Coming to America -Advice needed .

rail pass has been brought , now the fun begins . Not the easiest of processes .
Actual tickets cannot be reserved online . I had to email Amtrak the reservations i wanted , and they will presumably reply with booking numbers if they are avaliable . the kicker is , you have to buy the pass before you make the reservations , but only limited reservations per train are avaliable to the rail pass holder . hence , if you are on a tight schedule , you dont know if the trains you want are avaliable until after you buy the pass .
Anyway here are the reservations i wanted , fingers crossed .
DECEMBER 1ST - MSP- CHI ON TRAIN 8 EMPIRE BUILDER
DECEMBER 1ST - CHI - WAS ON TRAIN 30 CAPITOL LTD
DECEMBER 3RD - WAS-CLT ON TRAIN 79 CAROLINIAN
DECEMBER 5TH - HUN-NYP ON TRAIN 50 CARDINAL
DECEMBER 6TH - NYP-PLB ON TRAIN 69 ADIRONDACK
DECEMBER 7TH - BOS-CHI ON TRAIN 449 LAKE SHORE LTD
DECEMBER 9TH - CHI--LAX ON TRAIN 3 SOUTHWEST LTD

Your itinerary isn't continuous. How do you plan to connect the dots?

Nice trip!

One word of warning about the Carolinian, I have never found Business class to be worthwhile on that train, they almost always assigning seats in BC and it is very likely you will get stuck in an aisle against your will (or even worse, at a bulkhead). I have had much better luck with seating in coach where I have never encountered assigned seats on the Carolinian. Since the train will be full leaving DC, getting to the front of the boarding line (I think a redcap might help, but I have never boarded in DC) will be the key to a decent seat. Boarding in Baltimore (thus avoiding the DC rush) is another way to ensure a good seat. While you might be tempted to walk the short distance from the Charlotte station to downtown DO NOT walk it. There will be cabs available when the train arrives, it will be about $6 for a cab downtown, I am guessing that the fare to the airport is around $20.

Also be aware that Adirondack seating can be tricky, the best views northbound from NYP to Albany are on the left side of the train. North of Albany the best views are on the right. Both sets of views are truly spectacular so its worth some seat jockeying. I think there is enough turnover on Albany that you should be able to make the switch. Redcaps in NYP are WELL WORTH the price of a tip to board the train before the masses. EDIT: Views of Lake Champlain are great, although they pale in comparison to many of your views on the South Island.

One word of warning about the Carolinian, I have never found Business class to be worthwhile on that train, they almost always assigning seats in BC and it is very likely you will get stuck in an aisle against your will (or even worse, at a bulkhead). I have had much better luck with seating in coach where I have never encountered assigned seats on the Carolinian. Since the train will be full leaving DC, getting to the front of the boarding line (I think a redcap might help, but I have never boarded in DC) will be the key to a decent seat. Boarding in Baltimore (thus avoiding the DC rush) is another way to ensure a good seat. While its not far from the Charlotte station to downtown DO NOT walk it. There will be cabs available, it will be about $6 for a cab downtown, probably around $20 to the airport.

I have actually found coach to be subject to the worst forms of sheep-dogging with whole coaches being left empty with others packed full just to make the attendant's lives a little bit easier. I have been considering going BC because it simply cannot be worse than coach. One does get a little bit of an advantage boarding coach in DC as they get first pick in the "Corridor" coaches, but I think that BC would be more flexible as you are paying for a premium seat and you can demand a seat of your choice from the attendant.

Either way I end up standing at the back where there are often a good number of free seats I can temporarily sit in if I get tired.

Jersey_Mike wrote:Your itinerary isn't continuous. How do you plan to connect the dots?

Mike , I plan to hire a car in Charlotte or greensboro , and drive up to Huntington or Charleston , through the new river gorge area . any advice would be appreciated , given i will be driving on the "wrong" side of the road , and have never driven in snow .
From Plattsburgh to Boston i plan to fly , alternative plan is to back track down to Albany to catch LSL .

Bob , thanks for that .
Do you think Greensboro would be a better bet for a overnite stay than Charlotte ?
Or some other gateway to the new river area .?
I'm looking forward to the Adirondack part of the trip . I have seen photos and videos of it , and think i will find it spectacular . But I am aware coming from New Zealand my idea of spectacular will be different from Americans . I think i will find the rustbelt areas on the lsl interesting . Plus all the entries to big cities , which we don't have .
no word from Amtrak re bookings yet , looks like i will have to wait till Tuesday our time . ( saturday afternoon here ) .

Downtown Charlotte will be better than Greensboro for an overnight, the cab ride into town is not a big deal. There will be much more activity, better food and cheaper (and nicer) hotels than you will find in downtown Greensboro. (there is only one major hotel in downtown Greensboro and it is priced ridiculously) Walking in downtown Charlotte (even after dark) is fine once you are away from the station area -- but bear in mind it is not Auckland. Greensboro may be about an hour closer to the gorge area but I think it might be tougher / more expensive to pick up a rental car from the downtown area than Charlotte. If proximity to the gorge is a first-order concern you will be better off taking the Regional (not the Crescent) to Charlottesville or Lynchburg. I do think the Carolinian has some nice scenery. If you want to only ride the train in daylight then Durham is another option for you (the Marriott is walking distance to the station) but downtown Durham can be iffy after dark if its unfamiliar.

I too am a fan of rustbelt-like landscapes -- the eastern entrance to Chicago is spectacular for that! In North Carolina you will be fighting darkness but there are some really interesting industrial landscapes on the Carolinian route in NC (west of Raleigh). Unfortunately in December most of them will be hidden by darkness when you reach Greensboro.

Thanks Bob . I'm thinking Charlotte too now . i did consider Lynchburg , but the train doesnt leave Washington till after 3 , and i'd defintly want to see some of the southern entrance to Washington in Daylite . plus i'll see charlotsville to Washington on the cardinal return , daylite permitting .
As far as i can see tryingto book a rental car online , it is only possible to pick up in one city and drop off in another if you pickup at the airport . but that seems to be quite close in Charlotte anyway .

^ yes, the Charlotte airport will be easier and cheaper to get to than airports in either Greensboro or Raleigh-Durham.

If you really want to avoid a cab there is a dedicated bus route which has limited stops (which uses articulated green buses that look very different than the other city buses) from downtown to the airport. The fare is currently $1.75 (if I remember correctly). The ride takes 24 minutes. A cab would have the benefit of dropping you off at the rental car facility, the bus will require you to transfer to the shuttle bus from the terminal. The downtown bus terminal is directly adjacent to the Aloft hotel and the Hyatt Place. Its a couple of blocks from the Holiday Inn, Omni, Double Tree and Marriott.

http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/cats ... rinter.pdf

My two cents- most of the scenery on your trip will be grey and brown in dim winter light. As far as snow goes, it's just a blanket of white under the grey and brown and 30 minutes of that will last a lifetime. I'm reminded of a Canadian song called "Rocks and Trees" wherein Canada has rocks and trees and trees and rocks, etc. I've never been to the southwest, but I bet you'll see some spectacular landscapes, and the vegetation is different.
Major caveat- I view travel solely as a means to reach a destination.

So- finally, I advise you to find books describing what is along your routes. They will give context to the bleakness and give you something to look forward to. Unhelpfully, I have no idea if anyone still publishes books like this, nevermind any titles, but you might find old, out of date travel books more interesting. Because we've got mud and trees and trees and mud and trees and abandoned mills, and sometimes snow.

NB Vermonter at Bellows Falls. From a lit railway carriage it will get dark about 4 in the northeast. I'd rather be on the outside.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48094458@N00/5072011371/

thanks joshg1 , i appreciate your honesty . I'm will aware the time of year is not ideal , daylite wise . I've pretty much seen most of the western routes , otherwise that would be the obvious way to head . I'm not so worried about the bleakness , in fact it will be a novelty to me .I know what you mean about the rocks and trees of Canada , whilst on the inside passage the captain says to us , i hope you all like christmas trees and rocks .
Good point about the car lights been on making it difficult to see out , it may be worth taking a roomette for the sections this will effect , if avaliable .

One potential problem , the empire builder (8) has been arriving into Chicago , 1 to 3 hours late in the last week . This may cause me to miss the Capitol ltd connection . What happens then ??? . Assuming i'm a coach passenger on both trains .

David Benton wrote:One potential problem , the empire builder (8) has been arriving into Chicago , 1 to 3 hours late in the last week . This may cause me to miss the Capitol ltd connection . What happens then ??? . Assuming i'm a coach passenger on both trains .

Check this thread: Question about if you missed your connecting train.

"I've pretty much seen most of the western routes , otherwise that would be the obvious way to head"

But have you seen them in winter? Since many of them will have high elevation sections with reliable snow cover by December (usually) they will look completely different than they did in summer. As much as eastern scenery can be pretty, I just don't want you to harbor any false hope about what to expect. Spring or fall are much better times to visit. December is often rather cloudy compared to say February, when there can be a greater chance of big storms but also of clear sunny weather. You can see, for example, that December is the grayest month in Pittsburgh, PA, here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh A place at a similar latitude in the west, like Reno, NV, has over twice as many sunshine hours in December. I guess you've been to New Orleans?

This map will give an an idea of average snow cover in the areas of the Eastern US that you mentioned. As others have noted, the trend in recent years has been for milder winters and less snow. Traditionally the big snowstorms on the East Coast (nor'easters) do not arrive until after January 1st...however, given the weather weirdness we've seen recently, I wouldn't rule anything out. Of course in upstate New York the lake effect snows will usually have started by early December.

Thanks dt-rt40 , thats the kind of info ive been looking for .
No I havent done the western routes in winter . I have been to New Orleans , but i havent done the CONO route , or the texas eagle . Any ideas scenery wise with these ? .
As i have stated , i have spent the bulk of my time in the USA in the west and south , would really like to see the cardinal and Aidrondack route , but the big question is , how much will i see at that time of year .
So im now 50 /50 , maybe saving the east for a longer trip in the future .
We will see what Amtrak comes back with , if any of my reservations are not possible in the east , i may look at spending the time midwest /west instead .