America by Train
 

I have recently had a realignment of priorities. As part of this realginment, I am taking the month of July off from work. I asked my son (age 8) what he wants to do during the month. He said that he wants to travel America by train. We have no place specific to go and are certainly not on a schedule. We are thinking about taking the Amtrak train through five legs across America on Amtraks National Rail Pass. The legs are Los Angeles to New Orleans; New Orleans to Washington DC, Washington DC to Chicago; Chicago to Seattle; and Seattle back to LA with 3-day stops for tourist stuff at each leg. Why a train, because I can finally write the book that I have always wanted to write while he reads, plays Nitendo, etc. Does anybody have any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions? Will this be fun, or torture? Am I better off to keep working? :-)

You want to subject an 8 year old to reading while train is moving? It's such a strain on the eyes! Have mercy on him and his eyesight!

Same about electronic games.

Faina, I'm curious, why would reading while on a train be bad for your eyes? My gosh, thousands of people do it everyday on their daily commute.

I find train travel in this country to be unpleasant, but it might be fun with an 8-year-old child. Perhaps it would be better to eliminate Washington DC from your itinerary and to make more stops along the way. Let us know how it goes. There are probably some little towns along the way that would be fun to explore with your son.

Travel Tip: It is a far better value to eat in the dining room than to try to live on junk from the snack bar. Make reservations as soon as the opportunity is given.

SeeTheWorld, because the train is shaking and rocking, and the eyes must constantly adjust to it. It's not good for adults, but really bad for a growing up ones. My aunt was an eye doctor, she taught me that.

Sounds like fun to me. I would definitely upgrade to 1st class so that you can have a room in the sleeper car. I can imagine that travelling coach on a long trip like that wouldn't be as fun. And with a 1st class ticket, your meals are included.

I have heard that the Chicago to Emeryville route is terrific. I drove through some of that country and it was incredible.

Hi Longboardsteve, as a mother and grandmother of seven grandsons I personally feel like your little fellow will get bored and drive you to distraction. And if he isn't bored he will constantly want to talk to you about what he is seeing and experiencing You say you want to write your book. IMHO that is not going to happen.

I have done train travel with grandsons and although they have been excited and have enjoyed it there is no way I could have written letters much less a book. Children's timespan attention is limited. From my experience you will have constant interruptions of one kind or another. I do not believe your son will be constantly occupied with books, Nintendo, Game Boy etc. An eight year old saying he wants to travel America by train really has no idea what this entails.

I could be wrong, and if I am I apologize in advance but I have a feeling that you are a divorced dad that is not with your son day in and day out and consequently have no idea the time and attention children take. Or you are a dad that works such long hours that you are not home enough to know the demands that are put on the caregiving parent 24/7. And please do NOT take this as a critical statement. In no way is it meant to be. Again, I could be wrong. But unless you have an unusually mellow little guy I just do not see how your train trip will work out. I would think your son will not be happy if "dad" is writing a book and ignorning him, especially during the month that is suppose to be a special father/son bonding time which I assume is the intention.

If I were you I would "start" with a short trial run with your little fellow. Maybe LA to San Diego and back, just to give you some idea of how things will be. Just my thoughts, for what they are worth. Best wishes with whatever decision you come to.

From the time I was 2 1/2 until I was about 8 or 9 years old my mom and I took the train from Los Angeles to Detroit each year to visit my grandparents. I absolutely loved it! Now granted, this was back in the 1960's when it was common for families to travel that way (so there were always other kids on the train to play with), I loved to read, play solitaire, color, play with my Etch-A-Sketch, look out the window and was generally pretty good at entertaining myself when my mom wanted to read, nap or be quiet. Plus we always got a sleeping compartment which I'm sure made a big difference. I Can't speak for your son though and depending on his attention span, how "mellow" he is (as LoveItaly mentioned) and how good he is at entertaining himself (if no kids his age to play with on train) I don't know how much writing you'll actually get done.

As LoveItaly mentioned you should try a shorter run first to see how you both like it. But I would do an overnighter as the trial to really get a feel. Maybe the Coast Starlight to Oregon or the Southwest Chief to Albuquerque and then fly home. Some people love sleeping on trains and some can't stand it -- and better you find out before committing yourself to a month of it.

I absolutely second J_Correa's recommendation to go first class and get a compartment -- your meals are included, you get privacy, you can lie down flat in an actual bed and you won't have everyone snoring around you every night (or staying up late reading and talking while you're trying to sleep).

Hey everybody, thanks for the great advice and warnings; keep them coming. When I say write a book, I was really referring to using the trip to take notes - the conversations with my son would be the basis of the books. I would do the typing later. :-)

I have traveled probably over 5000 miles my trains of all kinds. Forget that "bad for the eyes" nonsence. I think you and your son's plan sounds like a great idea. You will love it and never forget it. What a perfect experience.

Hi Longboardsteve, ok, taking notes about conversations between you and your son. That sheds a whole different light on things. I visualized you trying to write the next "great American novel" and you gettig frustrated because of your little guys interruptions and his gettig annoyed because he didn't have your attention as he might want.

I hope that you can get this worked out as I am a true believer in the benefits of taking vacations with your children. Enriching for everyone.

BTW, you might want to think of getting him a dental checkup and maybe a medical checkup before you leave, just to make sure he is in good shape. Unless of course he has recently been to the dentist etc.

Other thought I had was regarding food? Is he a child that will pretty much eat what is avaialble (as would be the case on the train) or is he a fussy eater. If so you will have to thik about working around that.

Best wishes to the two of you while you arrange your summer adventure.

That certainly does place a different spin on things! I'm a huge fan of train travel. It's so much more exciting and satisfying than plane travel, especially if the fun of getting there is just as important as the actual destination (which in many cases for me, it is!). And unlike car travel you don't have to be paying attention to the road, so you can relax and enjoy the scenery and get up and walk around whenever you want. I think it will be a great experience for you and your son and probably one he will cherish well into adulthood. Plus, if you do write that book he will love to read it later on to remind him of that great trip you two took together.

BTW -- the leg that takes you from Chicago to Seattle is a gorgeous one and one of my favorites, esp. when you go through Montana. Hope it's light out when you get to go through Glacier Park....it's a stunner!

Longboardsteve: Why don't you take along a pocket tape recorder to record some of your conversations. In the evenings, while your son sleeps, you can always transcribe the conversations into your notes.

Have a wonderful time with your son. It sounds like this could be a once in a lifetime, memorable adventure for the both of you! Good luck.

Now I am getting really excited. By the way, my son is quite the adventurer. In 2001 we did 30 days in France and survived. He is self entertaining as long as books and Lego's are within reach along with ability to throw baseballs every once in a while (I am aware that you can't throw baseballs on the train. hehehe)

Whether or not this will work depends a lot on your personalities. One of my kids would have thought this was great - the other would have gone insane from boredom and driven me crazy at the same time. And also dependent on amount of time and attention you are willing and able to devote to your son along the way. Even a kid good at amusing himself in semi-solitary activities will need a great deal of attention/bore3dom relief from you along the way.

With due deference to Fainaagain's aunt, I would ask to see research documentation of this causing eye distress before I am sold on the detrimental effects of sight-intensive activites on a moving vehicle. Many older health care theories have since been proven wrong (or right, for that matter).

Train travel is not inexpensive when you factor in meals, stops, etc. In fact, your trip might be less costly, if that is a consideration, finding inexpensive airfare to all or some of these destinations. I do understand that the experience is part of the trip, though. A thought is that you might want to combine train and plane travel if that makes financial sense.

I do not know the answer to this, but a laptop might be good to bring along if you have it. Your son could do some research about what he wanted to see in each place, map the route, etc. Of course he could do this ahead of time as well, but long-range planning is not usually a strong point in kids of that age. Also, you could use laptop for your writing. (And there are some great games available to keep you both occupied)

Recently were from L.A. to Seatle--Coast Starlight- with 14 year old grand-daughter. We had "roomette",therefore meals included.
She loved it..We both took books, CD. player, wrote letters. We did have a portable DVD player but only watched one movie. As she said roomette was "cool" my term would have been "small" but it was quite adequate.. Big window,Two lounge-type chairs faced each other with table between--this unfolded into very comfortable single bed..From the overhead a "bunk"pulled down (the attendant does all this). She said it was like the Navy bunk her grandfather described!!! Bathroom at end of each car and shower downstairs. Of course the "vista-dome"car is popular and the snack bar in lower level where I noted people and teenagers playing cards, checkers,etc.
PS this train was only one hour late--which is good for this particular train..
We both agreeded that 2 days on this mode of travel would be plenty..
Good luck...

Congrats on the realignment of priorities!

The trip sounds fun - as long as you schedule in those 3 days off the train to see the sights. I took the Atlanta - Washington leg and there was NO rest in the middle of the night with multiple stops along the way. Someone else posted recently and was dismayed to have a similar experience. The night ride was not very pleasant on that leg. No scenery and constant stopping and starting. I'm envious of the legs out west!

I took my nephew to DC when he was just a bit younger and he had an absolute blast. His favorite part of the trip? Chasing squirrels on the Mall. So much to see and do and most of it is free!

When I had a change of territory, I handed him a AAA guidebook of our state and let him plan a trip across he territory. He chose very obscure "sights" to see, but loved the planning - and I got to know my new territory in a unique way.

Include your son in the planning. Be sure to let him plan what he wants to see at the stops. Maybe he would switch out the Nintendo for a guidebook every once in a while.

Have a blast - and definitely don't just keep working! Go!!!

Longboardsteve -- This posting makes me want to save up for a trip just like it with my DH. If you do go, please post a detailed trip report...I would love to read it! Or if you write the book, let me know and I'll be sure to buy it...

Sounds fun, but I'm wondering possibly too much of a good thing? That's a LOT of train riding hours in one month's time! Maybe trim the itinerary a little bit? Skip a couple legs, or fly to a starting point.

Definitely spring for a sleeper cabin.

How smart to realign priorities! I suspect many of us wish we would have when we could have; you can always work later.

The conversations with your son should prove a fascinating experience whether you actually put it in a book or not. I can't think of a better way to spend time with your children than what you describe. You should emerge with not just the materials for a book, but also with a new closer relationship with your son, as well as a true adventure that is rarely part of travel any more. As they say, "for everything else, there is MasterCard."

Expect some adversity along the way. Otherwise would be unrealistic. There may indeed be moments of torture, but 10 years from now, they will be long forgotten.

And about those eyes ... if that were true, all subway newspaper readers in the world would be blind.

B/

PBS has had several programs on traveling the country by train..just had one last week about traveling through the Rockies. I have watched a couple of them. You might try PBS web site and see if they are going to show any of these programs in your area and also see if maybe your library might have some videos or CD's on this. I think it's a great idea. I will say that a lot of the people were probably retired. I'm still at the age where I don't have a lot of time off so I end up getting to where I want to go as quickly as I can, but boy, if you have the time...go for it. What's the worst? Maybe end the trip early and have to fly home if your son gets especially cranky or bored? I'd say give it a go.

Again, thanks for the great comments. About the book, it will start off as a daily diary spiced with words of wisdom from an 8-year old. In the end, if there is not enough material for a real book, at least he will have an invaluable memory book.

We plan to spend three days in Washington DC, how many days should I allocate to the Smithsonian?

Check Amtrak's website for specials. Also, if you have AAA, you can get a discount on the fares.

Regarding Smithsonian - I am assuming you know it is a collection of museums, not just one. It is easy to get museum-overload. I would have your son pick perhaps 2 (likely Air and Space and something else) and devote a half day to each - doing something else the other half day.

Ewww train travel. I did the Amtrak route Pittsburgh to D.C. and hate train travel. It will get boring to an 8 yr old. Unlike driving a car, you don't get the option of taking a break, and if you see something interesting or fascinating from a train, you will not have the option of stopping and exploring.

a couple years ago my parents (in their 60s) took amtrak from dc to seattle just for the experience of the cross country train ride.

included in their package was the train, 1st class sleepers, all meals, a hotel for a couple nights in glacier national park, a hotel in seattle for a few days and then a flight back to dc.

they loved it, but were definitely ready to fly back and not get back on the train. so i'd think about doing something like that.

have a great time!

Can't imagine skipping WashDC with an 8-yr. old -- within walking distance from Union Station (an experience in itself) is the Capital and all the Smithsonian museums, esp. Air and Space!

Don't try to do any of it without a compartment, but do bring yourself and your son out to the lounge car on longer trips to meet people. Some of the best parts of otherwise funky, sometimes 3rd-world rail experiences in our sadly abused and neglected system is talking with other people who love trains "unconditionally" -- and there may be another child or two there.

Bring playing cards.

Not only maybe bring a notebook pc, but have wireless access as well. Here's on recent train adventure:

http://www.manyhighways.com/riding_a...rica/index.php

Hey Longboardsteve,

I've done one of these routes by Amtrak twice; New Orleans to Washington, DC... I generally enjoyed it and found the food in the dining car (different from the cafe car on the short hauls) to be not half-bad, the meals are complementary with the price of the sleeping car ticket. I loved seeing the countryside and that you meet people due to limited seating in the dining car; gives you a window on perspectives from different parts of the country sometimes. I was alone though, I find I sleep well on the train and know how to while away the day with reading, writing, scenery-watching and craft. I go into calm, stoic mode during these trips, and it's hard for me to say whether 8- or even another 45-year-old could do the same.

One warning: I understand the Sunset Limited from LA-New Orleans is *notoriously* EXTREMELY LATE, like we're talking it's *often* 8 hours late. This is not indicative of other runs necessarily as The Crescents DC-New Orleans I took (wintertime mind you) were close to on-time 3 times out of 4 and two hours late once. If the tracks are very hot (summertime temps), this can cause delays too. Prepare your mind for possible delay.

Best wishes, DAN

My kids like the train better than planes or cars because the seating is more spacious, you have battery power for your electric stuff, and you can get up and walk around when you get bored. You can play cards and board games and draw at the tables in the dining car; you can even buy stuff from the snack bar.

I think it will be great fun, for a while, especially since it is your son's idea. But don't plan on getting much writing done -- it is hard on the eyes, and he'll need company, no matter what transportation mode you choose.

We took the route from Seattle to L.A. with our son, who was about 8 at the time. There was a magician on board and a car area for kids to play and hang out, watch videos, and it was a lot of fun for him.

It IS expensive though.

When we were kids we used to travel by the Chieftain from L.A. to Chicago, then change trains and continue on to Washington D.C., where my grandparents lived. We loved it, but Amtrack's amenities I don't think compare to my memories of the Chieftain. I do remember stopping in some town, I think in Arizon or New Mexico, where indian items were sold, which was a lot of fun.

My favorite memory back then was the night light in my bunk. Don't ask me why, I just remember it had a chrome swith and went from bright to dim to off. Weird stuff we remember, right?

Anyway, other than the L.A. - Seattle trip, the only other train experiences our son has had has been traveling around by train in Europe. We've done that with him for the last 14 years, and I must say, the experience is FAR better, both in accommodations and what you see out the window. Ultimately, for you, it might even be cheaper than Amtrack.

Meant Super Chief, not Chieftain. The latter was the name of my high school yearbook, lol.

I've been living in Europe for the past 5+ years and will take trains almost anywhere and love it. But no thanks to long distance travel on Amtrak. When I was back in the U.S. for several weeks last year, I thought it would be fun to take the overnight train from central Florida to Philadelphia so I could see some scenery along the way.
The verdict: Eccch. What a negative experience. First of all the train station I originally planned to leave from was completely unmanned, was falling apart and looked like something out of a grade B horror movie. Creepy. I ended up boarding the train in Winter Park (which isn't a bad little station and there are some nice shops and restaurants nearby to while away the waiting time).
The train arrived 3 hours late. So it became dark pretty early in my trip and I couldn't take in much scenery. The food was nearly inedible and service was perfunctory at best. The sleeping compartment wasn't that bad, actually, pretty similar to the private sleeping compartments I've had on European trains, but everything else compared VERY poorly to European train travel.(And yes, I know all about Amtrak's funding and other problems; knowing that some of the problems aren't Amtrak's fault doesn't make the trip any better!)
IMHO, you'd be better served to pick some destinations, fly there and then use a rental car to explore the back roads (a tape recorder will catch your son's observations), stopping where and when you feel like it. Take some local trains (in the Colorado Rockies or in the Mount Hood valley in Oregon or in New England, etc.).
If seeing the U.S. is the goal, unfortunately, it's not done well by train--you really do need a car. If long train rides are the focus of the trip, come to Europe where you will enjoy the ride a LOT more.

Although train travel in Europe is certainly different from train travel in the US (and might be better), there is nothing like relaxing on the train and just looking out the window. My husband and I have taken several train trips and plan on doing more as time allows.

I agree with those who have suggested springing for a sleeping compartment. We tried one night of just having a regular seat and I didn't sleep at all and wound up a bit crabby the next day. The sleeping car also includes your meals in the dining car which are quite good and you get to meet such interesting people since they try to fill each table with four people.

Five legs might be a bit much. We did three one time and that was plenty. Took us about 3 1/2 weeks (so almost your time frame) and we spent about 5 days in each location. The Coast Starlight from LA to Seattle is by far one of the prettiest runs. And the train through Glacier (Empire Builder) is fabulous also. The eastern trains are smaller that the western trains (single deckers instead of double deckers) so you don't have the great viewing cars like in the west.

Have a fun trip, longboardsteve. I'm sure you and your son will have fun. Oh, and assume that the trains will be late. In this country freight has right of way over passenger trains, it seems, so Amtrak ends up slowing down and letting other trains go by and ends up being (on average for us) 2 hours late. Make sure you don't have any connections to make that will be troublesome.

Lonngboard Steve, what a great plan. You will build memories and connections with your son that will last a lifetime for both of you. Sure, the train may not be for everyone -- but he specifically requested it. (Maybe he had Thomas trains as a toddler?!)

Here's my train story. To celebrate 25 years of living in the US (we're Brit expats), DH and I took a 3 1/2 week cross-country trip to see more of our adopted country. Had a wonderful, memorable time and would do it again tomorrow. Sure, there were some minor hitches and "interesting" experiences -- but those are the things you look back on with nostalgia!The train takes you through parts of the country that you won't see from the interstate -- some gritty and grimy, but more that are awesomely beautiful, and all are part of this amazing landscape we live in. It truly gives you a feel for the size and diversity of the country, that would be hard to get any other way.

We decided to plan so that there was not more than one night on the train per leg, and to break the trip up with 3+ day visits to places we particularly wanted to see more of (rented cars for that). I also spent a lot of time in planning, poring over Amtrak schedules to make sure it was daylight when we went through places we really wanted to see. I enjoyed that part of the trip too!

Our trip started in Connecticut, and took us to Washington DC then overnight to Chicago. Saw that city, then took the Southwest Chief to Flagstaff AZ for the Grand Canyon. Stayed there a few days, spent time at the North Rim (fabulous!) and Sedona. Back on the train overnight into LA, where we changed to the Coast Starlight to San Francisco. Spent a few days there seeing the city and a side trip to stay in Yosemite. Then back on the train in SF, overnight to Seattle for another 3-night layover.

Our last train leg took us from Seattle to Whitefish MT, where we rented a car and visited Glacier NP and Yellowstone. From there, we drove over the Chief Joseph route to Red Lodge then to Billings to fly back to CT.

It's a great idea to have a tape recorder and laptop along to use as you travel -- I kept a journal, and your son might like to do that too. It's a good place to keep the best photos, or postcards and souvenirs you collect along the way. I think a "roomette" would be essential, and it's an adventure to sleep on the train. At mealtimes and in the observation car etc. you meet folks from all over the US and many from overseas, travelling for all kinds of reasons. Amtrak gives you maps and information, sometimes local commentary, about what you are seeing. And you sit back and take it all in as America rolls past your window.

Books like USA By Rail and All Aboard can help with details and planning (seach Amazon for suggestions).

Go for it Steve, just carpe diem. Have a wonderful trip, and let us know how it went when you get back.

By the way, we've visited Washington DC many times, with children and now young grandchildren. So much to see and do there -- don't miss it. (Our daughter liked it so much that she now lives there.)

Happy (t)rails! :-)

Surfergirl --

The stop that the Superchief used to make was in Albuquerque, NM. My mom and I used to take that train every year, during the early-mid 1960's to Chicago (then switching to a train to Detroit) and I remember buying souvenirs at that stop every year, as well as getting to walk around outside. I loved sleeping in their compartments and playing with the other kids in the lounge car. Fond, fond memories.

By the way, if your yearbook was the Chieftain than you must have gone to Uni High -- me too! (small world...)

A friend and her 86-year-old father just returned from a cross-country trip on Amtrak. They took the Califonria Zephyr from Emeryville all the way to Chicago. Then they immediately took the Lakeshore Limited east, ending in New York City. Total, 3.5 days on the rails.

They found their sleeping accomodations fine and the food in the dining car was delicious and plentiful. At meals they were seated with other travelers, all of whom had interesting stories to tell.

The first two days had wondrous scenery through gorges and mountains, and the stretch finishing down the Hudson River to NYC is one of the nicest rides in the US. However, even these open-minded people were not intrigued by a full day of views of the flat interior plains of the US, nor the unfortunate "bad side of town" that most trains seem to pass through.

My friend, who to me seems able to sleep anywhere at anytime, couldn't sleep very soundly. They brought along books and a personal DVD player to pass the time in the evenings and at less scenic points.

There were lots of families with kids traveling the Zephyr portion of the trip. My friend never used the well-advertised dome cars because it seemed pretty raucous with all the kids--perhaps good for your son.

Wow! This thread has amazed me. I tried the Chicago to Carbondale run for a tester. IMHO, I wouldn't want any 8 year old to be doing hand held electronic games etc. that long. I really do hope you have a great run of luck and total experience, because as someone said- all kids are different. My 8 year old grandson can hardly get through 2-1/2hours to the lake in Michigan inside an enclosed space. Can you say backseat dodgeball?

You will need the dome cars. And I would very, very strongly suggest you try one leg or two before you decide on the entire ticket package. You could see a whole lot more together if you flew to different cities. Amtrak has real delay problems consistently. And the costs are huge.

Follow up; thanks for the great messages. Here is what we have decided to do:

LA to San Antonio; 3 days in San Antonio to visit family.

San Antonio to Orlando; 3 days at Disneyworld.

Orlando to Washingon DC; 3 days at Smithsonian and memorials, etc.

Washington DC to Boston; ???? (3 days / any suggestions / we are surfers and love the beach but know nothing about the east coast).

Boston to Toronto; 2 days rest plus Niagara Falls.

Toronto to Vancouver to Seattle by way of Canadian Railway; 5 days in Seattle with family.

Seattle to LA; trip over.

A couple of notes. We spent a week in France at wedding two years ago. No problems with the train or the flight.

Here is a summary of Amtraks Rail Pass; Offered jointly by Amtrak and VIA Rail Canada, the North America Rail Pass provides you with 30 consecutive travel days with unlimited rides and stopovers throughout the United States and Canada. VIA Rail Canada is Canada's premier passenger rail provider all for $700 dollars.

my2cents -- thanks for letting me know it was Albuquerque. I thought so, but wasn't sure. And yes, it was Uni High. Class of '70, go Warriors!