I started my trip in Chicago and arrived at the Metropolitan Lounge way earlier than I needed to be there. I grabbed some Doritos for the train, took out my Kindle, and settled in for a few hours. I noticed that once again all the outlets were taken. I'm starting to think that people stake their claim to outlets seven or eight hours before their trains leave.
We were taken to the train, and I learned that Rion was the SCA. I'm now spoiled and want every SCA to be like him. Alas, it's not going to happen. There was water in my roomette, but I'm afraid the days of chocolate and juice are long gone. There was a call for dinner, but I had already eaten, and I passed. I got hungry in the middle of the night, and ate some of the Doritos. I'm very lax on food rules when I'm on vacation.
In the morning, I went to breakfast. I chose the continental. They can't ruin cereal, so that was fine. I didn't care much for the yogurt, but that was no one's fault. I just didn't like it. I think the croissant was microwaved, because it was kind of chewy. I was seated with someone who had taken many train trips, so that made the one on one conversation with a stranger a little easier. I was very interested to hear of his travels.
It rained for most of the trip, and it was still raining when we pulled in early. I had thought about taking the streetcar to the hotel, but I didn't want to mess with it in the rain. I ended up taking a cab. I "liked" Rion's Facebook page practically as soon as I got to the hotel..
I did the normal touristy stuff in New Orleans. I spent the most time in the French Quarter and along the river but was able to see some other things as well. I saw a cemetery and a little of the Garden District. I think the highlight of my trip was petting stingrays at the aquarium. I also visited the insectarium and enjoyed the butterfly garden.
I thought I would at least take the streetcar back to the station, but then I was too lazy to lug my bag a couple of blocks to the stop. I went with Uber. I walked over to the Magnolia Room and saw that I needed to check in to get the code. Fortunately, there was no line, so I got it right away. I was there for about 45 minutes when we were called the train. The SCA for the trip north was Dorothy. She was sweet. The weather was better for the trip up, and I had some good scenery.
I took the 7:00 dinner seating. I had the pasta. I've had it before, and it was fine. I also had the prepackaged strawberry cheesecake which wasn't that great. One of my dinner partners was very talkative and interesting, so that was good for me. We were informed at dinner that the only breakfast option in the morning would be continental. Breakfast was to start at 6:00 and end around 7:15 when the train pulled into Kankakee.
It turns out the train was late, so breakfast lasted a little longer. I didn't want the continental breakfast again, so I skipped it. We pulled in at around 9:30, and I made my way in the cold and rain to my Metra station.
All in all, it was a quiet trip, but I enjoyed it. I hope it's not too long before I can take another.
If anyone is interested in seeing my Flickr albums, some pictures of New Orleans are here and a few pictures of the CONO scenery are here.
After reading this report, I realize it's not too interesting, but since I wrote it out, I'm going to post it.
We were taken to the train, and I learned that Rion was the SCA. I'm now spoiled and want every SCA to be like him. Alas, it's not going to happen. There was water in my roomette, but I'm afraid the days of chocolate and juice are long gone. There was a call for dinner, but I had already eaten, and I passed. I got hungry in the middle of the night, and ate some of the Doritos. I'm very lax on food rules when I'm on vacation.
In the morning, I went to breakfast. I chose the continental. They can't ruin cereal, so that was fine. I didn't care much for the yogurt, but that was no one's fault. I just didn't like it. I think the croissant was microwaved, because it was kind of chewy. I was seated with someone who had taken many train trips, so that made the one on one conversation with a stranger a little easier. I was very interested to hear of his travels.
It rained for most of the trip, and it was still raining when we pulled in early. I had thought about taking the streetcar to the hotel, but I didn't want to mess with it in the rain. I ended up taking a cab. I "liked" Rion's Facebook page practically as soon as I got to the hotel..
I did the normal touristy stuff in New Orleans. I spent the most time in the French Quarter and along the river but was able to see some other things as well. I saw a cemetery and a little of the Garden District. I think the highlight of my trip was petting stingrays at the aquarium. I also visited the insectarium and enjoyed the butterfly garden.
I thought I would at least take the streetcar back to the station, but then I was too lazy to lug my bag a couple of blocks to the stop. I went with Uber. I walked over to the Magnolia Room and saw that I needed to check in to get the code. Fortunately, there was no line, so I got it right away. I was there for about 45 minutes when we were called the train. The SCA for the trip north was Dorothy. She was sweet. The weather was better for the trip up, and I had some good scenery.
I took the 7:00 dinner seating. I had the pasta. I've had it before, and it was fine. I also had the prepackaged strawberry cheesecake which wasn't that great. One of my dinner partners was very talkative and interesting, so that was good for me. We were informed at dinner that the only breakfast option in the morning would be continental. Breakfast was to start at 6:00 and end around 7:15 when the train pulled into Kankakee.
It turns out the train was late, so breakfast lasted a little longer. I didn't want the continental breakfast again, so I skipped it. We pulled in at around 9:30, and I made my way in the cold and rain to my Metra station.
All in all, it was a quiet trip, but I enjoyed it. I hope it's not too long before I can take another.
If anyone is interested in seeing my Flickr albums, some pictures of New Orleans are here and a few pictures of the CONO scenery are here.
After reading this report, I realize it's not too interesting, but since I wrote it out, I'm going to post it.
