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The Ad Hoc Traveler
Marc D. Meredith
July, 2000
Amtrak Adventure
Growing up in the car culture of Southern California, any mode of "mass transit" was a novelty so when I had a chance to take a day trip from New York City to Washington D.C. I jumped at the chance to take Amtrak. It turned out to be an interesting ride and the approximately three and half-hour trip each way went by quickly. Here are some random observations:
It was really nice to be able to travel center city to center city. How many times have you spent the better part of a day flying to a location only to be faced with an hour drive from the airport to your actual destination, which is no where the city it is named after? I started my journey at Penn Station, right in the heart of Manhattan and was delivered to Union Station where the US Capital building was right outside. Sure taking a shuttle flight from LaGuardia to Reagan National would have been somewhat shorter but by the time you factor in parking, rental car retrieval and travel to and from the airports, it's a wash.
Getting tickets was easy. Amtrak's has a simple to use web site to find and buy tickets or you can call 1-800-USA-RAIL, which is what I did. You may want to try both methods as the web site said that there were limited seats available for the train I wanted but when I called I was told there were plenty. Once you arrive at the station you can either wait in line to collect your ticket or go to one of the self serve check-in kiosks where you swipe your credit card, your tickets pop out and you are ready to go.
Riding on the train felt like a cross between taking a bus and flying. You have large open overhead bins (bus like to me), great for baggage storage. You also have really small bathrooms that were all too reminiscent of every flight I've taken. The seats are "coach class" in size and comfort but the legroom is first class! Lots of space between rows and only two seats on each side of the aisle.
Boarding reminded me of flying on Southwest. Pretty much first come first served. It is important to practice the art of eyeing good travel partners and avoiding the "yikes" guy or girl. Once you've found a seat of course, you have to send off the correct signals that say either, "hey sit here" or "keep moving doufus." This process was then repeated at each of our stops along the way.
We stopped at several cities along the route- Newark, New Jersey; Wilmington, Delaware; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Baltimore, Maryland. Some of the stations were a lot like airline terminals while others were simply platform stops like a subway route. Penn Station is fairly large and very busy but had a rather sterile and functional feel to it. Union station has a marvelous main hall and it is worth a trip just to see the interiors. As an added bonus, the day I was there the upcoming movie Hannibal was filming. Much of the terminal was filled with equipment and crew. I walked right past Julianne Moore!
It was great to be able to get up and walk around at will, especially with not fear of getting trapped by a drink cart! I did find it rather interesting that the natural roll and movement of the train created a sensation that if you were flying would be a seat belt fastened condition but on the train you are up and around like its not big deal. There was a "dining car" that was more of a rolling snack shop but they had all the basics- snacks, sandwiches, drinks and some alcohol at the predictably marked up prices.
I saw a lot of things I expected to on a train route- row houses, abandoned cars, water heaters and sofas, deserted factories. I also saw some things that I didn't count on- schools (I think it would have been pretty cool to have a train running behind my elementary school), a Wyland mural (is there anywhere in the US this guy doesn't have one?!) and some wonderful open water ways.
Like with plane travel, there is some illusion created that you are not moving all that fast but the first time another train passed by only a few feet away and the train vibrates from the force and the other train is just a blur, I was reminded of just how fast it really was.
All in all it was a great one day adventure. Not sure yet if I'd want to commit to a multiple day trip across the country but I highly recommend a single day journey. As I write this Amtrak is on verge of establishing high speed service between Boston and D.C. that will make the trip even shorter by about an hour so the next time you plan to travel up or down the East coast, give the train a try!
Marc Meredith
mdm@johnnyjet.com
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