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PNW Fest: Trips FROM the Fest


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#1 KevinKorell

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Posted 14 July 2010 - 02:21 PM

Use this thread to discuss your trips home from the Fest, no matter where you leave us (Portland, Seattle, or Vancouver).


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#2 BillMagee

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Posted 19 July 2010 - 10:03 AM

Sadly, I left the Fest after just the one day in Portland, and I'm killing time on the free PDX airport wi-fi. My flight leaves in 45 minutes, and the weather and US Airways willing, I'll be home for dinner. PDX is a great airport. Starting with the light rail access, great security (a TSA officer had toy badges he would give to little kids to make them his deputies - nice touch!), and large, comfortable public areas (with free wi-fi), it is just one more airport that makes PHL look like a dump. Full report later.

#3 BillMagee

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Posted 20 July 2010 - 11:55 AM

It was a nice ride home on US Airways. With very strong tail-winds, we went PDX runway to PHL runway in 4hr, 19min - very quick. My GPS showed a wind-assisted ground speed of 658mph at one point. We pushed at PDX on-time and arrived PHL 35 minutes early. Even with a sold-out A320, on-board service was fine. So, thus ends my PNW mini-fest. Sorry I could not stay along, particularly for Vancouver - one of my favorite places. Enjoy the rest of the Fest.

#4 GG-1

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Posted 26 July 2010 - 02:41 PM

Aloha More to come later but I thought I would let you know Evan and I returned to LAUS on the Coast Starlight a few minutes early, from the PNW Fest. Mahalo everyone Eric

#5 KevinKorell

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Posted 26 July 2010 - 05:02 PM

The remaining gang has reached Chicago Union Station. The Empire Builder, which carried Fest participants in both its Portland and Seattle sections, arrived here 31 minutes late --- overall not too bad. Steve has left us to go home. Jishnu will be on tonight's Lake Shore Limited, and 4 of us will be on tonight's Capitol Limited going to Cleveland, Pittsburgh (onward to Newark on Pennsylvanian), and Washington (onward to Philadelphia). Our sleeping car attendants were excellent, but the dining crew left a lot to be desired.... so much so that the sleeping attendants had to apologize on their behalf. As folks get home they will update on their trips. I will check here again from Washington DC tomorrow.


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#6 KevinKorell

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Posted 27 July 2010 - 01:26 PM

Hello from Club Acela in Washington, DC! The Washington (State) to Washington (DC) portion of my trip is finally over. Well my travelling party has dwindled to one, the same number I started as when I left home on the 15th. Overall a slightly delayed but bearable ride on the Capitol Limited. We had a dining car LSA who was friendly but a little confused, and a server who was not in communication with her coworkers. I had another server this morning who said he was really a chef but was filling in. All 4 of us who started out in Chicago were in the same sleeping car, and our overweight and asthmatic attendant did his best, which was nowhere up to par with the service we had in the sleeper on the Empire Builder. I have 2 more trains to ride and an hour drive before my trip ends. I will of course report more in the days and weeks to come after I'm on home turf. While in the Washington Club Acela, I saw NJ Gov. Chris Christie and his entourage. They all went and caught the 3 PM Acela Express.


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#7 KevinKorell

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Posted 27 July 2010 - 03:01 PM

Sweet. I'm aboard Regional #178, and can get online. Still sitting at Washington Union Station, but getting signal off an adjacent Acela Express train. Life is good, until we leave the station. :)


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#8 KevinKorell

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Posted 27 July 2010 - 05:35 PM

And I've made it to Club Acela Philadelphia. Final train trip of my journey begins in about 40 minutes.


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#9 Railette

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Posted 29 July 2010 - 11:21 AM

Mike and I arrived at approximately 2:30 a.m. on July 27. The Capitol Limited was approximately 30 minutes late. At Toledo, we transferred from a sleeper to coach. The sleeper attendant, Darryl, was all but non-existent. He never said hello and when asked a question, he said "See the conductor." He never greeted us nor did he advise us that we were approaching Toledo when we would transfer to coach. I asked the other sleeper customers and he treated them in the same manner as us. I would say, deplorable! How do these people keep their jobs? On the other hand, in the coach we were treated much better. When we asked if we could sit in the lower section, there was not a problem, and we were advised that we were approaching Cleveland 10 minutes before we arrived. We both had an absolutely wonderful 12 day vacation due to the efforts of Kevin, Mark and Allan and the rest of the participants. Thank you so much for making this vacation so very memorable.

#10 KevinKorell

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Posted 29 July 2010 - 01:02 PM

I heard from Rick earlier today. He remained in Vancouver and spent some more time there and in Seattle before following us east on the Empire Builder. He reports that his #8 was running 5 hours late at St. Cloud, MN, and passengers are already antsy about making their connections in Chicago. He is apparently experiencing the opposite of what we did --- a poor sleeping car attendant but his dining car staff was OK.


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