16 replies to this topic

[jis]

After I left the few of you at the Metropolitan Lounge I walked over to Quincy and took an Orange Line train to Lake/State to change to Red to Grand. Went to my hotel picked up my bags from storage, and then got back to Red Grand. Found all the elevators so did not have to lug my bags down stairs. Transferred at Jackson to Blue involving lugging bags down and then up stairs. I am left wondering whether it might be better to do the transfer on the surface at Jackson if one has a bunch of luggage, since both the Red and Blue stations are handicapped accessible from the surface, but the connecting pedestrian tunnel is not.

 

Got to O'Hare many hours before my flight to Orlando scheduled for 6:30pm. While getting my boarding pass discovered that I had been upgraded. Breezed through TSA-Pre and settled down at my favorite seat in the Concourse C United Club sitting right between a 777 on one side and a 747-400 on the other until about 45 mins before flight time. Walked over to the gate and boarded the flight, which left right on time. Had a nice dinner and some wine, and the usual fresh baked chocolate chip cookie. Arrived Orlando a few minutes ahead of time. Picked up car from Wally Park and drove back home.

[jebr]

After arriving back in LaSalle St. on Monday, I made a quick walk over to Union Station to catch the 4:58 PM NCS back up to O'Hare. I made it in plenty of time and had time to grab a beverage for the ride up to O'Hare Transfer. Trip was fast, quiet, and easy, a sharp contrast from a Blue Line run to O'Hare.

 

After making it to O'Hare transfer and the related transfers to get to Terminal 3, I found a 35-or-so minute long security line waiting for me. Lots of people traveling this weekend. Still had plenty of time to make it through security and get some food. I went to the Dunkin' Donuts, but their sandwich machine was not working, so decided to get a Chicago dog at Gold Coast Dogs near my gate instead. My flight ended up being about 45 minutes late leaving (left about 8:30 on a 7:40 scheduled departure) and arrived about 30 minutes late (9:35, scheduled arrival 9:05.) I did pay extra for the big front seat, and so the seat was very comfortable for the short flight back to MSP. My girlfriend then picked me up at the airport and drove back to her place and then I drove home, arriving back home at about midnight.

 

Overall a fun fest, and hope to be able to do one again soon!

[pennyk]

The Silver Meteor arrived in Winter Park a few minutes early and my ride was waiting for me.

 

I am home now.  Again, thanks to Kevin, Steve and everyone else that made this fest a most enjoyable experience.

[KevinKorell]

Currently on Amtrak Thruway connection 8422 St. Louis to Nashville. No first class riding here by any means.  So far most scenic was crossing the Ohio River, west of Paducah, KY.  Trip subject to freeway construction lane closures, which is akin to trackwork..  Wifi very spotty here, first I've had it since leaving St. Louis area.  Should be within a couple hours of Nashville.

[KevinKorell]

After  traffic jams in Illinois and close to Nashville, and the driver seemingly getting lost finding the bus station in Clarksville, my Thruway coach (Greyhound bus) arrived into Nashville over an hour late.  Had dinner with friends from work.  Tomorrow I will tour the city, and then in the evening the Friday-only round trip to Lebanon (Tennessee that is) and back. 

[KevinKorell]

My full day in Nashville is complete.  Took the evening Music City Star round trip. I knew this, but confirmed in person that they use hand-me-down Gallery cars from Chicago's Metra.   Nice trip east from the city to Lebanon. Outbound lost about a minute at each station, so that we got to Lebanon 3 minutes late with a 5-minute scheduled turnaround.  The train did leave on time, so kudos to them for the crew reversing operations so quick.  Again inbound they lost a minute or two between each station, but with padding we were only 1 minute late into Nashville.

 

The only other train-related thing I did today in my travels throughout the downtown area was to visit Union Station, now an Autograph Collection hotel.  I saw how the train station was converted into a hotel.  Behind the hotel's check-in desk is a board showing all the trains that used to stop there in the heyday of the station.  Now just CSX freights pass by on this former Louisville & Nashville Railroad line. 

[KevinKorell]

I am finally home.   Took Megabus Nashville to Atlanta on Saturday morning, getting there an hour late due to traffic jams  (mostly around Chattanooga and a bit in Atlanta too). My 3 hours in Atlanta (which went back to 4 with the late departure) still allowed me enough time to have a bite to eat, ride the complete Atlanta Streetcar circuit, and get myself up to the Amtrak station in preparation for taking the Crescent home.

 

My ride on the Crescent was excellent!   My attendant David was waiting at the door for me, as I was his only Atlanta boarding. He took my suitcase for me to my roomette, and even stashed it in my favorite spot, the space above the hallway.  He also informed me that I was entitled to dinner, but that the diner was running very hot with malfunctioning air conditioning.  I broke my late night eating rule because the previous pizza I'd had in Atlanta at 5:30 PM had been my first meal of the day.  I had the choice of getting something from the café car, or eating in my room.  David went and got me the menu, took my order, and brought my food within 10 minutes.  He was superb.  Then he kept checking back with me for a good time to put the bed down, which I finally chose to do around 10:30 so HE could go to bed ---- I stayed up late to digest.

 

In the morning, I got up around the usual breakfast "first call" time, and went to see if the diner had cooled down overnight.  It wasn't bad, so I was seated at one of many empty tables and had my scrambled eggs & sausage.  Afterwards, David came to put my bed up, so I could ride the rest of the trip on Daytime mode.  At the end, he brought 2 of my 3 bags from the room right to the platform.  That was how service can and should be!

 

Crescent was about an hour late leaving Atlanta, and gained a few back here and there overnight --- only to lose some time sitting by the Pentagon due to trackwork in the vicinity of the Potomac River bridge.  We also dwelled a long time in Washington even after the engine was changed, and that was due to Mechanical working on the hot diner problem.  They got it resolved, and we continued onward over an hour late. However because we were late, I got to have one more meal, lunch, in a now very comfortable dining car that was nice and cool.  The late train caused me a tight 12-minute connection with my intended NJT train to Cherry Hill, but I made it without having to run.

 

My completed personal itinerary , of which the MWRF was a subset.