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Train Pricing Oddities
May. 9th, 2021 12:30 pmWe're getting almost confident enough to start booking our travel to DisCon III in DC this December. Our currently plan has us driving to the Bay Area (partially because there's no long-term parking available at the Reno Amtrak station, and partially because the portion of the trip through the Sierra is among the best parts), then taking the California Zephyr to Chicago, spending one night there (because we do not trust the connection), then the Cardinal to DC, spending ten nights there (including the five days of Worldcon, of course) before taking the Crescent to New Orleans, where we will stay four nights (IHG points, with a stay four nights for the price of three offer; possibly the last time my Spire level membership will work) before taking the Sunset Limited to Los Angeles and the Coast Starlight back up to the Bay Area.
One challenge of this is where to keep the minivan during the trip. It would be helpful if any of our friends in the Bay Area have a place where we could park the van with them during our trip. While we need to start at Emeryville, it's okay to stash the car in the South Bay if possible, as long as whoever is willing to keep it for me can shuttle us back and forth to San Jose's Amtrak station. (We're planning spending the previous night at the Hilton Garden Inn where I can use some Hilton points I have before they expire, so we'd probably go first to the hotel, unload our stuff, and then Lisa would stay in the hotel while I take the van to where it will be stored and then take the Capitol back to Oakland if necessary. I've stored the van at the Fremont station in the past, but Lisa is concerned about leaving the van there for three weeks.)
( Amtrak Points Neepery )
Once we are able to book our Worldcon hotel stay, we can start booking train trips. There are other things we may have to consider, such as the fact that we're setting ourselves to drive over the Sierra Nevada twice in winter.
One challenge of this is where to keep the minivan during the trip. It would be helpful if any of our friends in the Bay Area have a place where we could park the van with them during our trip. While we need to start at Emeryville, it's okay to stash the car in the South Bay if possible, as long as whoever is willing to keep it for me can shuttle us back and forth to San Jose's Amtrak station. (We're planning spending the previous night at the Hilton Garden Inn where I can use some Hilton points I have before they expire, so we'd probably go first to the hotel, unload our stuff, and then Lisa would stay in the hotel while I take the van to where it will be stored and then take the Capitol back to Oakland if necessary. I've stored the van at the Fremont station in the past, but Lisa is concerned about leaving the van there for three weeks.)
( Amtrak Points Neepery )
Once we are able to book our Worldcon hotel stay, we can start booking train trips. There are other things we may have to consider, such as the fact that we're setting ourselves to drive over the Sierra Nevada twice in winter.
