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Cross country by train

Marty McFly

Marty McFly

Well-Known Member
Going from SLC to Penn Station, NY this winter for new years and to party hard with UB. Leave here at 3:00 am December 28th and arrive in NYC at 6:00 pm on the 30th. My friend convinced me that we have to go by train (as opposed to paying half the price to fly there in 4 hours). I was skeptical at first but I am actually getting pretty excited for it. Has anyone done a train ride like this before? Any tips on what to expect, how to get some sleep or just pass the time would be greatly appreciated. She told me that the ride is pretty smooth, but I'm a little nervous about getting motion sickness. Any info on that?
 
I did in europe all the time but never in the US. Longest trip I ever took there was from Coburg to Berlin, across the newly opened east. It was incredibly packed with people, took 12 hours, and was hot and sweaty due to being in the later summer, and I had to stand most of the trip. Not fun.

But one in a proper passenger train, meant for long trips like that, sounds kind of fun actually. Something nostalgic about it.
 
I did Massechusetts to St. Louis once. Having a deck of cards was hepful. Although, that was before cell phone and laptop computers.
 
My uncle had always wanted to ride a train across the country until he rode one to Denver. He said it was pure hell. Cramped and uncomfortable with the bonus of body odor. They flew home rather than using their return ticket.
 
"Cramped and uncomfortable" sounds like my trip from Chicago to Davenport on the Rocket. AmTrak was a much better ride.
 
Watch out for the Death Eaters. I hear that Potter and some ginger kid enjoy the long rides together as well as the bunk. Well done, Malfoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOABQ2JRLt8
 
Marty McFly said:
Going from SLC to Penn Station, NY this winter for new years and to party hard with UB. Leave here at 3:00 am December 28th and arrive in NYC at 6:00 pm on the 30th. My friend convinced me that we have to go by train (as opposed to paying half the price to fly there in 4 hours). I was skeptical at first but I am actually getting pretty excited for it. Has anyone done a train ride like this before? Any tips on what to expect, how to get some sleep or just pass the time would be greatly appreciated. She told me that the ride is pretty smooth, but I'm a little nervous about getting motion sickness. Any info on that?
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Don't do it. Rode Amtrak to California from SLC last year. Double the pain if you don't spring for a sleeper car. If you are doing this by riding coach you will be a raving lunatic by the time you get to NYC.


Did I read this correctly in that it is cheaper to fly?
 
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The Pearl said:
Don't do it. Rode Amtrak to California from SLC last year. Double the pain if you don't spring for a sleeper car. If you are doing this by riding coach you will be a raving lunatic by the time you get to NYC.


Did I read this correctly in that it is cheaper to fly?
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It is way cheaper to fly. 250 bones for the train, $149 for a flight through JetBlue. We are flying back, but the person I'm going with will only go if we take the train there. So I figure even if it sucks, I'll be able to say I did it.
 
Marty McFly said:
It is way cheaper to fly. 250 bones for the train, $149 for a flight through JetBlue. We are flying back, but the person I'm going with will only go if we take the train there. So I figure even if it sucks, I'll be able to say I did it.
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I feel like I should drop some kind of sexual innuendo here but don't really feel up to it.
 
Amtrak takes forever, but it is pleasant enough.

To put it another way it took me something like 15-16 hours to get from Denver to SLC on Amtrak...I could have driven there and back in the same time. You'll notice a lot of stops for 20 minutes or so because Amtrak leases the rails from other railroads, and those other trains have the right of way so they get to go while the train your on stops.
 
Nate505 said:
Amtrak takes forever, but it is pleasant enough.

To put it another way it took me something like 15-16 hours to get from Denver to SLC on Amtrak...I could have driven there and back in the same time. You'll notice a lot of stops for 20 minutes or so because Amtrak leases the rails from other railroads, and those other trains have the right of way so they get to go while the train your on stops.
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Yeah, about 34 hours to Chicago then another 20 to NYC. Gonna be a long ride but should be lots of nice scenery.
 
Duck Rodgers said:
I'd probably even rather jump on the Greyhound than take the train.
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This would be my choice, too. I haven't done a bus trip in a long time, but the bus gives you the scenery and about three stops a day for a restaurant meal somewhere.

If the toilet in the back of the bus is clean, that is.

But I've carried a hankering to just ride the train all the way across the country someday. I bet a private company could work out a way to do that better than Amtrak.
 
For scenery make sure you're awake when the train is going thru Glenwood Canyon in Colorado...it's spectacular and the train goes thru an area that most people don't see. I saw 4 bald eagles hanging out by the Colorado River on the trip to SLC there.
 
Hell nah to the sleeper car. Couldn't afford that ****. And thanks for the scenery tip - I'll be sure to check it out.
 
babe said:
But I've carried a hankering to just ride the train all the way across the country someday. I bet a private company could work out a way to do that better than Amtrak.
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The privte companies that used to do that failed. That's why we have AmTrak to begin with.
 
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