Jump to content


Photo

Make your reservations!


  • Please log in to reply
11 replies to this topic

#1 KevinKorell

KevinKorell

    Board Leader

  • Sr. Admin
  • PipPip
  • 82315 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lakewood, NJ
  • Interests:Making America TRAIN again!

Posted 14 May 2005 - 01:09 PM

If you are attending OTOL Eagle RailFest 2005, please make your reservations as soon as possible. The Fest begins just 2 months from today.

We will be on the following Amtrak trains:
  • Regional 95 from New York to Washington, DC on 7/14/05
  • CAPITOL LIMITED 29 departing from Washington 7/14/05 to Chicago
  • ANN RUTLEDGE 303 departing from Chicago 7/16/05 to St. Louis
  • TEXAS EAGLE 21 departing from St. Louis 7/16/05 to Dallas
  • TEXAS EAGLE 22 departing from Dallas 7/19/05 to Chicago
  • LAKE SHORE LIMITED 48 departing Chicago 7/20/05 to New York
Michael and I are reserved in Coach Class on 95 and 29, Business Class on 303, and roomettes on 21, 22, and 48.

As for places to stay, please see my web pages for suggested hotels in both Chicago and Dallas. You will need one night in Chicago on Friday, 7/15, and two nights in Dallas on Sunday, 7/17 and Monday, 7/18. For Chicago, no matter what your criteria are for choosing the best hotel, please keep in mind that our train departs from Union Station at 8:25 AM.

For the record, Michael and I are now booked at the Cass Hotel in Chicago (same location where many of us stayed for OTOL Windy City RailFest 2003). In Dallas, we will be staying at the Hampton Inn-West End, which is located right downtown around the corner from the West End DART LRT station.

I have ordered online and received my Chicago Transit Authority Visitors Passes, which are $5 for one day. They were received in 6 days. Still, you should do this as soon as you can to avoid having them arrive after you've left home for the fest.

The Visitors Pass ($4 for one day) for Metro St. Louis can also be ordered online, although there is a slight "convenience fee" for ordering it over the internet. The 2 passes for Michael and me cost $10 total.

The only other item we need to take care of in advance is reserving a time for the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. As a group we can save money since the National Park Service (NPS) fee has a $6 maximum. If you purchase a ticket on your own, it will cost $13. The base charge is $7, plus a $3 NPS fee, plus a $3 internet fee. Right now we have ten people who will be with the group as we visit St. Louis. Each person would pay $7 for a total of $70. The NPS fee is capped at $6 for the group, plus one $3 internet fee. That brings the total to $79. Each person would therefore be paying $7.90, a considerable savings from $13.

We need to agree on the best time of day to reserve for our group to visit the Gateway Arch during our 7 hours in town. Tickets sold in person usually sell out quickly in the mornings, and we won't be in town in the morning. So we need to reserve online and get the tickets soon. I would not recommend a time within two hours of our 2:08 PM scheduled arrival, just in case the ANN RUTLEDGE is late. We also don't want to be atop the Arch when our 9:05 PM TEXAS EAGLE departure is imminent. Our Metrolink rides and dinner can be scheduled any time around the Arch visit. I would like suggestions from you as to the best time to do the Arch, which should take about one hour. One can reserve any multiple of 10 minutes after the hour. I would suggest we do it around 5:30 or 6 PM, and then have dinner afterwards as well as complete light rail riding if we haven't before the Arch. Once we agree on a time I will place the order for tickets online and let you know (based on the number of participants) how much you owe me.

The Gateway Arch is not ADA accessible. If you have a physical handicap, or if you are claustrophobic you might not be able to ride the tram ride to the top and back. Please let me know if you are going to be in St. Louis, but are either physically unable to go up to the top of the Arch, or you don't wish to.

Once again you should be finalizing your plans for everything soon. Summertime trains do fill up fast, and by virtue of our group being aboard trains like the TEXAS EAGLE, particularly the sleeper roomettes and bedrooms, are going to eventually be sold out. Already for one of my trips I was sold a roomette in a transition sleeper. ACT SOON!!


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#2 NJCoastExp

NJCoastExp

    Member

  • Members
  • PipPip
  • 504 posts
  • Location:South Amboy, NJ

Posted 16 May 2005 - 04:33 PM

I am reserved in Coach Class on 181 :D , 29, 303 and 21, and roomettes on 22 :P and 48 :rolleyes:.

Edited by NJCoastExp, 16 May 2005 - 04:35 PM.

This is train 3267, 5:43 Long Branch express with connection to Bay Head. South Amboy is next. First and last cars are Quiet Cars. All tickets please.


#3 KevinKorell

KevinKorell

    Board Leader

  • Sr. Admin
  • PipPip
  • 82315 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lakewood, NJ
  • Interests:Making America TRAIN again!

Posted 17 May 2005 - 12:47 AM

I thought it might be fun to note our assigned sleeper rooms so we can know if we will be in the same vicinity.

For Train 21(16), Michael and I will be in Car 2120, Roomette #9.
For Train 22(19), Michael and I will be in Car 2219, Roomette #20.
For Train 48(20), Michael and I will be in Car 4810, Roomette #6.

Those in sleepers too, let me know what roomettes or bedrooms you were assigned, and how loud you snore or are told you snore when you deny it. :D


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#4 NJCoastExp

NJCoastExp

    Member

  • Members
  • PipPip
  • 504 posts
  • Location:South Amboy, NJ

Posted 17 May 2005 - 07:01 PM

For Train 22(19), I will be in Car 2219, Roomette #19. For Train 48(20), I will be in Car 4810, Roomette #5.

This is train 3267, 5:43 Long Branch express with connection to Bay Head. South Amboy is next. First and last cars are Quiet Cars. All tickets please.


#5 jis

jis

    Member

  • Global Moderator
  • PipPip
  • 1753 posts

Posted 18 May 2005 - 08:54 PM

I am in Coach Class on 95 (14), 29 (14), 303 (16) and 48 (20).

For Train 21 (16), I will be in 2120, Roomette #5
For Train 22 (19), I will be in 2219, Roomette #22

No one has told me that I snore yet, but I have dreamed that I snore :D

As for hotels, I am booked at:

Chicago: Marriott Courtyard Downtown/Magnificent Mile
165 East Ontario St.

Dallas: Hampton Inn - West End, 1015 Elm St.

Edited by jis, 18 May 2005 - 08:59 PM.


#6 jis

jis

    Member

  • Global Moderator
  • PipPip
  • 1753 posts

Posted 18 May 2005 - 09:17 PM

The Visitors Pass ($4 for one day) for Metro St. Louis can also be ordered online, although there is a slight "convenience fee" for ordering it over the internet. The 2 passes for Michael and me cost $10 total.

Slight convenience fee indeed B) $2 fee on a $4 pass :( . I think I will buy it from one of them TVMs. Have done that before, even exactly at the same station where we will board the MetroLink for our first ride.

#7 jacorbett70

jacorbett70

    Member

  • Members
  • PipPip
  • 979 posts

Posted 20 May 2005 - 09:13 PM

I am now officially in and making my reservations. Due to time constraints, I am flying back from Dallas. Thanks to the competition from Southwest, a one-way flight no longer costs an arm and a leg. From St. Louis to Dallas: Superliner Roomette Room 006 - Car 2120 John

#8 KevinKorell

KevinKorell

    Board Leader

  • Sr. Admin
  • PipPip
  • 82315 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lakewood, NJ
  • Interests:Making America TRAIN again!

Posted 20 May 2005 - 09:31 PM

John, are you going to be taking the train to Washington-Chicago-St. Louis with us as well, or flying any of those segments?


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#9 jacorbett70

jacorbett70

    Member

  • Members
  • PipPip
  • 979 posts

Posted 20 May 2005 - 10:28 PM

John, are you going to be taking the train to Washington-Chicago-St. Louis with us as well, or flying any of those segments?

View Post


Plan to either fly to St. Louis on Friday & see the Cardinals game, or if that is not possible, fly to Chicago on Friday and join you on 303. Probably the former. One of the sites is down so I can't be sure until I get back another time this weekend or on Monday.

#10 KevinKorell

KevinKorell

    Board Leader

  • Sr. Admin
  • PipPip
  • 82315 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lakewood, NJ
  • Interests:Making America TRAIN again!

Posted 26 May 2005 - 09:40 PM

I just heard from Mike Hammond, who will be travelling along with his wife Lynn on this entire trip. They are booked in coach on Train 29 CLE-CHI and on Train 48 CHI-CLE, although they may later try to upgrade both of them if they can. They will board westbound and detrain eastbound in Cleveland, which is served when most of us will be asleep.

They will be joining most of us in Business Class on Train 303 CHI-STL. On Train 21 STL-DAL they will be in car 2120, Bedroom E. On Train 22 DAL-CHI they will be in car 2230, Bedroom A.


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ





0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users