Where do you spend most of your time on a Amtrak trip?

[GlobalistPotato]

I'm a bit interested to where people usually spend their time while riding on Amtrak.

I've heard a lot of people just tend to hang out in the lounge car, watching the scenery, while many commuters on the NEC use the quiet car as their sanctuary from people blabbering on their cell phones.

Where do you go?

Tell me if I missed any options...

 

[Ryan]

Great idea for a thread, there are a lot of differing views on this.

Personally, on longer trips, I usually stay in my room. I paid a heck of a lot of money (or points) for the room, and I'm going to use it for as long as possible. I can set up my GPS and scanner without having to muck about with headphones, spread out and enjoy the trip!

 

[Shawn Ryu]

On long distance trips I hang out in the sightseer car and socialize. On short trips like Acela or NE Regional I stay in my seat and read or watch shows on my iPod. And ocassionally get up to get a snack.

 

[rtabern]

Every waking moment in the PPC car when I'm lucky enough to be on the Coast Starlight.

Otherwise, 70 percent in the SSL and 30 percent in my sleeping car room I'd say.

 

[jis]

Mostly in my room. Train travel is an intense personal experience for me. I spend way too much of my waking time in everyday life interacting with people. So things like trains or even planes, where people cannot easily get hold of me, I cherish mostly as my own private time. Of course, friends that I happen to be traveling with are excepted from this general idea. But meeting new people..... yeah that used to be fun when my life otherwise was not as busy as it is now. But not anymore.

 

[fredevad]

On the Hiawatha (Chicago-Milwaukee regional service), I always head for the quiet car, setup my phone GPS, and stay there. On my last run, so did another bloke that wanted quiet so he could sleep, but he ended up being the loud one when he started snoring!

On my LD trips, I found that I enjoy filming the trip. So even though most of the time I might be in my room, I like to venture out to the SSL, lower levels, hallways, vestibules, "rail fan" window, hop off at "fresh air break" stops, etc. looking for things to catch in video. Last trip, I ended up with over 12 Gig of HD video from a 4 day trip.

 

[arrow3]

I enjoy spending time in my room. I like the peace and quiet that it usually provides me.

 

[Pastor Dave]

When I travel solo I tend to spend a little more time in the lounge socializing. When it is my wife and I, I prefer to spend time in our room with her.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I agree that this is a great idea for a thread GlobalistPotato. My answer depends on my circumstances as I imagine most answers will. If I'm in coach I'll spend most of my time in the SSL. If I'm in a sleeper I'll spend most of my time in the room just relaxing. However, when I finally get my chance to travel the CS I'll probably spend most of my time in the PPC!

 

[guest]

I travel mostly in coach. I spend probably half in my seat and half in the cafe. I do quite a bit of moving back and forth as I don't like sitting still for long periods, that's what I love about the train. Never once have I been told to stay put. I also like to walk the length of the train (as allowable) after big stops, to check out the newly boarded passengers. I am one of those who, despite long odds against it, is always hoping to run into someone I know, out of context, so to speak. I get off at (almost) all smoke stops (not to smoke, but to walk and breathe local air).

I read a lot, and often prefer the cafe for that, because I get more scenery as well, and I like to lay the book flat on the table. I also really enjoy meeting people who want to converse, but won't force it upon anyone - if one comment doesn't get a friendly response, I let it go immediately.

When I have been fortunate enough to have a roomette (CZ RT twice, and EB RT once) I do most of my reading in the roomette, but really enjoy the diner and cafe as well. I do try to be sensitive to crowded conditions in SSL cars, to give others a turn.

And it's always fun to go to the cafe for a beer sometime around 4 or 5 pm - usually a friendly gang in there then.

With all this activity on my part, time passes nicely and the train ride rarely seems too long - practically never in a roomette, and only in coach at about 3 am when I can't sleep.

 

[GG-1]

Aloha

I spend my time enjoying the ride, scenery, the company, and the penthouse. :giggle: Not necessarily in that order.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Of course when on the CS it's the PPC, have had trips from LAX-EMY where I never even went into my roomette, it's habit forming to live in this Grand Old Car! On other LD trains it's a mix of Sightseer (my vote)Lounge, roomette, diner and walking the train! On short hauls its the lounge or coach! Of course at stops where you can get off have to join the smokers and exercises on a fresh air break! (when the_traveler is aboard I try to get an invite to the Penthouse but his security is pretty tight! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[The Journalist]

I've spent the entirety of short trips in the lounge/café cars, sometimes not bothering to find a seat at all, but on longer trips I'll usually spend some time in my seat reading or napping, and fair bit wandering about. I haven't traveled by sleeper in years, but it'd be largely the same if I were to do so. Oh, and the diner. On a longer trip I'll try to eat in there at least once a day even though I'm paying for it, mostly to meet people.

 

[ThayerATM]

For my wife and myself, it really depends on the train. Certainly, on the Coast Starlight, some appreciable amount of time would be in the PPC, but we want to give others a chance to enjoy it too, so we don't spend the whole day in that one car. <_<

We spend most of our time on regular LD trains bouncing back and forth between our bedroom, the SSL, and the diner for meals. Of course, on the Coast Starlight it would between our bedroom, the PPC, SSL, and the diner and/or PPC for meals. On one trip on the LSL (48), we even spent some time in the baggage car. :lol:

 

[pennyk]

I usually spend most of my time in my sleeping compartment, however, if the scenery is great, I go to the lounge. I have only traveled on the CS once, and I spend most of my day in the PPC. When traveling between Denver and Salt Lake City, on the CZ, I spent a lot of time in the lounge.

Most of my travel is on the Silver Meteor, I tend to spend most of my time in my room. However, sometimes I wander into the "lounge" and have a beer and meet new friends.

 

[the_traveler]

Usually, I spend much time in the swimming pool (on the sub lower level

) when I'm not in the penthouse suite!

But on the CS, I "force" myself to go to the PPC!

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Depends on if I am in coach, BC, or sleeper/FC.

Coach- lounge or Cafe

BC- my seat, or rail fans window

FC- my seat

Sleeper- my room

 

[Shanghai]

I usually stay in my sleeper room. I look out of the window, work on my laptop and listen to

old time radio that I have downloaded on my computer. I rarely go to the lounge car because

it is often filled with people.

 

[Bierboy]

Great idea for a thread, there are a lot of differing views on this.

Personally, on longer trips, I usually stay in my room. I paid a heck of a lot of money (or points) for the room, and I'm going to use it for as long as possible. I can set up my GPS and scanner without having to muck about with headphones, spread out and enjoy the trip!

You're still bothering other passengers if you don't use your earphones with your scanner in your bedroom. You'd be amazed at what people can hear from your room. I ALWAYS use my earphones with my scanner no matter where I am on the train...

And, for the record, I pretty much split my time between the SSL and our bedroom...

 

[Anderson]

Usually, the roomette wins, but that's more a function of my two most frequent LD trip segments being WAS-CHI and RVR-DLD, both fairly good overnight runs. With that said, I'll take up some time in the lounge or cafe when I can...and I never pass on a meal.

 

[Ryan]

You're still bothering other passengers if you don't use your earphones with your scanner in your bedroom. You'd be amazed at what people can hear from your room. I ALWAYS use my earphones with my scanner no matter where I am on the train...

Not if you listen to it at a reasonable volume. It can hardly be heard across the room, let alone in other rooms.

 

[amtkstn]

I spend most of the daytime in the lounge car talking to people. Working with both my cell phone for a clock and the Amtrak national timetable checking each stop to see if the train is running on time. If I am riding a route for the first time I take note of the both the scenerey and railroad. Some routes like the SWC I have rode about eight times I just enjoy the ride with a good railroad book or work on my laptop.

 

[Dan O]

I spent a good deal of time in the lounge. One trip it was partially to avoid the person I was sitting next to. I did post about her a couple years ago. Slept in coach so overall more time spent in coach but a good percentage of awake time in the lounge. Whenever the train stopped I got off for as long as I could. We were early in to ABQ on the SWC and had over 90 mins to wander around. First hour was blocks away from the train. The last half hour was in the area of the station in case the train left a bit early.

Dan

 

[TN Tin Man]

I too will spend most of my time in my room looking out the window with old time radio on my XMp3 (Johnny Dollar and Boston Blackie, Jack Benny and George Burns, Gunsmoke and Frontier Gentalman). Or BBC dramas on the computer. (Everyone should watch Foyles War, George Gently, and Judge John Deed. My current favs).

Like most others when on the CS I do spend most of the trip in the PPC. Last year around this time I met up with RRrich in LAX. I was going to SEA, he was on one of the last AGR loophole trips, so we parted company in PDX. Anyway RRrich had his computer and GPS set up in the PPC and had swing music playing. I am a fan of 40's swing, but I think that most of the other people we met thought that it added to the "romance of the rails" and stayed to listen and marvel at the wonders of travel past.

 

[rrdude]

Mostly in my room. Train travel is an intense personal experience for me. I spend way too much of my waking time in everyday life interacting with people. So things like trains or even planes, where people cannot easily get hold of me, I cherish mostly as my own private time. Of course, friends that I happen to be traveling with are excepted from this general idea. But meeting new people..... yeah that used to be fun when my life otherwise was not as busy as it is now. But not anymore.

So THAT's why you shut the door on the Cap when you saw me coming........ or was it.....Wait Penny did too.........Am I seeing a trend here?