4 ms·

Its always interesting to me to see people's reactions when moving from poorly planned sprawling cities to some of the better planned more organically laid out

by brm 16y ago

Its always interesting to me to see people's reactions when moving from poorly planned sprawling cities to some of the better planned more organically laid out cities in the US (DC, NY, Chicago, Portland, SF, etc) your quality of life changes drastically when you get to leave the car behind and walk around or just hop on efficient public transit and go anywhere you want. I'm moving from the east coast to Seattle this week and I'm most excited about the idea of crossing a continent. Its amazing how our mind can underestimate the size of the US and how few and far between chances to take a true cross country road trip are.

yellowbkpk 16y ago
I could not agree more. I've taken Amtrak's Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle and Portland several times and each time the size of the US was simply awesome. I highly recommend doing it. In the fall and winter the cross country ticket is $170 each way and if you upgrade to a roomette, $300 each way (meals included). Sitting for a dinner chat with a different group for 3 nights in a row + staring out the window at Glacier National Park is definitely worth the cost.
- asmithmd1 16y ago
  You can thank me for subsidizing that low cost with my Boston - NYC trips which cost well over $100 each way. Often you can fly from Boston to LaGuardia for less than the train. High fares on the east coast routes subsidize those cheap cross country "named" trains. Pro tip: Never buy a ticket on a named train i.e. "Empire Builder", "Vermonter" when just trying to get between cities - they are frequently many hours late. Oh, and that Verizon wireless commercial that shows a guy spotting a good looking girl already on a train and he quickly changes his ticket using his smart phone; that can't be done, not even with a voice call. To change an Amtrak ticket you have to physically take the ticket to a ticket window. Just about every time I take Amtrak I get pissed-off by the high cost and indifferent service.
  - yellowbkpk 16y ago
    > You can thank me for subsidizing that low cost with my Boston - NYC trips which cost well over $100 each way. Often you can fly from Boston to LaGuardia for less than the train. High fares on the east coast routes subsidize those cheap cross country "named" trains. Thanks, but federal and state tax dollars are also a major subsidy source (especially on the Empire Builder which is one of the main sources of tourists for Idaho/Wyoming/etc.). > Pro tip: Never buy a ticket on a named train i.e. "Empire Builder", "Vermonter" when just trying to get between cities - they are frequently many hours late. You're right, but they've been getting better. Especially since winter, when the weather wreaked havoc on the system. See http://www.trainweb.org/capt/AmtrakMapsForward.html http://www.trainweb.org/capt/AmtrakMapsForward.html for "real time" calculated location of the trains and how late they are. > Oh, and that Verizon wireless commercial that shows a guy spotting a good looking girl already on a train and he quickly changes his ticket using his smart phone; that can't be done, not even with a voice call. To change an Amtrak ticket you have to physically take the ticket to a ticket window. I've changed tickets several times over the phone and online. They ask you to go to the counter to verify ID, but if you swipe your card at the FasTrak station you can get the new ticket printed just fine. > Just about every time I take Amtrak I get pissed-off by the high cost and indifferent service. I've had the exact opposite experience. On the Empire Builder, the staff is always courteous (even to unruly passengers) and is genuinely interested in the wellbeing of the passengers. I've made friends with some of the workers at the smaller Amtrak stations along the EB route -- they make for great conversation when you're waiting for the train.

by brm 16y ago

yellowbkpk 16y ago

I could not agree more. I've taken Amtrak's Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle and Portland several times and each time the size of the US was simply awesome. I highly recommend doing it. In the fall and winter the cross country ticket is $170 each way and if you upgrade to a roomette, $300 each way (meals included). Sitting for a dinner chat with a different group for 3 nights in a row + staring out the window at Glacier National Park is definitely worth the cost.

asmithmd1 16y ago
You can thank me for subsidizing that low cost with my Boston - NYC trips which cost well over $100 each way. Often you can fly from Boston to LaGuardia for less than the train. High fares on the east coast routes subsidize those cheap cross country "named" trains. Pro tip: Never buy a ticket on a named train i.e. "Empire Builder", "Vermonter" when just trying to get between cities - they are frequently many hours late. Oh, and that Verizon wireless commercial that shows a guy spotting a good looking girl already on a train and he quickly changes his ticket using his smart phone; that can't be done, not even with a voice call. To change an Amtrak ticket you have to physically take the ticket to a ticket window. Just about every time I take Amtrak I get pissed-off by the high cost and indifferent service.
- yellowbkpk 16y ago
  > You can thank me for subsidizing that low cost with my Boston - NYC trips which cost well over $100 each way. Often you can fly from Boston to LaGuardia for less than the train. High fares on the east coast routes subsidize those cheap cross country "named" trains. Thanks, but federal and state tax dollars are also a major subsidy source (especially on the Empire Builder which is one of the main sources of tourists for Idaho/Wyoming/etc.). > Pro tip: Never buy a ticket on a named train i.e. "Empire Builder", "Vermonter" when just trying to get between cities - they are frequently many hours late. You're right, but they've been getting better. Especially since winter, when the weather wreaked havoc on the system. See http://www.trainweb.org/capt/AmtrakMapsForward.html http://www.trainweb.org/capt/AmtrakMapsForward.html for "real time" calculated location of the trains and how late they are. > Oh, and that Verizon wireless commercial that shows a guy spotting a good looking girl already on a train and he quickly changes his ticket using his smart phone; that can't be done, not even with a voice call. To change an Amtrak ticket you have to physically take the ticket to a ticket window. I've changed tickets several times over the phone and online. They ask you to go to the counter to verify ID, but if you swipe your card at the FasTrak station you can get the new ticket printed just fine. > Just about every time I take Amtrak I get pissed-off by the high cost and indifferent service. I've had the exact opposite experience. On the Empire Builder, the staff is always courteous (even to unruly passengers) and is genuinely interested in the wellbeing of the passengers. I've made friends with some of the workers at the smaller Amtrak stations along the EB route -- they make for great conversation when you're waiting for the train.