Started today more technically around 10 am yesterday. Cab picked me up at 12:15 am to get me to Union Station to make Megabus, and I ended up getting there about 15 minutes before the bus showed up. It was my first time riding this connection to Chicago after a failed attempt around this time last year. I got an upstairs front seat, and while the Wifi was either turned off or just not working, I still liked it.
Sleep was mostly non-existant again, like usual for the St. Louis to Chicago route when I'm taking it. Megabus dropped off a little farther away from Chicago Union Station than I expected, but it was about 15 minutes early so I'm not complaining about a little walk. Printed my tickets from the Quik-Trak (yes, all of them for today and tomorrow), though at first my Ann Arbor to Chicago ticket in the morning wanted me to see the attendant. I kinda blame the fact that even though it was a round trip technically, it was a rewards round trip and shouldn't have tried to print together.
After printing my tickets, I briefly wandered around in the food court to see if anything other than McDonald's was open (since I didn't already know better, lol). It wasn't, so I got an apple juice out of the machine in the gate area and got in the recently-announced Gate F line for 350. Then I decided I was actually kinda hungry and I wanted to see if Relay was open yet so I could get a bottle of milk and a cereal or two, and that keychain that I've been wanting. Yeah, not yet, even though it was 7 by this point. Then I went back, stopping to see if the information desk had copies of the new timetable yet. No luck there (maybe they're holding them back intentionally?
), then back to the line to see it had at least doubled.
Shortly after I got back in line, they announced that Superliners were being subbed on train 381, and I boarded 350 shortly after. It was on track 16, and had an odd (at least to me) setup, with a cafe-only car that they were seemingly deadheading somewhere.
Service was as well as expected for me not having any special needs or expectations. I slept more on and off, and up till Ann Arbor we were basicly on time, maybe a minute or two late at the most. Referencing a tracker later, the most it was late was 5 minutes (at Dearborn), and it arrived at its final destination 22 minutes early. I tried getting a voice recording of all the car and engine numbers to look up, but I didn't hit record and I didn't get a chance to re-record because the train left.
Took a cab to Pinball Pete's, and have been alternating between there and Starbucks since I got here. I don't know how long I'll stay at Starbucks this time, espeically since I had a minor tech failure, but in the meantime I have a Pumpkin Spice Latte and some Petite Vanilla Bean Scones. When I do head back to Pinball Pete's, I intend to stay there until closing time, take a special "Night Ride" cab to the nearest Denny's, then I'll take a regular cab from Denny's to the Amtrak station because if I'm reading correctly and comparing to the Ann Arbor station hours, I'll be outside the Night Ride hours by the time I need to get to the station. From there I'll take the 351 to Chicago, then 321... probably to Alton, if my uncle's recovered enough from his eye doctor's appointment. I'm ticketed to St. Louis in case he can't, and I'm thinking of risking an onboard upgrade. I could use a shower more than I thought I would.
Sleep was mostly non-existant again, like usual for the St. Louis to Chicago route when I'm taking it. Megabus dropped off a little farther away from Chicago Union Station than I expected, but it was about 15 minutes early so I'm not complaining about a little walk. Printed my tickets from the Quik-Trak (yes, all of them for today and tomorrow), though at first my Ann Arbor to Chicago ticket in the morning wanted me to see the attendant. I kinda blame the fact that even though it was a round trip technically, it was a rewards round trip and shouldn't have tried to print together.
After printing my tickets, I briefly wandered around in the food court to see if anything other than McDonald's was open (since I didn't already know better, lol). It wasn't, so I got an apple juice out of the machine in the gate area and got in the recently-announced Gate F line for 350. Then I decided I was actually kinda hungry and I wanted to see if Relay was open yet so I could get a bottle of milk and a cereal or two, and that keychain that I've been wanting. Yeah, not yet, even though it was 7 by this point. Then I went back, stopping to see if the information desk had copies of the new timetable yet. No luck there (maybe they're holding them back intentionally?
), then back to the line to see it had at least doubled.Shortly after I got back in line, they announced that Superliners were being subbed on train 381, and I boarded 350 shortly after. It was on track 16, and had an odd (at least to me) setup, with a cafe-only car that they were seemingly deadheading somewhere.
Service was as well as expected for me not having any special needs or expectations. I slept more on and off, and up till Ann Arbor we were basicly on time, maybe a minute or two late at the most. Referencing a tracker later, the most it was late was 5 minutes (at Dearborn), and it arrived at its final destination 22 minutes early. I tried getting a voice recording of all the car and engine numbers to look up, but I didn't hit record and I didn't get a chance to re-record because the train left.
Took a cab to Pinball Pete's, and have been alternating between there and Starbucks since I got here. I don't know how long I'll stay at Starbucks this time, espeically since I had a minor tech failure, but in the meantime I have a Pumpkin Spice Latte and some Petite Vanilla Bean Scones. When I do head back to Pinball Pete's, I intend to stay there until closing time, take a special "Night Ride" cab to the nearest Denny's, then I'll take a regular cab from Denny's to the Amtrak station because if I'm reading correctly and comparing to the Ann Arbor station hours, I'll be outside the Night Ride hours by the time I need to get to the station. From there I'll take the 351 to Chicago, then 321... probably to Alton, if my uncle's recovered enough from his eye doctor's appointment. I'm ticketed to St. Louis in case he can't, and I'm thinking of risking an onboard upgrade. I could use a shower more than I thought I would.
