January 24/25, 2008
Fairbanks – Seattle – Chicago
Alaska Airlines Economy Class
737-400 / 737-800

When writing about domestic air travel in America, there’s really not much worthy of reporting on anymore. At least, not with regard to in-flight service. This generally holds true regardless of the class of service flown. Even Alaska Airlines, once highly regarded for the quality of its in-flight product, is now just another airline limited to touting its service with vague terms like “distinctive”.

Alaska Airlines may no longer be anything special in the air, but for me its Mileage Plan is the best frequent flyer program going as evidenced by its 10000 mile one way awards and the many benefits offered to MVP and MVP Gold members. Apparently more than a few others agree since Alaska’s Mileage Plan routinely wins top honors at the annual Freddie awards.

It’s worth noting here that the one way travel award on Alaska Airlines does not include or allow an enroute stopover. However, I found via alaskaair.com’s Mileage Plan Award Reservations a 7:00am nonstop from Fairbanks to Seattle on the 24th followed by a 12:30pm departure to Chicago the next day. Interestingly, the 12:30pm departure, which connected nicely with the inbound flight from Fairbanks, was also available on the 24th. Go figure. I booked it and enjoyed a full twenty-five hours in Seattle.


January 26, 2008
Chicago to Reno
Amtrak First Class
California Zephyr

This reservation was the hardest to decide upon. I really needed to get to Las Vegas but Amtrak no longer serves Las Vegas except in conjunction with poorly timed Amtrak Thruway Bus connections. Also, I wanted to ride on the California Zephyr because of the spectacular scenery west of Denver.

So – where do I get off the Zephyr to connect to Las Vegas? Grand Junction, Colorado offered a five hour layover before connecting to a $79.00 Allegiant Air flight. Two hours farther down the track at Green River, Utah I could have connected to a Greyhound bus for just $39.00. Unfortunately there was a five hour layover and the bus didn’t depart until 2:30am. There’s not a lot open in Green River after 9:00pm. Were I willing to pay for a hotel overnight in Salt Lake City, I could have flown down to Vegas on a $70.00 web special the next morning. Ultimately I decided to connect in Reno. The Zephyr was scheduled to arrive at 10:30am and Southwest offered a good selection of well timed Las Vegas departures priced at just $62.00 all in. I booked myself a seat on the 2:50pm flight figuring that I could stand by for an earlier departure if the train arrived on time.

Amtrak’s one way coach ticket to Reno priced out at $107.00, only $6.00 more than had I gotten off in Grand Junction. At the time I made the reservation, I could have booked a First Class Standard Bedroom or Roomette for an additional $262.00. Although it initially seemed a bit much in the context of how much I was spending on this trip as a whole, I later changed my mind. After all, it’s a 2,200 mile journey between Chicago and Reno and I’d be on the train for about 46 hours. I received an unexpected surprise however when I went back to the Amtrak website to upgrade. What’s this? The cost to upgrade had now gone up to $355.00! A call to a real live Amtrak employee verified the bad news. Oh well. Coach it is then. Nonetheless, I monitored the Amtrak website in hopes that the price might once again drop but instead watched in horror as the upgrade price climbed to $450.00 two days before departure.

Upon checking in at Chicago’s Union Station, I again asked about upgrading and was told that once the train is underway, the cost to upgrade with the conductor is usually less money. So, once we were underway I did just that and $262.00 later I was the delighted occupant of Room 11, located downstairs in Sleeper Car 532.

Amtrak’s Bi-Level Super Liners offer Roomettes on both the upper and lower levels of each car. The accommodations measure 3’6” by 6’6” and are accessed via a sliding glass door. During the day they offer two wide opposite facing seats that fold together to become a bed at night. Above them is a fold-down upper berth. Each compartment has its own huge window, approximately 2’ X 5’, through which to view the passing scenery. Other amenities include four separate lights, an electrical outlet, a mirror, a fold out table, a small closet with hangers and a thermostat. Toilet and shower facilities are down the hall.

While many first time riders are excited about having a room high on the upper level, I’ve learned through experience that the lower level is the place to be. The downstairs rooms are quieter because all the traffic between cars is upstairs. Very few tracks provide a perfectly smooth ride and because of this the train’s rocking motion makes for a difficult time walking. Most passengers traveling between cars on their way to or from the diner or lounge tend to ricochet down the narrow hallways, bouncing off walls and doors with equal abandon. Downstairs this is not an issue.

At the top of the stairway is the service area for each car. Juice, coffee, bottled water and ice are always available. My car attendant Nathan had considerately thought to place magazines and cookies out as well. I’d never seen that done before by a car attendant and I made a point of letting Nate know it was appreciated.

Scheduling of the California Zephyr is designed to provide passengers with optimal viewing of the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada Mountains during daylight hours. The plains states and deserts of Utah and Eastern Nevada are crossed at night. Although many consider the scenery between Chicago and Denver boring, I was impressed by the many picturesque hamlets we passed while rolling through western Illinois. Unfortunately the sun had set by the time we crossed a 2000 foot bridge over the Mississippi River. During the longer summer days, this crossing is easily seen along with the beautiful rolling hills of southern Iowa.

Rather than get into a mile by mile accounting of the enroute scenery however, I’m going to instead focus on the onboard experience of riding First Class on the Zephyr. Aside from the privacy of your own compartment and a bed to sleep on, the best thing about Amtrak’s First Class fares is that they include all of your enroute meals in the dining car. This means you may order anything you want, from the most expensive steak dinner to a side of sausage with your morning omelet. Dessert and non-alcoholic beverages are also included. Appetizers, beer and wine are extra, however.

Dinner is offered in two seatings – 5:30pm and 7:00pm. There’s also a last call at about 7:45pm for anyone who for whatever reason didn’t make one of the first two seatings. I opted for the 7:00pm seating and when the announcement was made over the train’s PA system, I ricocheted my way to the diner, located two cars back.

The number of diners relative to the number of available tables means that seating is communal. The dining car steward seats people wherever available seating can be found. Just ahead of me was a man assisting his 95 year old mother down the hallway towards the dining car. She was a long way fron spry and it was slow going. Since we all entered the diner at the same time, the steward sat the three of us at a table together. Shortly thereafter menus were presented along with a basket of surprisingly good dinner rolls. Drink orders were taken and I was surprised to learn that cocktails were only available in the lounge. I’ll have a Sam Adams, please. Now, let’s see what’s on offer for dinner:

DINNER MENU


Hmm…

Our waiter returned and listed though hardly described the various specials. The seafood selection was salmon, the vegetarian special was lasagna and the chef’s special was barbecued short ribs. I was tempted to goad him into a better performance by asking things like “How is the salmon prepared?” or “Is the barbecue sauce very tangy?” but decided to let it ride. Today’s vegetable was wax beans. Wax beans! With a steak? Or seafood? Anyway, I ordered the steak medium rare while my table mates ordered steak for the man and roast game hen for his mother.

The man’s name was John, his mother Ida. They were traveling from Illinois to Martinez, California to visit family nearby. Amtrak’s Handicapped Bedroom was perfect for them except that it was located downstairs and wasn’t underneath the dining car. Ida had a heck of a time traveling between cars and it was decided that all future meals would be brought to her room. John once sat on the board of the National Railway Passenger Association and so we had some interesting conversation about Amtrak past, present and future.

Salads were presented, eaten and cleared followed by our entrees. My steak was perfectly cooked, nicely flavored on the outside and reddish-pink throughout the inside. Ida’s chicken was equally good and I decided to order that the next night. It came with mashed potatoes that Ida said tasted like they were freshly mashed. Thankfully our waiter was wrong about the wax beans as we were served broccoli and carrots instead. Dessert offerings included chocolate layer cake and cheesecake in addition to the ice cream. I passed on dessert and, after bidding adieu to John and Ida, headed back to the lounge for another beer and some camaraderie.

Amtrak’s Sightseer Lounge cars are the best modern day railroad lounge cars I have ever traveled in, vastly superior to anything I’ve ever seen in Europe, Australia or South America. The large glass windows along the sidewalls start at knee level and rise up a good four feet or so. Along the outside edges of the ceiling, curving down to the wall, are more large panes.





Be it daylight or starlight, the view available through all that glass is most impressive. This is especially true in mountainous terrain where the upper windows allow excellent viewing of the peaks or canyon walls above the train. Individual seats and small couches are available on one side of the car, while buffet style table seating is available on the other. In the middle of the lounge is a stairway leading down to a snack bar that offers a wide variety of sandwiches, light meals, snack foods and beverages. More tables are also available down here.

I spent a fair bit of time in the lounge car and over the course of the trip met a quite a diverse group of travelers including a Canadian investment specialist working for the city of Olympia, WA. and a transplanted San Franciscan now living in New York but having second thoughts and now returning to San Francisco for a visit and possible stay. An avid Los Angeles Dodgers fan decked out in cap and t-shirt carried on with anyone nearby about all things sport related. I also spent some time with a couple of Foamers. That’s what railroad employees call avid rail fans who practically froth at the mouth over all things rail related. There are always a few on every train. These guys had mile by mile guidebooks of the route along with a radio tuned into the railroad frequencies. They knew all about the new Superliner II cars, from where they were built to when they entered service. I enjoyed their enthusiasm and knowledge even if I did occasionally become a bit lost in the details.

I spent two nights on the train and each night by 11:00pm – though earlier if I’d so desired – my car attendant Nathan would convert my room from daytime seating to its nighttime sleeping configuration. After a long night in the lounge car I’d arrive back at my room to find my bed made up with sheets and blanket along with two plump pillows and a bottle of water. The bed was comfortable though not particularly wide. Nonetheless, I enjoyed a much better sleep each night than I would have in the coach car. Sleeping in a bed on a fast moving train with a starry vista out your window is one of life’s great pleasures – one that I hope all of you can someday enjoy.

While my camera couldn’t take a starlight shot on a moving train, it did manage a pretty nice shot right before sunset as we sped west through Utah:





In the morning I would awake to a hot shower (with good water pressure!) followed by a cup of coffee and a couple of cookies, always available in the service area of each car. That morning’s newspaper would also be available once we’d reached either Denver or Reno westbound. Breakfast is served between 6 and 9:00am and is first come, first served. If the dining car is full, the steward will take your name and page you when space becomes available. In the meantime, they are happy to provide you with a cup of coffee which you can enjoy in the lounge car while you wait. Here’s a transcript of the breakfast menu:

BREAKFAST MENU

On my first morning as we sped towards Denver and the distant Rocky Mountains, I ordered the Railroad French Toast with a side of bacon. Delicious! French toast has a long tradition in railroad diners, first and foremost with the Santa Fe Railroad, whose diners were operated by the Fred Harvey Company. Passengers aboard Santa Fe’s Super Chief, San Francisco Chief and El Capitan were treated to what many have claimed is the finest French toast they have ever eaten. Here’s the recipe.

On my second morning I awoke about an hour out of Winnemucca, Nevada. We were running about 45 minutes late but I wasn’t concerned since I had a four hour window to make my connecting flight from Reno down to Las Vegas. In the diner I ordered the omelet special, an appetizing mixture of spinach and feta cheese which I accompanied with the equally tasty chicken apple sausage. My tablemates were Simon and Roma, a couple of Australians on their way to San Francisco. They had one more week in the US and were planning to travel with friends down the California coast to Los Angeles before returning to Melbourne on the 14 hour Qantas nonstop. We had a good time chatting over a variety of Australian and American subjects until the announcement was made that due to heavy snow through California’s Sierra Nevada mountains and the resulting slowdown of freight traffic ahead of us, we’d be sitting on a siding in Winnemucca until 9:30am at the very earliest. Our scheduled departure out of Winnemucca was 7:30am so this would make us two hours late. No problem. I’ve got a four hour layover.
9:30 came and passed. 10:00 rolled by, then 10:30. Uh oh… Cell phones worked so I called Southwest Airlines to discuss my options should I not be able to make my flight. Due to winter weather in Reno the day before, many flights had cancelled and those passengers had been rebooked on today’s flights. As a result, all of today’s flights between Reno and Las Vegas were sold out. I would however be welcome to standby on any of the five flights after my confirmed 2:50pm departure.

Finally, at 10:42am (Believe me, I was exceptionally aware of the time by then) we pulled off our siding and ever so slowly proceeded to roll through Winnemucca. At this pace we wouldn’t make Reno by nightfall! I was in the lounge car and one of the rail fans explained that once the freight train ahead of us cleared its block, we could then speed up. Blocks evidently have something to do with spacing between trains. It was further explained that the tracks we were on were rated for travel up to 79 mph, a comforting detail given that Winnemucca lay 203 miles east of Reno and my flight departure time was now less than four hours away. It’s worth noting here that none of these delays were Amtrak’s doing. Our train was at the mercy of the Union Pacific dispatchers and as our local rail expert so succinctly put it, it just wouldn’t be an Amtrak trip without getting screwed by the UP.

Alright, so let’s cut to the chase. Eventually we did indeed attain speeds approaching 79 mph but unfortunately as we approached Reno we slowed down considerably and on a couple of occasions even stopped on sidings for 5-10 minutes. A call to Southwest confirmed that my flight was operating on time. Come on, come on! Let’s go, dammit! By the time we finally pulled into Reno Station at 2:18pm, there were just 32 minutes until my flight was scheduled to depart. Amazingly, I made that flight. Here’s how it happened.

As we pulled into the station, I had my luggage ready and was primed and ready to go like a starter in the blocks. As soon as the door to my car was opened, I was out the door and on my way to the street. Though in my current condition I am unable to run, I can still walk slightly faster than normal. To my great dismay, no taxis were sitting outside the station but I was told that if I walked to the street corner I should be able to flag one down. About 200 yards up the street I saw a couple of taxis parked outside a hotel and I pointed to them and waved my arm. Thankfully the second taxi back immediately noticed me and pulled out. Once in the cab I explained my predicament to which the driver said “No problem! You’ll make your flight.” Thankfully Reno’s airport isn’t far from downtown and we made good time enroute. I thanked the driver with $20.00 for the near $15.00 fare and hurried over to the terminal entrance. By now it was just past 2:30. As I neared a Southwest skycap check-in area, I asked if there were any chance I could check a bag for the 2:50pm flight to Vegas. We can do it but we’ll have to late tag it, was the reply. Let’s do it said I and handed the sky cap a $5.00 bill. He handed me a card that would get me through security but said I’d have to check in at the gate. Then he personally wheeled my bag away on a luggage cart and for the first time I began to feel a little more confident about my chances of making this flight.

Arriving at the security checkpoint at 2:36pm, I was confronted with a sizeable line and no express lane for MVP Gold elites, much less any other elites. If I were to have gotten in that line, I’d have had no chance of making my flight. Given that all the flights were sold out with many standby passengers left over from yesterday’s weather related cancellations, I stood a very real chance of being stranded in Reno for the night.

Now I’m not one to wheedle and plead when I’m the one responsible for putting myself in a bad way such as getting caught speeding or starting out for to the airport too late. Today however my present lot was none of my doing and having come this far and having gotten this close, well, it’d be a real shame not to make this flight now. So, wheedle and plead I did. Some groveling may also have been involved. Thankfully I got a sympathetic TSA agent who allowed me to bypass the line. Thanks also go out to those in line who allowed me to pass. Once I’d cleared security, I didn’t even stop to put on and tie my boots. Time was of the essence and it was now 2:39 – hopefully Southwest hadn’t already given my seat away but if they do so 10 minutes out, I needed to get to the gate NOW. When I arrived at the podium in my stocking feet, boarding had already commenced but thankfully I’d arrived just in time. Any readers who’ve run like hell through an airport and barely made a flight can certainly imagine how good I felt when the agent handed me that boarding pass. Las Vegas here I come!