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Traveling by Train
When planning a vacation, many people treat
the journey there as they do an elevator
ride: the traveling is no more than the means
to get to a new place. But if you have never
traveled a day's distance or more by train,
then it's time for you to consider trying
one of these last relics of mid-1900 travel.
The survival of train travel in the face
of price and speed advantages of airplanes
is itself a testimony to its magic. For some,
trains trips are a necessity, since for medical
or other reasons, they cannot travel in reduced
pressure airplane cabins. For the rest of
us, particularly those for whom the journey
is an important part of the trip, it is out
of a preference for the romance and comfort
of train travel: the ability to stroll the
aisles, share drinks with new found friends,
sit down to a restaurant quality cooked meal,
sleep overnight in a private cabin, and to
see the scenery from ground level. Indeed,
whether looking up from a valley or peering
out from mid-span on a bridge, there are
many impressive and awe-inspiring vistas
that cannot be noticed -- let alone appreciated
-- at 30,000 feet.
Long distance train travel survives in two
forms: chartered and scheduled service. At
the high end, there are special chartered
luxury trains that are not unlike a small
cruise on rails. These trains run a few times
a year and schedule their arrivals and departure
around particular destinations with long
enough stops to accommodate excursions to
the attractions before reboarding and moving
on.
For everyone else, Amtrak still operates
a daily schedule of long haul trains
that
provide transcontinental service. Their
stops
are usually only long enough for discharging
and boarding new passengers. Longer
stays
usually require waiting for the next
day's
train.
Amtrak trains can be very economical or very
comfortable -- all depending on how much
you want to pay. If you want to reserve just
a seat, you can sometimes buy a ticket for
$39 one way between Chicago and New York.
On the other hand, if you'd like to travel
in style on the 20 hour or so trip, you can
purchase a ticket with a private cabin that
also includes a private toilet, all meals
onboard, and access to onboard shower facilities.
To learn more about planning your train
trip,
view the following pages:
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