Just ride for the fun of it?

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beezys said:
Does anybody here ride on Amtrak just for the fun of it? I'll be taking the EB shortly not because I have business at my destination or to see someone, but because I work for an airline every year I get a pair of confirmed round trip tickets that expire after a year. Normally my travel benefits are on a standby basis only, so I'm at a 'use it or lose it' for these confirmed tickets.
Also, is there any benefit in which direction of travel I should take? I live in SEA and could either start my journey here in SEA or fly out to CHI and start my journey there. I don't want to miss any particularly beautiful scenery while the train travels at night. So I'm hoping the good people of this board will help me in my decision.

Thank you all
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OH YEAH......just finished a vacation trip around North America, US and Canada.

Seattle to Chicago would put you in Glacier Park area in the early A.M. and into Montana during daylight hours.

For a first trip I would suggest the Seattle to Chicago at this time of year.
 
for the past two years I have taken trip on Amtrak: SWC, TE, CZ, CS, and EB. Just for the hell of it. Also the cascades as well
 
All the time. :)

My most numerous trips are my commute home on 785, LAX-GDL. I try to find something fun in each of these 6-mile, 13-minute trips...and I usually succeed.

But I also make a lot of weekend-afternoon hell-of-it trips, in the past usually GDL-OXN-GDL just to ride Whooz' favourite trainset.

On my last furlough day before my recent vacation/trip to the gathering/gathering/trip from the gathering, I did GDL-799-VNC-768-OSD-775-OXN-798-GDL, just for S&Gs. :)
 
Actually, I think I've only once ridden for the fun of it, took the Cardinal from DC to Manassas on a "weekly special" with a friend and caught VRE back - otherwise there's always been some sort of purpose, even if it involves visiting somewhere that I'd wanted to visit just to go out and look at the street scene for a time. I usually can't pull $80 out of my .... just to ride trains. The one exception actually had a purpose, being my first Amtrak trip in some years, and I've been riding constantly since!

That much said, I have done some "points" runs including an 8 boardings in one day adventure, but I found something to do at nearly every stopover, aside from maybe boring Paoli.

Also, I did plan a few "ride for the fun of it trips" such as going to Ashland VA just to get the next train back, but I never followed through.
 
I'd say half of my rail related trips are for the 'fun of it'! And that includes on Amtrak when I'm on hols in the USA. Trying to explain to a ticket salesman why you only want to spend 10 minutes at a destination before hopping platforms for a service back is always an eye opener mind.

Another twist to this, does anyone do 'freeloading' during their fun trips? This isnt fare dodging by the way, but being friendly with the Train manager/Guard, who simply lets you do an entire 2-3 hour behind your favourite locomotives, and then travelling back with him again! I won't mention any companies or locomotives, but its quite possible to have 10 or so enthusiasts 'freeloading' for pretty much most of the day. Its almost an accepted part of the railway culture here. The management have usually turned a blind eye to this, as most of them have been enthusiasts too at some point.
 
Back in my younger days (the late '60's and early '70's), a friend and myself used to take train rides just to enjoy having dinner in the diner on various trains just before Amtrak and also into Amtrak's early years. It was a costly (for us) excursion so we didn't do it too often, but the diner food was pretty good back then. We would ride from NYP on the Broadway to Harrisburg, the SCL and Southern trains to ALX, and return by bus (we were bus employees and rode free). We also rode NYG to ALB and many other routes over a five year period. The variety of the food on each road's diners was great. I still have many of those menus in my collection.
 
A few years ago I was in a long distance relationship with a girl in Boston. One weekend when I'd gone to visit her she had to go down to Connecticut to visit her family. I figured instead of waiting around for her to show back up, I should surpise her on her trip home.

I rode from Boston-Back Bay down to New London where I planned to hop back on the northbound train a couple of hours later to meet her. As I was alighting at New London I asked the conductor if the Northbound trains were on the same track. She gave me a weird look and said "what are you doing? Just riding trains all day?" And I said "no, but don't you guys need the money even if I was?". She laughed at that.
 
Off to Brussels and a little spin around Belgium tomorrow just for the hell of it!!

Mmmmm Mussels and Wheat Beer.......... :cool:
 
Neil_M said:
MrFSS said:
Neil_M said:
Off to Brussels and a little spin around Belgium tomorrow just for the hell of it!!Mmmmm Mussels and Wheat Beer.......... :cool:
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Nothing better than mussels from Brussels! Enjoy some for me!
Click to expand...

The mussels were just fine! :p As were the frites....

The weather was a bit grim though....

Just a few shots from my tripette!

http://50031.fotopic.net/c1784942.html
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Looks like it was a great trip.

My wife doesn't care for the mussels, but she sure liked the waffle!

Waffle1-1.jpg


Before

Waffle2.jpg


After
 
yeah. since ride free on amtrak(I am employee)and I spend lot of time in cali, I wanting to take my son (he 1 yrs old) to san diego or just quick ride up the coast. but on other hand yes i do ride 4 fun and 4 work!

beezys said:
Does anybody here ride on Amtrak just for the fun of it? I'll be taking the EB shortly not because I have business at my destination or to see someone, but because I work for an airline every year I get a pair of confirmed round trip tickets that expire after a year. Normally my travel benefits are on a standby basis only, so I'm at a 'use it or lose it' for these confirmed tickets.
Also, is there any benefit in which direction of travel I should take? I live in SEA and could either start my journey here in SEA or fly out to CHI and start my journey there. I don't want to miss any particularly beautiful scenery while the train travels at night. So I'm hoping the good people of this board will help me in my decision.

Thank you all
Click to expand...
 
Shanghai said:
Neil, did you go by the Manikan P---?
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No, was probably only a street away but I only had a few hours in Brussels, can't see the attraction myself!! Did spend a while in the Grand Place though, maybe one of the finest city squares in Europe.

(Oh and its P--! Only one 's' :lol: )
 
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