New Orleans questions

[Bill631]

Hello again,

For my upcoming trip to TX, I am still not certain which train(s) I'll be taking.

If I don't go through Chicago, I will take the Crescent to New Orleans.

If I do that I'll have to overnight there, then take the Sunset Ltd into Houston.

But I have some questions about doing that.

I haven't been to New Orleans since before the hurricane, so I have some questions about the current situation there.

First, is it easy to get a hotel room?

Second, are there still taxicabs waiting outside the Amtrak station usually?

Are taxis in general readily available now?

Any and all advice about visiting NOL now would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Bill

 

[Save Our Trains Michigan]

Hello again,For my upcoming trip to TX, I am still not certain which train(s) I'll be taking.

If I don't go through Chicago, I will take the Crescent to New Orleans.

If I do that I'll have to overnight there, then take the Sunset Ltd into Houston.

But I have some questions about doing that.

I haven't been to New Orleans since before the hurricane, so I have some questions about the current situation there.

First, is it easy to get a hotel room?

Second, are there still taxicabs waiting outside the Amtrak station usually?

Are taxis in general readily available now?

Any and all advice about visiting NOL now would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Bill

New Orleans has a limited number of Hotels since workers etc are still rebuilding the City as far as cabs yes there running.

 

[Boxcar]

Hello again,For my upcoming trip to TX, I am still not certain which train(s) I'll be taking.

If I don't go through Chicago, I will take the Crescent to New Orleans.

If I do that I'll have to overnight there, then take the Sunset Ltd into Houston.

But I have some questions about doing that.

I haven't been to New Orleans since before the hurricane, so I have some questions about the current situation there.

First, is it easy to get a hotel room?

Second, are there still taxicabs waiting outside the Amtrak station usually?

Are taxis in general readily available now?

Any and all advice about visiting NOL now would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Bill

New Orleans has a limited number of Hotels since workers etc are still rebuilding the City as far as cabs yes there running.

I have a question for BNSF 1088 or anyone for that matter, If Bill 631 takes the Crescent to New Orleans then I'm surmising he will have to take a bus

or some other form of transportation between Meridian Miss and Jackson Miss, like the bus route pole you posted, in order to catch the Sunset.

My question is how "Do-able" is this? Will it necessitate a over night stay in one or the other cities? The reason I ask is in the event we wish to go from Texas to Florida by rail without going thru Chicago....

THX.....BD

 

[Save Our Trains Michigan]

The crescent will take him to NOL where he can catch the Sunset LTD out of NOL the next day.

The bus connection i was talking about is there is no direct route from MEI to CHI unless you get a bus connection to Jackson where you can catch the City Of New Orleans

 

[Boxcar]

The crescent will take him to NOL where he can catch the Sunset LTD out of NOL the next day.
The bus connection i was talking about is there is no direct route from MEI to CHI unless you get a bus connection to Jackson where you can catch the City Of New Orleans

Well Duh... :blink: Thanks BNSF, It finally sunk in as too what tracks were damaged/rebuilt and not in use by Amtrak......BD

 

[Guest]

Hotels are coming back on line quickly and you should have little or no problem. Go online to www.neworleans.com and they have basic inforamtion about the city. Taxis are available and the Quarter is basically the same as it was before the hurricane - in fact a little cleaner and easier to navigate - since they are fewer people.

 

[AMTRAK-P42]

If its in the price range, I would highly recommend the Hilton Riverside. I have stayed there EVERYTIME I have visited New Orleans over the past 6-7 years. Never had a bad experience. In fact, when I embark on my big summer trip in about 3 weeks, I will be staying here the 1 night I am in NOL. Great hotel, right next to the waterfront mall and aquarium (dont know if they are open), and as an added bonus the stop for the waterfront trolley is directly out the front door. The hotel is about a 7 dollar cab ride from the train station.

(If you have an Amtrak Guest Rewards card then you will get points for staying here as well! )

 

[-Jamie-]

Bill, we had no trouble finding a room and we're looking forward to our trip on the Sunset Limited next week. As long as it's an option for you, I suggest going through NOL. They need the revenue badly!

 

[Save Our Trains Michigan]

Yea it might be the last time you see NOL.

Were coming into Hurricane season again if 1 more storm hits NOL it's all done for.

 

[had8ley]

If its in the price range, I would highly recommend the Hilton Riverside. I have stayed there EVERYTIME I have visited New Orleans over the past 6-7 years. Never had a bad experience. In fact, when I embark on my big summer trip in about 3 weeks, I will be staying here the 1 night I am in NOL. Great hotel, right next to the waterfront mall and aquarium (dont know if they are open), and as an added bonus the stop for the waterfront trolley is directly out the front door. The hotel is about a 7 dollar cab ride from the train station.
(If you have an Amtrak Guest Rewards card then you will get points for staying here as well! )

Baton Rouge paper had an article that stated the Aquarium of the Americas was getting ready to re-open soon...and rooms are no problem. You won't see the elbow to elbow crowds on Bourbon Street but the city is cleaning up in many ways. The run-off election for mayor is this week-end.

 

[Bill631]

Many thanks for everyone'e comments and suggestions!

Bill

 

[railfangns]

I reccomend the country inn & suites downtown.I stayed there its super.It is a collection of 7 older buildings that was restored as a hotel.A little pricy though but worth the money.

WARNING dont use your camera anywhere in or around union station it may cost you a trip to the crossbars inn instead of on a train.There is a article on this forum about the police arresting a man photographing on the platform at union station and the amtrak police slapped the cuffs on him and he was arrested.I believe he was trespassing but some cities are not pleased with railfans photographing trains or stations.

BAD BOYS BAD BOYS WHAT YOU GONNA DO WHEN THEY COME FOR YOU!

 

[AlanB]

WARNING dont use your camera anywhere in or around union station it may cost you a trip to the crossbars inn instead of on a train.There is a article on this forum about the police arresting a man photographing on the platform at union station and the amtrak police slapped the cuffs on him and he was arrested.I believe he was trespassing but some cities are not pleased with railfans photographing trains or stations.

Yes, that story has been widely circulated. However in the case of the person involved in that story, he was way past the train he was planning to board. There is even some question as to whether he was actually still standing on the platform, or if he had walked past the end of the platform.

Either way, if he wasn't out of bounds, then he was aweful close to it, and far beyond where the average passenger would be.

That's not saying that the situation didn't get way out of hand for the circumstances, but IMHO he does get at least some of the blame.

 

[MrFSS]

If you are in a public place where you are allowed to be, you can photo most things you can see with your eyes without fear of being in the wrong. Here is a link to photographer's rights.