kevin_standlee | Advance Planning

We're taking the train to Chicon 7 next August, and using the pile of Amtrak Guest Rewards points to buy bedrooms out and back. Because sleepers book up way in advance, particularly on one leg of the trip we're taking when there is only one through sleeper (and thus only five bedrooms), I booked the trip now, only a few days after the trains went on sale. (You can only book 11 months in advance. Contrast this with Japan, where you can only book sleepers a month in advance, and must do so in person at a station.)

You can't book AGR sleeper travel online; you have to call and speak to an agent, which I did this morning. We're going out on the California Zephyr and back on the Texas Eagle, the return trip of which has the most nights on board of any Amtrak train.

Because there is no long-term parking at Reno's Amtrak station and we haven't yet determined whether there is any way to arrange for some sort of "stay-park-ride" at one of the many nearby hotels, we're actually going to start the trip back in the Bay Area, driving to Fremont and parking there, then taking the Capitol up to Emeryville the night before the main trip starts and staying at the Hilton Garden Inn on Hilton points. That hotel is walking distance from the Emeryville Amtrak station, and now that we know that they serve breakfast to the sleeping car passengers upon the 9 AM departure, we won't have to get up extra early to get breakfast before checking out and walking to the station.

AMT 6 California Zephyr
Lv EMY 9:10 AM Sunday, August 26
Ar CHI 2:50 PM Tuesday, August 28

On the afternoon of the day we leave, about an hour out of Reno, we'll be watching out for the house as we pass through Fernley. I'll have my birthday on board as we pass through the Rockies on August 27. This will be our second trip on the Zephyr, but the first time we'll get to see the Colorado River canyon, as on the Montreal trip the train was diverted on the northern "I-80" route, which had a different set of scenery.

We'll have one full day in Chicago before Worldcon starts. We haven't decided what to do that day yet. There are, of course, many options. We might go riding on the Chico Metra system while taking pictures again to see if another officious conductor thinks Photography Is Illegal,

Having decided to come back on the Texas Eagle, we were somewhat limited on departure options. The through sleeper on that train that is swapped into the Sunset Limited at San Antonio continuing on to Los Angeles is only on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday departures. (The Texas Eagle is daily, but the connecting Sunset Limited is only three days/week.) Fortunately, the train leaves in the early afternoon, and Union Station isn't far from the hotel, so leaving the morning after the last day of Worldcon won't be so bad.

AMT 421 Texas Eagle
Lv CHI 1:45 PM Tuesday, September 4
Ar SAT 9:55 PM Wednesday, September 5
Lv SAT 5:40 AM Thursday, September 6
Ar LAX 8:30 AM Friday, September 7

So we'll be going to San Antonio, site of the following year's Worldcon, immediately after Chicon 7. This is a through sleeping car, which means that at San Antonio it gets switched out of the train from Chicago and is attached to the train from New Orleans that arrives in the wee hours of the morning. In theory, passengers are allowed to visit San Antonio during the eight hours the car is parked there, but the timing is such that it's probably not worth it.

We currently are planning on spending a couple of nights at Los Angeles (using points at Holiday Inn) before taking the Coast Starlight up to San Jose. That's a day trip, so we'll buy regular coach seats later. (Using points to buy coach seats is silly, thanks to the structure of AGR's point-redemption system.) Then we'll stay at San Jose for the night (points again, either at the Crowne Plaza or Hilton), and the next morning I'll catch a morning Capitol up to Fremont, collect my van, drive back to San Jose to get Lisa and the luggage, and we'll drive back to Fernley.

I still have to book the hotel nights using points from Holiday Inn and Hilton, but those are a bit less constrained than the train nights. Because we're starting the trip at a staffed station, we can wait to pick up the tickets until the day of travel (probably the night before, when we get to Emeryville), and that's good because if we have to make any changes, we won't have to send the tickets back; also, we don't have to worry about losing the tickets over the next year, which was a real concern of mine on the Montreal trip. I'm glad to get that booking out of the way.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Don'ts yous means "we's" goings? is nots bears ands lisas goings tos?

I only made that mistake in the first paragraph, and I've changed it now. Bears travel for free with Lisas and me. But Bears will have to behave and not go bouncing all over the bedroom.

I'll probably have to be in Chicago too early to make it practical to take the train.

But I'm still hoping that I can talk Tara and the Budget into letting us take the train up to Seattle or back from Seattle (but probably not both - at least Southwest doesn't charge more for one-way than round-trip). Since we're not making the decision or purchase now, I'll just have to hope that a sleeper is available.

While I've thrice taken the Southwest Chief between Chicago and Albuquerque (two times west, once east - another story) without a sleeper, I'm a bit older now and I think Tara is even less up to sleeping without something resembling a bed. And we won't have time to recover before we have to start working (on either end)

The thing about sleeper travel is that it's expensive, although you also have to compare it against the cost of hotels and meals along the way since sleepers include meals and sleeping space (and showers). The tickets I just bought for 60K Amtrak points would have cost $2,679 if purchased for cash. I've been working the system on earning points; some of that 60K, for instance, comes from having obtained an Amtrak Guest Rewards credit card and taking advantage of other promotional offers. Also, I can move points from one of my other cards into Amtrak's system. The AGR points are heavily weighted toward points being more valuable for sleepers than for coach travel. Note, by the way, that a Coast Starlight trip is entirely within a single Amtrak zone, and thus takes fewer points than (say) a trip to Chicago or farther east.

I've made note of your schedule. I'm not 100% certain if we will be taking the Zephyr, or which day we might be going, but if we're on the same train I'll let you know. I don't have enough points for a sleeper, alas, but can probably get there and back again on coach.

I don't think this page was on the Chicago Metra web site the last time you rode it:
http://metrarail.com/metra/en/home/utility_landing/riding_metra/rail_safety_security/emergency_preparedness_public_awareness.html

... but at least it now says, "For safety and security reasons, photography or videography on Metra property is only permitted in areas that are clearly open to public use." Not a ringing endorsement of photography, but better than nothing. I'd recommend keeping a printout of the page with you if you decide to ride the Metra with a camera.

-- J. Kreitzer

That looks useful. And they go on to define "open to public use" in a way that doesn't declare the platforms to be "not public," which is what I think that Metra conductor was thinking, in that it wasn't public if you had to have a ticket to be there.

Good to know. I've been thing about if spokane makes the bid. I'd rather take the train the drive over from the seattle area. I drove to a concert at the Gorge in George, Wa once. Felt car sick both ways.

I'd love to also, from Portland. (As a big enthusiast for the Spokane bid, I forsee a lot of explaining to people if it wins how a train route can have three endpoints.) But the SO is all excited about the possibility of being able to drive to a Worldcon, especially since we could then drive to the local short-track to catch some auto racing.

The "through sleeper" is new to me. Then again, I've never been on that route.

My household is hoping to go to the San Antonio by train (from Portland), via Chicago one way and via LA the other, but we haven't decided in which order yet.

The through sleeper on the Texas Eagle is pretty much unique within Amtrak now, although such things used to be quite common.

There are also two trains that split/join en route, and one of them is the train your household will use Portland-Chicago: the Empire Builder is two separate trains running Portland/Seattle-Spokane, where they join the pieces together and continue on the Chicago. (The other multi-section train is the Lake Shore Limited between Chicago and New York City/Boston.)

For the Chicago-SAT leg, of course, you don't have to worry about through cars since you're breaking your journey at San Antonio anyway.

I hope you enjoy the trip! I'm thinking of driving to San Antonio, actually. Lisa is very reluctant to fly, and it's increasingly difficult for her to do so with her tinnitus.

okay, I will have to get a conversatyion started as to a group of us going to & From Chicon. We will be on the Empire Builder - Grand Forks/Chicon/ Return. Just need to pick the days.

John M

*sigh* Time to Spend Money. We need to get tickets for Chicago and Seattle. Daddy decided we can go to both, but he doesn't like flying, and both are on the far side of his comfortable driving range. Yes, we could drive them, no he would not be happy if we did.

So I have permission to Book Train Trips. I should go get that started tonight. Chicago Plans are Zephyr out; Empire Builder/Coast Starlight home.

Westercon is a straight Coast Starlight trip.

Hopefully Big Harold won't get sick this time. :(

Advance Planning

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

trains plains and auto mobiles.

Re: trains plains and auto mobiles.

no subject

no subject

Trains

no subject