Training the East Coast
May 9, 2010 | Uncategorized
Ever since I was seriously bitten by the Eurail bug years ago, I’ve traveled a lot by train all over Europe, which is why I’ve always wanted to travel by train in the U.S. You know, a nice long-distance journey with sleeper car, dining room, the works.
I was realistic though, since I knew I couldn’t compare the civility of European train travel with the hustle and bustle of our American system, the sidings of Newark with the Gare de Lyon, the woods and swamps of the Carolinas with the majesty of the Alps. But I always told myself, some day I was going to take the leap into civility on this side of the Atlantic.
Last week I took it. Traveling from New York to Miami my wife and I decided that instead of flying we’d take a 27-hour Amtrak odyssey — sleeper car, dining room, the works — and I hit Amtrak’s website with a fervor, booking a Viewliner Roomette on the Silver Meteor.
A few days later we and our dreams headed down to Penn Station. Unfortunately, due to an extended stay in NYC we were also laden down with a unwieldy load of luggage which, halfway across the station, I conservatively estimated to weigh about 32 tons.
While our Roomette looked roomy in Amtrak’s online rendition (you can take the virtual tour by clicking here) when our luggage was put into our 4′ x 7′ compartment things became a bit tight. We had stuff everywhere — hanging on the walls, crammed in the overhead compartment, even on the little toilet next to my seat. I remember hoping I didn’t have to use the loo at 3:00am.
Each car has an attendant to take care of the passengers and ours was Reggie. He was the epitome of Amtrak optimism and, as I soon discovered, Amtrak understatement as well.
Rolling through the Carolinas he mentioned that some of the track ahead — leased from other railroads — was not maintained by those other companies as it should be. “After all,” he told us, “freight doesn’t care about comfort.”
Later that evening, after climbing into the top bunk (”those hanging straps are attached so you don’t roll out,” Reggie told me as he lowered the bunk which was squished up against the ceiling), I had’t closed my eyes for three minutes when the train started swaying from side to side. The movement, of course, was greatly accentuated by my being about 10 feet off the ground.
Every half-hour or so throughout the night I was then rolled back and forth like some giant hot dog on a greased grill, bouncing off the wall before rolling back into the straps to be readied for launching once again.
Morning couldn’t have come sooner and since the cost of the Roomette included all food, I headed to the dining car to join other passengers, most of who turned out to be Brits on tour following a cruise to New York. All of us were surprised at the quality of the food which, despite the problems the chef must encounter cooking on a carnival ride, was fairly good.
You can see a snippet of the trip by clicking on The Two Minute Train Ride (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuE7RLYFTXk) or on the video above.
Mentally comparing the Amtrak and European train experiences, I assumed these British and Scot travelers would be upset by the cramped accommodations and sometimes uncomfortable ride. To my amazement it was just the opposite — all of them looked upon it as a great adventure.
Which now, four days later, I do also.
Jim Ferri
