CMK10

Welcome back to another CMK10 Trip Report! Let’s introduce this report’s cast of characters.



On the right, we have CMK10. Known Flyertalker, day drinker, lover of food photography and everyone’s favorite law student. On the left we have his Father, namesake, benefactor and all around good guy. These two hilariously mismatched chuckleheads will once again be taking a trip by train across 2,000 miles of America. A trip filled with the usual mix of fun times, good food and of course…copious amounts of alcohol.

Background
My law school is definitely run by some magnanimous types. So much so that they looked at the calendar and decided we deserved a break…a Fall Break even. In fact, they gave us a whole day off! Thankfully, I only have classes four days a week so I could take a four day trip, especially as I was off from work too. So my natural choice was to take a train trip with my Dad. He’s retired and has plenty of time, as well as plenty of AAdvantage miles, and we have the same idea of what makes a good trip. By now we’ve knocked out almost every major long distance Amtrak run, but we hadn’t taken the Sunset Limited from Los Angeles. Also, by flying to LAX we could take advantage (or did I mean AAdvantage?) of AA’s new A-321T flying between JFK and LAX. Annoyingly, as it was Columbus Day Weekend there was never any Saver F for us to get in on so we “only” got to fly it in Business. Of course we’d also be able to fit in some meals but as we told everyone who asked us on the train why we were traveling, it was to take the train.

The final plan was:

Friday October 10 :
AA RDU-JFK (Y)
AA JFK-LAX (C)
Amtrak LAX-NOL - Sleeper (+2)

Monday October 13
US MSY-DCA (F)
US DCA-RDU (Y)

AA 3350 RDU-JFK 0605-0740 ERJ-140

Yep, you read that right, a 6:45 AM flight. This meant an absurdly early 3:45 AM wakeup. Thankfully, I had a solution





See? I’m ready to go…and looking great to boot!

I drove over to my parent’s house (where my Mother very rudely refused to get up and say goodbye to us OR drive us to the airport) and my Dad and I headed down to RDU. Thankfully, it was another routine day here in North Carolina which meant no issues on the way to the airport.



My Dad has TSA Precheck but his boarding passes printed out unmarked. Apparently this is my fault as I’d printed them at home and often this means he’s not shown as precheck eligible…my bad. Thankfully, there was no line in the Elite/F line and we were through quickly. Though this would not be the last time this trip that something was my fault!



Gotta love a lounge that’s open so early





RDU has bagels now, while they’re an improvement over the tasteless pastries and croissants the lounge used to have, AA remains the worst lounge in terms of domestic food offerings. They also had some fruit and pretzels but still, where’s the cereal? The yogurt? The stuff other arguably inferior airlines have?



The coffee maker is an improvement, as long as you don’t mind a drink that’s 5% coffee and 95% foam.



I noticed the Clubs (both RDU and JFK) have these Samsung tablets at each seat pair. Not sure what you’re supposed to do with them but hey, maybe some people like them.





I was trying to take this shot on the sly but my Dad of course yelled out “smile!” to the agents. Speaking of, the one on the left is from the Admirals Club. She was there to personally escort a Concierge Key member onboard who was boarded before anyone else. Well done, AA.





Today’s ride was unfortunately on a single class ERJ-140. I was really hoping that AA would start putting CR7s on this route or perhaps the new E75s but noooooooo. Also, I would have flown RDU-CLT-JFK to maximize time in F but noooooooooo Mr. I Pay For Everything got to have his way.

After a short delay due to an inoperative armrest that had to be taped back together by maintenance (yes, really), we were off to head up to New York.



It was going to be one of those perfect days to fly, clear with unlimited visibility and a little sunrise action to keep me entertained.



I explained to the FA how we were connecting onto LA in Full Fare (technically an AAnytime award) Business and didn’t that mean we got free alcohol but as luck would have it, there was no alcohol catered for this flight. As for the rest of the flight, I read through my book (with midterms over, I deserve some pleasure reading) and enjoyed the views outside.





Descent began soon after it got light and if anything, the views just got more beautiful











I don’t know if I can remember flying on a clearer morning, if that’s not worth getting up early for…I don’t know what is. Plus, we were here early as a bonus.





AA 255 JFK-LAX 1000-1300 A-321



Now don’t get me wrong, I love this terminal (as anyone who remembers the old Terminal 8 should) but the walk from the Eagle gates to the lounges is long…especially in this case as we were going out of Gate 4 all the way in the other concourse





Being as we were leaving from Gate 4, we used the Admirals Club by Gate 12 today.







While I prefer this club to the one in the midfield terminal, it’s definitely showing its age and that’s depressing because it’s 6 years old. Chairs were worn with padding poking through and some of the outlets didn’t work.



Can’t say no to views like this though



I’m not a fan of the new departure boards, they allow for way fewer flight numbers per screen.





My Dad likes newspapers



It seems we’ve come to the right place!







I’m annoyed that we couldn’t get a nice, single or at least double digit flight number for this route. Anyway, we got to the gate 40 minutes before boarding and it was just starting. After F boarded, they called Uniformed Military, EXPs and Business and we waltzed aboard



What a gorgeous looking plane. It’s funny, until this year I hadn’t flown a new AA aircraft since 2005, and no mainline ones since 2002, and now I’ve flown two this year. For years it was M80, M80, M80, 757, M80, 738 etc. It’s a new era I guess.





Now, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who loves nostalgia more than me, and the 767-200 is one of my favorite planes. But I was on this jet about two minutes before forgetting all about how it used to be. This is progress I can get behind!





One thing I did not like was this area for all the cords. It means you have to drape them over your shoulder and it’s really easy to dislodge your headphone cord if you move around.



Nice to have a pocket for all your stuff, and there was room for my travel log too which is important to me



So how about these guys? Definite troublemakers.





Cheers, Flyertalk.







My last menu flight was a British Airways First Class leg…this was a bit of a comedown.

Our good luck continued and we pushed back on time. As it was an off peak hour there was a glorious lack of traffic to worry about.









Once again, what a beautiful day to be flying







We leveled off and started winging west. Annoyingly, it was really bumpy for awhile which meant service took a bit. My Dad and I did what we do best and started reading. Well, I read and he did this:



And I did this:





I also checked out the IFE which had a large selection to go along with the large screen. Plus they don’t censor anything (a little disclaimer would pop up saying it had naughty content first) which made it even better. Finally it got steady enough for us to eat.



What a letdown from years past. My smoked salmon did not come with toast points (though my Dad got them) and due to the turbulence, my soup was cold. Also, check out the world’s tiniest piece of bread. Seriously, someone with a Gluten Allergy could eat that and not get sick.



Entrée options were:

I went with the beef (obviously) and it was pretty ho-hum. The beef was the lowest of the low quality and as you can see the lettuce was not in the best shape. But it still looked better than my Dad’s chicken.



Now naturally I was going to go with an ice cream sundae, but I asked for a cheese plate as well and I was told “you’re only allowed to have one dessert”. Talk about a lame response. I’m in a premium cabin on your most premium domestic route and that’s your response? I’d take either “I’m sorry we don’t have enough” or better yet “let me make sure I serve everyone and if one is leftover I’ll bring it to you”. Whatever, I know who I’m flying and what year I’m flying in. At least the crew was decent otherwise, they were in the cabin pretty often and I got refills on my drinks so there’s that.



I was pleased to find that it’s not hard to get out of these seats when the person next to you is sleeping. Speaking of these seats, here’s it in flatbed mode:





I had no interest in sleeping though (unlike some people I could name). I had a free Gogo pass and all the soda I could drink and I was going to stay awake and take advantage of it. Especially with views like this out the window:





Not the best view because of the engine, but that’s the Grand Canyon down there.



There was a choice of chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin cookies and while usually I’d say “my Dad isn’t eating his, can I have two?” with these flight attendants I figured it wasn’t worth it. The menu also said there would be fruit and snacks available but I never saw them.





Sadly, the beautiful day did not follow us to LA. You’d ordinarily be able to see downtown in the second picture but today it was just smog.









And with that the flight was over. My thoughts? I love the seat and frankly, hard product wise Business on this plane is worlds ahead from First on the 767-200. The IFE is also much better than the old tablets which you never could find a place to put. Meal wise there’s obviously a drop in quality from last year and the crew was pretty meh. Still, that’s a risk you take flying in the US in this century I’m afraid. Anyway, we got in early, I got a meal and a comfortable ride and watched 2.5 movies. Better than a hole in the head.

CMK10

Los Angeles

I had to write a practicum for my Education Law class so we decided to stop off at the Admirals Club for a little.





h

Definitely a great club, maybe AA’s best domestically, but wow was it crowded. We eventually found seats way in the back past the restrooms…an area I’d never even known existed.



Slow clap for AA’s food offerings. People’s exhibit number one for why I’d never pay for an AA lounge membership.



Not a bad view to write to. The 321 pictured is one of AA’s new two-class ones.



Here’s why I love living in 2014. I’m sitting at the LAX Admirals Club and with my laptop and Westlaw I have access to the same amount of legal research material that you used to need a whole law library for. Soon enough I finished up and off we went. We had all the time in the world so we decided to go the public transit route to get to Union Station.





Let me tell you, it is slow going. It took a total of one bus and three trains but we had no where to go and all night to get there. Besides, it cost us a total of $5.50. And some of the views were okay



Plus we got the joy of watching traffic crawl along the 105.





Now that’s a station. When it comes to airports, I want em brand new. When it comes to train stations however, I want em at least a hundred years old.



I deposited my Dad at the new Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge and headed out on a little mission. If you’re traveling in a sleeper, you’re allowed to BYOB. My Dad and I like a little cocktail or three and we certainly don’t like paying $7 for an airline bottle of Dewers. So I was on a booze prospecting mission.





Thankfully, I found this rundown “mall” only a quarter mile from the station. As long as you don’t mind the smell of pee and seeing topless homeless people it’s a great place to buy alcohol, snacks and even an e-cigarette for my Dad.





Back at the station we killed some time at the lounge. It’s one of the better Amtrak lounge as the Wifi worked surprisingly well, the bathroom was nice and it even had windows overlooking some of the commuter platforms.



Food was limited to just soda, coffee, water, chips and cookies but we were heading out for a real dinner anyway.







It’s expensive and overpriced and I felt like a mobster sitting in that dimly lit interior but it was keeping with our railroad theme.



Crabcakes which were pretty bland, thankfully they had my favorite vodka (Chopin) and made a good martini so all was well.



A steak Oscar with crab meat and asparagus plus some onion rings…absolutely delicious



Tirimisu and Port to close it out. Now, we did have two cocktails and a bottle of wine but a bill of $390 before tax, even in LA, is absurd. But like I said…railroad themed. Soon after we hopped a cab and headed back to the station.





After our last trip, a total disaster on the Capitol Limited which departed 90 minutes late and eventually arrived almost 7 hours delayed, being on time was a blessing. In fact, we got on board 40 minutes before our scheduled departure of 10 PM.

Amtrak 2 LAX-NOL 2200-2140 (+2)



As expected, our room was made up when we arrived but despite the long day, we weren’t ready for bed quite yet.



Not without a nightcap at least! Oh and if that glassware looks familiar to you, it’s because my ulterior motive to stopping at the Admirals Club was swiping us some real glasses. Maybe it’s all in my head, but a good scotch tastes far worse if it’s out of a plastic glass.



As is our tradition, we played several games of Gin Rummy before I couldn’t take it anymore and declared it to be bed time. Three hours of sleep only gets a man so far!



Goodnight indeed!



Talk about your morning after! Also, how do I get down from this crazy place? And where are we?



Ah, Picacho Peak, Arizona (a little north of Tucson) which means we’re basically on time. What a relief! This calls for a celebration!



Sadly, it was this. There’s a lot I like about riding the rails but the showering aspect is not in the like column. It’s virtually impossible to scrub yourself well as the space is so confined and hot water is in short supply. I also refused to shave as I’m terrified we’ll hit a bump and I’ll be short a cheek. After cleaning I headed to the dining car where my Dad had secured us a table.



Our dining companion was a gentleman from Munich who after I prompted him, went on a very amusing rant about Angela Merkel.







Breakfast was tasty, albeit microwaved, and the conversation was very enjoyable.



Plus we got a gander at the boneyard in Marana. It’s funny, I lived in Arizona for seven years and I would drive to Tucson fairly regularly. I even did it once earlier this year. I saw the tracks beside I-10 but never thought I’d be riding on them.



Speaking of Tucson, we pulled it almost on time and as we had an hour here, we decided to walk downtown in search of a newspaper.







The station is in an upscale, gentrified part of Tucson (by the way did you know they have a light rail? I didn’t) and we went into the beautiful Hotel Congress to buy a New York Times



Awesome history! Especially if you’re like me and you love Public Enemies



The station was also stunning and it housed an upscale restaurant-cum-coffee shop and wine bar. I bet they do a brisk trade supplying train passengers.



Technology is not their thing though. Also, note how this train is not daily.



My Dad is the greatest station master. We still had time which was good as I like to walk around at every stop I can to get fresh air and of course take lots of pictures.





Not our longest train today. Two engines, two sleepers, dining car, café/lounge car and four coaches.





What a lame skyline, no wonder I chose to do my undergrad in Tempe, not Tucson!



Back on the train where our room was ready for daytime consumption. Annoyingly, we had the worst Sleeping Car Attendant we’ve ever had on this train. She hadn’t greeted us on our first night and not once during the 48 hour run did she check on us. Also, she never brought ice for the car and every time I tracked her down to get the room made up she acted like it was a huge imposition. We usually tip $20 up front but this time she never saw my Father until we were detraining in New Orleans so we gave her zilch.



Speaking of my Dad, here he is being a happy camper. Me, I just stuck to watching the scenery.







And there was so much to look at.





How about Benson AZ? They have a nice little station building but no…you get to use a bus shelter.



Up to our usual tricks. For those keeping score at home, we played 9 games and I won 5. Boom!









This was supposed to be a dry lake (and Air Force bombing range) but I guess they didn’t get the memo. This also seemed like a good time to take a walk and see what everyone else was up to.



I was going to sit a spell here but then someone decided to have a 100 decibel level phone call and I bailed.





Lord, thank you for blessing me with a man who likes to travel by rail but has the resources so we don’t have to do it back here. As you can see it’s not terrible…for maybe 6-7 hours. But overnight? Never. Not in a million years.



Two states down, three to go.



As you can see, NM looks a lot like AZ. Also, wow must California be jealous of how much rain they’re getting down here. Also, it’s lunch time! You know what they say…nothing could be finer than dining in the diner!





Today’s companion was an event planner from California whose son was at University of Arizona so basically he was dead to me. His Mom was alright though and lunch was pretty good.







We gradually made our way west following Interstate 10 and playing cards, talking and laughing. Basically, all you could want out of a trip.





That Border Patrol truck meant we had made it to El Paso and what you are looking at is the border with Mexico.





Lovely, eh? I’m sure Mexico is a very nice country and has a lot about it that makes it worth a visit but Ciudad Juarez was not it. But hey, how often do you get to gaze at another country from the privacy of your rolling hotel? Plus, we pulled into El Paso early! Saints be praised!







See? This is why I like the stations that are oldies but goodies.







We got back on the train and headed into West Texas. But me, I headed somewhere better



Dreamland! Napping on the train is great. The gentle rocking lulls you to sleep. Plus, I’m always taking pictures of my family when they’re asleep and blasting it on Facebook so I’m sure my Dad enjoyed his revenge.





When I woke up it was 5 o’clock and you don’t need me to tell you what that means



And may you get to Heaven at least an hour before the Devil knows you’re dead.



One of those Border Patrol checkpoints inside the US. My Dad may be far to the right and I’m far to the left but we can both agree there’s something very wrong with these. But enough politics, because it’s Sunset Time!







After that and a few more hands of cards, we headed to Dinner for our 7 PM reservation. But first, because of the miracle that was this early train, we arrived into Alpine, TX early enough that instead of being a quick stop it became a you can hop out stop. And you know me, I always hop out.





I was surprised by how high up we were. After a couple minutes breathing in the night air I got back on the train and headed to the dining car







As all meals are included in a Sleeper ticket, I got the steak as it’s the most expensive and I have to get my Dad’s money’s worth! Well that and it’s actually pretty good, especially as they’ll cook it to the temperature you want. Tonight’s companion was a woman from Sacramento and her three year old granddaughter. They were my favorite companions of the trip. In fact, everyone we ate with was good company. We’ve had bad luck in this regard in the past and I was glad we broke our streak.





Well after that Little Debbie style chocolate bundt cake it was time for bed. Another great day of train travel in the books!

CMK10

Well, this view isn’t as nice to wake up to as yesterday’s. Funny to think I fell asleep in Texas and woke up nine hours later in…Texas. After a shower and no shave I headed to breakfast.



Once again the food was decent though whose idea was it to make an omelet with asparagus? I like the vegetable but bleh. Our companions today were from the UK and I delighted in getting their opinions on David Cameron (hate him), the Scotland Independence Referendum (the Scots are a bunch of whiners) and the Royal Family (who cares?).





Not much to see today as we approached Houston, though that small town with the antique rail equipment was a nice exception.



Speaking of Houston, here it is. We had an hour here but sadly there was no way to go see anything as the station was a little outside of downtown. Not that there’s anything to do down there on a Sunday.



I’d arranged on Craigslist for someone to meet the train with the Sunday papers for my Dad. It worked like a charm (though it wasn’t cheap) and I think I’ll do the same thing on all our trips from now on. Life is better when you have your papes.





The station was a total Amshack, but at least they’d decorated it with all this fun memorabilia.







We headed out of Houston, passed a ballpark that may never again see playoff baseball, and continued east.



After we crossed Lake Houston it was time for one last meal on the train.







As we were skipping dinner on the train to save our appetites for New Orleans, I went with the special which came with a salad and a roll. It was pretty good as long as you don’t mind Cafeteria style chicken. Today’s dining companions were a couple in their 80’s who were celebrating 25 years. They were sweet, and as they didn’t meet their meant to bes until they were 53, I don’t feel so stupid for being 29 and single!



After lunch it was time for our next station stop, and last in Texas, of Beaumont which is apparently some big port city.



When I took this shot I remarked “nice skyline” and another passenger yelled at me “don’t be a snob!”



Cute little station though



You can actually see some of the shipping behind the buildings



Lake Charles means we have entered Louisiana where the scenery got prettier







Our last real stop before NOLA and a last chance for me to walk around



Yep, this is definitely Louisiana





We pulled in a couple hours after sunset (and just after finishing the last of our liquor!) which annoyingly meant missing the crossing of the Mississippi River on the Long Bridge. But most importantly, we arrived 40 minutes early at 9 PM in time for a good dinner.

New Orleans







Dinner tonight would be at Luke, located in the Downtown Hilton on St. Charles Street. It had the benefit of being open until 11 PM on Sunday and having a raw bar.



My kind of welcome!





For the record, the oysters were my Dad’s…I think they taste like salt water and snot



He likes em though



Me, I was just thrilled they had steak frites



Plus whatever this was. Fruit and sorbet maybe? It seemed a good idea when I ordered it.



The faces of two very happy travelers. All in all an excellent meal and one half the cost of our one in LA. Plus being as it was New Orleans, my Dad got some wine in a to go cup for the road. Speaking of the road, we finally hit some bad luck.



Thanks local DOT, way to drop I-10 down to one lane when I’m here. Oh, quick story. Our cab driver decided we were just a bunch of good old white boys so he could tell us his paranoid theories on how black people, especially black women, try to stage accidents with him because he’s a cab driver. Wrong audience buddy, you’re talking to someone who goes to a historically black university and thinks ignorance is the enemy. But I wasn’t going to let that ruin a good evening, and we got to the MSY Hilton safe and sound.



Pretty sure this is the exact room we had last December when we visited on another train trip. A couple notes about the hotel: it’s a good one. It’s located literally across the street from MSY (though I wouldn’t suggest trying to walk to the airport) and the staff is great. They made sure we wanted a room with two beds like we’d booked, gave us water at check-in and let me have bonus points and breakfast coupons. Perfect! Speaking of breakfast it was a full hot breakfast in the restaurant.





After another too early day it was time to head back to reality and the real world. Oh, one last note about the hotel, their shuttle runs as needed and takes about one minute to get to the airport.

CMK10

US 5735 MSY-DCA 0730-1058 EMB-175

We’d originally been booked via CLT but US got rid of their 5:30 AM flight and I rebooked us via Washington for the extra miles.



On my way through security I checked the loads on our flight. It had been F0A0 for days but today was showing only 5 people checked in and 3 seats available. I found my Dad and we hurried to the gate. As he’s AA Platinum and we were on the same reservation, after some serious typing we were cleared into F. Definitely a nice way to end the trip.



Speaking of the gate, today was the last day in the B Concourse for US Airways. As you can see, all signage and departure monitors have already been removed.



I can make this work for a couple of hours



Pretty sure the guy in 2D wants to murder me







Another beautiful day for flying, you can see the hotel I stayed at just across the street from the terminal in this picture.





Great crew today. They offered PDBs with refills and when I asked for an OJ, Cranberry and Vodka the f/a said “oh that’s my drink!” and asked me if I wanted it with more Cranberry or OJ. Oh and she made it strong too.





So strong that it put me right back to sleep. Incidentally, the guy in 2F made an audible complaint when I reclined so I could nap. Get over it, man.



US 5784 DCA-RDU 1155-1304 EMB-170



My kind of connection, into 23, out of 25, and with the Admirals Club right in between.



Thankfully, said Club wasn’t too crowded today, it often is with the closing of the other lounge in this pier.



B6 at the Center Pier as a merger concession.



After taking this someone approached to ask who I photographed for. It turned out he was a FTer on his way to DUS. I hope you’re reading this!



Time to go home. Sadly, no luck on the upgrade today, but this was the shortest flight and an E70 in Y is fine.







My first look at the new WN paint. I can’t say I’m a fan.







Boring flight today. There was allegedly “turbulence” so no drinks in Y (though apparently turbulence doesn’t affect FAs in First) so I just read until touchdown.







Conclusion

And that is that. We got home to an enthusiastic welcome from my Mom and a much more enthusiastic one from the dog. It was a great trip, four on time flights, an early train and no hiccups at all beyond a racist cab driver. Everything I could have asked for and a perfect way to spend my break. Anyway, if you made it this far I really appreciate it. Any questions or comments (except about you being able to see my name or FFP) a

SFO777

What a great trip with your dad. I fondly remember a RTW I took with my dad a few years ago. LOL, gotta love your mom.

Just caught your 2nd post on the train. What a wonderful experience. Loved the card game selfie.

CMK10

Thank you sir, it was a wonderful experience and I cannot wait for the next one (which will probably be next May). Quite an honor to have my first comment be from you too ^

popoemt

Great report, I used to ride Amtrak as a kid from northern California to central California (welcome to Fresno folks), we didn't have the sleep cars but the observation decks and double deckers were pretty common! Thanks for the well written report! V/r, Tim

CMK10

You're welcome! I've done the Capital Corridor Route myself, but only from Richmond to Stockton. I'll have to finish it someday, it's still pretty with a lot to see.

Mrtrash757

Again, an awesome TR ! When are you going to do the Empire Builder? (If you haven't already?)


I had that happen to me Chicago-LA on the Southwest Chief... which was.....

In a seat like this for 48 hours. It wasnt the seat so much, but the people. the rudest and worst people. When I go on the Empire Builder I'm getting a roomette, like we did on the way back!

I would have said something , but hey thats my style

offerendum

Enjoyed your humor. Thanks

yyz_atc_lj

"What a lame skyline, no wonder I chose to do my undergrad in Tempe, not Tucson!"

Go Sun Devils!!!

CMK10

Thank you! And yes I agree, it's not just the people (my Dad and I at one point said you had to be either old, crazy, or broke to be riding in coach long distance) but it's the smell and the noise. Sorry to hear you had a bad delay on the Southwest Chief...I've had good luck with trains in the west, less so on trains in the east.

You're welcome, thank you.

Fork em Devils! Nice to see there are some readers with good taste

McNandez

Wow, great TR - thanks for sharing! Your reports on Amtrak make me want to give them another try!

Also, your TRs with your dad really strike a chord with me. My father passed away a few years ago and although I miss him every day, when I think of the road trips we went on, I can't help but smile, and your reports help keep those in mind.

CMK10

Bad experiences with Amtrak too huh? Can't say that's uncommon. And I'm sorry you lost your Dad but I'm glad you have such memories. One of the reasons I spend so much time with my Dad is so I can have memories like yours and not regret things when he passes.

exilencfc

I am the guy in 2D and I do want to kill you.





Ok i'm not and I don't. But I did enjoy reading the TR.