Amtrak Trains USA - NY - San Fran, Dissuade me / Advice?

Ste.phen

Hi all,
I'm gonna be in the states for 3 weeks in the summer, just as a lowly tourist, nothing grand planned yet really...

I'm thinking of taking the train from NY (where i'm flying into/out of) and going to San Francisco, comes to about $250 return which isnt too steep.

Anyways, i'm fully aware i'll be spending about 3 days each way wandering around a train, and sleeping in whats basically an airline seat (bedrooms are paid for per room so for just me i'd be talking an extra $1400 :P), but OTHER than that, has anyone any reasons why this is bad idea on my part?

I'm thinking it could be a lot better than flying, i'd get to see more of the country (albeit from a train window), it'd certainly make a more interesting story, and i'd get some great pictures going through the rockies, etc.

Just wondering if anyone has any advice about this "plan"? has anyone done this before, etc?

Thanks,
-Ig

RuggieBear

I Amtracked from Boston to San francisco and back again via Seattle and Minneopolis.

I would reccomend it as it is without a doubt the best way to see some of the more remote parts of the country....just outside Denver the train rises into the front range of the rockies and another highlight would be going by lake tahoe or stopping in Reno, Nevada.

On the other hand there are disadvantages:in no particular order...

1) food on board is horrifically expensive. I had a kindly christian gentlemen insist on buyng me (an Irishman!!) a steak as he had fond memories of his irish jesuit education.

2) there is no access to showers. there are good big toilets but i wasn't able to blag my way into a sleeper where the showers are. On my two week sojourn, i only spent two nights off the train (SF and Seattle)...the ultimate 5000mile whistle stop tour! This meant only two proper showers....by the time i returned to Boston, i was STINKIE!!!!

3) You could end up sitting beside the same people for days...and there little habits begin to irritate unintentionally. Although having said that i managed to have an incredably fit overly friendly dutch bird sitting beside me from Denver to SF. Woo hoo!!!

4) the trains are not perfectly reliable. It's hard to predict when the train having travelled 3000miles will actually arrive on time. I arrived into Oakland/SF 3 hours late and was very lucky to find a hostel with a bed still open at 11.00pm.

5) Not all the countryside is interesting. The central states are tedious....flat and fields and fields of maize and other equally unexciting crops!! Then there is Utah....a bloody desert with the odd cactus.

6) The fm radio often doesn't work out in the wilderness which leaves you at the mercy of the right wing christian lunatics on MW talk radio....I was so bored looking at Utah i listened to some idiot explain how the Bible proved that Bill Clinton was the spawn of Satan to Rush Limbaugh.

Anyway, don't let me put you off....i have so many highlights that i wouldn't hesitate to do it again!!!


P

ToxicPaddy

To be honest, if you're only going for 3 weeks, why waste a week on a train..

Ive found flight from NY to SF return for under €250 in July..

If there was somewhere along the way you really wanted to see, try and get a
multiple stop ticket and maybe fly from one place to the other..

Here are some site to check:

CheapFlights.com
Expedia.com

These guys seem to have a set price of $264 for New York to San Francisco any day
of the week..

AmericaWest

Look around, there are so many to choose from..

Tox

jank

rent a car and drive drive drive drive!!!

Ste.phen

jank - i dont drive, so thats a no-no

Toxic Paddy, thats the only reason i'm thinking of not going ahead with this, NY - SF flights cost about the same as the train, but save a few days, i might look into flying out and returning by train or vice versa, but i do like the train idea.
AFAIK, most flights i priced were about 250 return, with the rain costing 280, not much of a difference.

Right, i gotta work, i'll get back to this thread later

Ste.phen

Originally posted by pekelly
1) food on board is horrifically expensive.

I'm sure i'll manage, shoes are edible, right? :P

2) there is no access to showers. there are good big toilets but i wasn't able to blag my way into a sleeper where the showers are.

This wouldnt be as much of a problem as i'm planning to spend a few nights in SF, and (well, you jsut mentioned it), Reno? Whats so great about REno if you dont mind me asking?

The trains are so damn cheap i'm thinking of visiting a few places on teh west coast while i'm there.
(probably gonna fly back to NY though, dont fancy LIVING on a damn train :P)

3) You could end up sitting beside the same people for days...and there little habits begin to irritate unintentionally.

I can be just as annoying i'm sure!

4) the trains are not perfectly reliable. It's hard to predict when the train having travelled 3000miles will actually arrive on time. I arrived into Oakland/SF 3 hours late and was very lucky to find a hostel with a bed still open at 11.00pm.

Good point, i'll probably be booking everything in advance and leaving myself nice big windows to allow for delays (i';ll be on my own after all and would start to panic if i thought i was stranded)

5) Not all the countryside is interesting. The central states are tedious....flat and fields and fields of maize and other equally unexciting crops!! Then there is Utah....a bloody desert with the odd cactus.

The flip side being, of course, i've never seen a desert before

6) The fm radio often doesn't work out in the wilderness

Hmm, that could be a problem, guess i'll bring my MP3 player afterall

Anyway, don't let me put you off....i have so many highlights that i wouldn't hesitate to do it again!!!

This is the part i'm taking most on board