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[rebeccmeister]

Updates will be sporadic for the next week or so, I'm concluding.

We did make it to Minneapolis, spent every minute we could with scrottie's family, got almost all the mats out of his mom's cat's fur, and then got back on the train.

I feel like I really struck out, this time, on being able to sleep in coach. The train from Minneapolis to Seattle was much quieter than the train across New York, but my body decided it was tired of those seats and there weren't many workable alternatives.

Ah well.

One of the sponsors for this year's Seattle to Portland is the Washington State Potato Council. I am an enthusiastic supporter of this idea. Potatoes are a perfect ride food. Even better, they had potato schwag at a boot when sytharin and I went to pick up our ride packets. So I am now the proud owner of a potato fanny pack and potato neck scarf thing.

It is good to be here. Hard to be at home and getting ready for a big ride without Dad, but I know he would approve.

Comments

[missroserose]

For all that airplane seats are tiny and cramped, at least with the newer ones (I've been particularly impressed with Alaska's fleet...#homestaterepresentation) they've put a fair amount of effort into making them ergonomic and semi-comfortable. I've noticed that train seats, by contrast, don't seem to have evolved much since the 60s.

[twoeleven]

No, they havent, and a little checking confirms that you're basically right: a lot of Amtrak's cars date to the '70s... and were based on a late '60s design.

[scrottie]

I fantasize about stringing hammocks across the isle from the over-seat luggage racks.

[twoeleven]

Heh. :)

How expensive is sleeper service on Amtrak, or do they just not offer it? I've only taken Northeast Corridor trains, so I have no idea of their service elsewhere.

[scrottie]

Yup. The exclusively single-decker trains east of Chicago was kind of a surprise to me, but the double decker Superliner cars have a sleeper model. Predictably, it's two levels of sleeper rooms and roomettes.

Looking at two weeks out ALB->SEA (if we were to do that again), sleeper more than doubles the price from $606 (for two people, so $303 each) to $1224.

I don't remember the exact numbers from when we were looking, but we had been considering that for at least part of the trip.

[twoeleven]

Predictably, it's two levels of sleeper rooms and roomettes.
Given the limitation of the cars built to the Stephenson gauge, that's probably the best they can do.

sleeper more than doubles the price from $606 (for two people, so $303 each) to $1224.

O.o

Perhaps taking the train to Chicago and then flying from there would be a better solution.