the way saw a vehicle scrap yard on the left side, but it also had a number of planes in there too, and rare ones at that! Very odd indeed in the middle of nowhere.
The Surfliner from SLO to LA (coach) was for us the best part of the California coast. We saw plenty of sea life including whales and couldn't believe the size of the Vandenberg Airbase and how close to the cliff edge they had built the track, quite spectacular. Most of this journey was very beautiful in a typically California way, well a Californian way as seen in the movies at least.
Arrived in LA with a 6 hour layover, time to eat at Phillipes (again recommended here and another co-incidence occurred), visit and tour LA City Hall and take a look at the station before heading out on the South West Chief to Kansas City later that evening, but that's for part 2.
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I think you would have found the school staff willing to go along with that idea. 
