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Trip Reports by our Clients:
OUR AMTRAK EXPERIENCE
by
Hank Bullwinkel
Ted, Sylvia,
Here is a report on our journey. Thanks for your help. We won't ride
Amtrak overnight again until the service improves. Keep us posted on
trips where they do it right...we loved the Rocky Mountaineer.
The trip west was a learning experience. As you probably know, the
government has been starving Amtrak for years, and it shows in the
maintenance of equipment and the quality of the service. On the other
hand, the scenery was wonderful. When we travel, I usually drive, but on
this trip, I spent a lot of time looking out the window.
Arrived at Penn station in plenty of time and did an hour's
worth of people-watching. We traveled business class to DC and then
checked our big bag to Fullerton, CA and left our carry-ons in the first
class lounge, browsing around the shops in Union Station until our 4:05
departure. Then the fun began. Never book a roomette on Amtrak unless you
are under five feet tall and a glutton for punishment. The toilet and
shower are down the hall, and the space is terribly cramped.
The food was included in the fare, but it was mediocre. We arrived in
Chicago on time, left our carry-ons in the first class lounge, and went
out for coffee and a visit to the Art Institute.
At 3:15, we boarded the Southwest Chief and enjoyed a veritable
bonanza of space in a [shabby] double bedroom with a broken armchair and
spent two days relishing the scenery. On Wednesday we arrived early [!!]
in fullerton and caught the Pacific Surfliner to San Diego where we
grabbed a Hertz car, checked into the hotel, went out for lunch, and then
collapsed for three hours.
Hank Bullwinkel
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