The Journey starts

September 7-8, 2012

I wake up my usual time, get dressed in the clothes I laid out the night before. I pack up a couple things I couldn’t till now, namely my cell phone charger cable, and I leave to head towards the train station.

That is this years luggage. My new piece. It is smaller then what I usually take, so I added the roll bag on top. And my backpack of electronics. Which do you think weighs the most?? It comes with a water bottle J

Unlike last year, I use the train station near my home, which means taking my luggage up a couple of flights of stairs, but I make it to the train platform, and I see the train approaching in a couple of minutes.

The train is empty as it should be considering its just a couple of stops from the start of its trip, its just after 8 am.

The first problem I see with my new 4 wheeled luggage, every time the train moves, it does too. So while I am trying to read my cell phone and such, I am also keeping one hand on my luggage so it doesn’t move and hit someone. I board the F train at Neptune Ave station, and take it all the way to 34 st/6^th ave in Manhattan, walk one block to 7^th Ave, New York Penn station.

I took the escalator down to the Acela Lounge

When I booked the train portion of the trip over the phone, they send you a email with a bar code on it, that you then exchange for a e-ticket at the station. So I hand the Amtrak Club Acela attendant my email, she scans the bar code and prints out the e-ticket. This E-ticket has both the round trip information on it, so I will need it to go back home.

Its 9:16 am. Have a little less then two hours before my train leaves. It is scheduled to leave about 11 am, but they usually let you board about 10:30, so I figure I really have a little over an hour to wait.

While waiting I have some fountain orange soda and pound cake

Not too many snacks, no juices. They should be restocking I hope.

Some more photos of Club Acela.

They do place more items, more juices, so I have a Apple Juice while waiting.

About 10:30, they make a announcement that all riders on the Silver Star should get together at the entrance to the lounge, as we will be escorted down to the waiting train. We (sleeper, first class passengers) will be boarding before coach does.

I chat with the Amtrak attendant who is turning on the escalator for us, I tell him the same bad joke from the Honeymooners, Ralph and Ed are forced to take their wives to the Raccoon vacation via train. While they are on the train, they don’t see their wives, thinking they missed the train, only to find out, they are on the wrong train. I always have this fear of getting on the wrong train. He laughs.

Once we get down to the platform, there is only one train in the station, The Silver Star. I am in Bedroom B in car 9110. The 91 is the train number for the Silver Star. Car 10 means I am the closest car to the dining car. But I am the other end of the car from the dining car.

It is now 10:44, about 15 minutes till first movement. Once we leave the darkness of the train station, we will go to a open area, see daylight, then go under a building to enter the trans-Hudson tunnel, before emerging back to daylight in New Jersey.

Like I mentioned previously, I am traveling for the first time in a bedroom. I usually travel in a roomette. But I am using Amtrak Visa Reward points, so this is a free trip. Here are some photos of the bedroom. The first photo is taken from the doorway.

The bench on the left side, the bottom slides out more to make a bed, so you don’t fall off the side. The bench itself, I can lay down and stretch in. Halfway folded by the upper windows is the upper bunk, where I will probably sleep.

To the left side of the window you see in the above photo is a foldaway chair

Opposite the chair is the small combo bathroom/shower area

not pictured is the drain on the floor. You are supposed to take a shower with the door closed, and the water drains to the floor.

Here is a photo of the other end of the bench seat looking towards the entrance to the bedroom.

on the right side of the photo is a storage area for hanging items.

In the following photo, looking up at the upper bunk folded up, the lever you see is the one you use to lower it flat

11:02 am, right on time, you can’t feel the train’s movement, you can see it as the platform moves out the window.

11:55, we are pulling in to Trenton NJ, last stop before we cross over to Pennsylvania.

Its after 12 pm, so I head to the dining car for lunch. I have my usual cheeseburger while we stop 30^th street station in Philadelphia, PA. This is one of the older dining cars. I take my electronics backpack with me to the dining car, don’t like to leave it in the bedroom unattended. I usually place the backpack under the table with me, but cant in these older cars. So I leave it on a table that isn’t being used. I think the train is mostly empty, as they don’t mind where we sit.

If you look carefully on the cheeseburger, I added ketchup and mayo to it. And the combination dripped onto my shirt when I went to bite the sandwich. Lets go back to last year. For last years trip, on a impulse buy at my local supermarket, I bought a Tide stain removal stick, but forgot to pack it for last year. This year, I found the package, and placed the stick in my luggage. So I remembered what I had, and tried to use it. There were no instructions on the stick, probably was on the package which I didn’t pack. So I tried to rub the tip on the stain, nothing happened. I then pressed the tip a little harder… and the tip went into the stick and released a liquid J so that is how it works J

So I rubbed the stain removal liquid into the stain, and I thought it would magically remove the stain before my eyes. It diluted the stain, didn’t remove it. Oh well. So much for this.

After lunch, I setup my electronics, my laptop for emails and my dvd player to watch The Big Valley.

If you look hard enough, that is Spaceship Earth wall paper on my laptop, and that is my GPS mounted to the window to help me keep track of where we are.

Here is another photo of the sink in my room.

The outlet in the bedroom is right by the entrance, I wasn’t sure I would be able to plug my electronics, I didn’t expect it to be that far between power outlet and the fold out table by the window. Pictured on the table is my Virgin Mobile mifi card. Also my DVD player is on top of the towels. On the right side of the photo is the door to the combo bathroom shower room.

Its now 2:30 pm, we are pulling into Washington DC, where we will be for a while, which we switch from electric locomotive to diesel powered locomotives for the rest of the trip. Only the Northeast corridor, from Washington DC to Boston have the overhead wiring in place.

We are now pulling out of Washington DC, its just after 3 pm.

I am watching more of The Big Valley on DVD, till dinner time. I have a 5 pm reservation in the dining car.

We start off with a salad,

yes, hidden mickey done on purpose with the cucumber and baby tomato which I don’t eat. I use Paul Newmans salad dressing of Two thousand island dressing. And for my entrée, Flatiron Steak with mashed potatos.

and for dessert….

Orange Cheese cake.

After dinner, watch more episodes of The Big Valley, its 6:40 pm, and the GPS is saying we are in Garysburg North Carolina.

Its now 7:15 pm, we are entering Rocky Mount, North Carolina. I take a short video and upload it, a first while on board the train.

Towards the end of the video, you see that old passenger car? Here is a link to its history.

http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=46159

I always remember traveling through this town in all my trips. Seeing all those stores closed.

8:30 pm Raleigh, North Carolina

The sleeping car attendant sets up the bed, the upper bunk. By the door, there is a cubby hole where there is a ladder that you setup to climb onto the upper bunk, here is a photo

10:35 pm Southern Pines, North Carolina

I usually fall asleep after stopping in Columbia SC, but feel asleep around Camden SC.

The train is shaking a bit, there is a common door between bedrooms that is making some noise, think it woke me up. I don’t remember it before going to sleep.

We are due into Savannah, GA at 4:27 am. Imagine boarding a train that time of the morning??

According to my watch, it has been 17 hours, 6 minutes since I felt the first movement of the train out of NY penn.

About 2 ,and a 1/2 hrs till they serve breakfast.

I hardly do get a good nights sleep this part of the trip. I will lay down and close my eyes till sun rise.

I do have internet signal, this is usual dark territory, no cell service till crossing over to Florida, but then again, usually asleep anyhow

Its 6:45am and we are in Jacksonville. I get dressed, pack up my electronics and head to the dining car.

I get the usual Cheese omelet, head back to the bedroom, and count down stops till Orlando.

I ask the dining car attendant, and the train is light. I guess its nice to leave new york on a Friday as opposed to Saturday

While eating, I asked the dining car how we are doing on time, he thinks we are going to be early. But I understood there is construction ahead of us, so that will slow us down. Palatka, Deland, and Winterpark stand between me and Orlando.

I tried the shower.; Even though they provide soap, no shampoo... not even realpoo. Interesting experience, I did have hot water, but no water pressure like I get at home, which I guess is like on board cruise ships.

About 2 and 1/2 hrs to go

I start counting down the stations, first comes Deland……. 9:09 am

Then comes Winter Park at 9:59 am. I pack up my electronics and prepare to disembark the train at the next station… Orlando

Between Winterpark and Orlando is Church Street Station, a tourist hangout, not a active station. Since I have been going to Disneyworld via Amtrak, I always enjoyed looking at the preserved Steam train with passenger cars parked here. Earlier this year, they moved the train because they needed the space for the new Sunrail commuter line they are building. Its sad to not see it.

10:39 am…. Hello Or Lan Do J

From the train’s first movement in Penn Station till we stopped in Orlando was 23 hrs, 36 minutes. I met Bob from Sunray at the parking lot, and I am on my way to Pop Century.