apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

i take amtrak very often from nyc to dc for family and business - and i love it! sometimes there are problems, but usually it's just a-ok. a good book, magazine, ipod, or even watching someone else's laptop as they watch a dvd... ;)

it's pretty chill, but of course the last two times i had people right behind me talking on their cells the ENTIRE 3 hours...and so loud and such horrible topics... my ipod volume was so jacked up i gave myself a headache ;)

i sort of like riding amtrak, but i had a terrible experience when they decided not to warn anyone on my train that scheduled track maintenance/construction would turn a 4-hour trip into a 9-hour trip (no kidding). my cell phone died and i couldn't contact the person picking me up, i didn't have enough cash for the stupid snack bar, they didn't offer any apologies or ETAs, and wouldn't let us off to find other transportation because surprise! we were going through an air force base. ughhhhhhhhhh. and their quasi-governmental status allows them to suck just about as much as they feel like. so, i guess i like trains but not amtrak.

Oh yes. The DART in Dallas is expanding and I take it as frequently as possible. I've contacted Amtrak about expanding their passenger rail...

the people who need to be convinced? The government. It's downright shameful what they've done to the rail industry.

YES! I Love love love trains! I am shocked, however, that your train on Amtrak was on time. I've taken the Boston to Springfield route several times, and each time the train was either 2 hours late in arriving or 2 hours late in leaving. And its a one hour trip! I guess I should amend my statement.
I love love love European trains!
francefranceunderpants.blogspot.com to read about my love affair with trains...

After many years of reading Paul Theroux's books, I am dying to spend the night in the sleeper compartment.

Preferably somewhere exotic, of course.

I too enjoy taking Amtrak from NYC when visiting family in MA, its a great ride that runs along the ocean and is very soothing. A note though on the route you chose, Providence to Boston, it is also serviced many times a day by the MBTA, they make a couple of more stops then Amtrak en route to Boston but the price is half as much. Happy travels!

I took Amtrak from DC to Kansas City when the price of plane tickets jumped to about twice that of a train ticket. If you're not high maintenance and can just go with the flow, the train is totally the way to go. Sure, your train will always be late, but if you just plan ahead (like, a 12 hour buffer... no kidding) you'll be fine. The first time you do it might be a little rough, until you figure out exactly what you need to bring and how to pack it for the train (it's different than packing for a plane ride). And no, it's definitely as convenient as getting to your destination in 2 hours as opposed to a day and a half, but it was way more relaxing, much much cheaper and I hear it's better for the environment. (Not totally sure on that one, but if anyone has any info, I'd really appreciate it!) I understand that sometimes it just won't work for certain people or certain circumstances, but I will always try to look for train tickets before resorting to the plane.

I took the train from Philly to Albany and loved it. It cost a third of what it would have to fly and ended up taking less time since I didn't have to show up early to get through security. I was also take on whatever size and amount of luggage that I needed to. The train was on time and very scenic. I loved it. It's not quite the system they have in Europe but it's pretty good.