Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/07/04

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Amtrak not a real alternative to air travel
From: Jeffery Smith <jls@runbox.com>
Date: Thu, 04 Jul 2002 20:49:02 -0500
References: <1a3.4bc18ec.2a562cdf@aol.com>

Odd coincidence. I was just considering taking Amtrak to San Diego to visit 
my mother in August. The round trip fare was reasonable! It was only $336, 
about the same as plane fare, and the meals were "complimentary". What a 
nice way to leisurely take a 2,000 mile trip in air-conditioned comfort 
with no x-ray or para-military security guards. Then I scrolled down 
further. For the creature comforts of having a bed to sleep in and a chair 
to sit in and a window to look out of and a toilet, the total came to $1,686!

For now, I'll look at Graham's photos of trains and take the plane. So, 
what's wrong with an occasional public strip search by a lady of dubious 
sexuality? I could use some variety in my life.

Jeffery

At 09:21 PM 7/4/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>Amtrak?  Gimme a break!
>
>My 91 year old grandfather [with hearing aids and confined to a wheelchair
>during travel] and his SO recently finished another trip to visit me on
>Amtrak from San Jose to DC and back with first class accommodations.  This
>trip was a complete disaster, like the last one they took 5 years ago [same
>itinerary]:
>
>- The originating pick up station in CA was *closed* on the day they were to
>begin the trip and they were never told or notified.  No wheelchair.  Just
>wait for the train to arrive and hope someone will help to get granddad on
>board.
>- Amtrak kept running out of food on the train, all the way out to the east
>coast.
>- They got stuck in a snow storm in Montana and had to be bused to another
>location to continue the trip.
>- After a stop-over in Pennsylvania, they were denied a sleeper car berth
>that they had paid for from Pittsburgh to DC and were not allowed into the
>first class dining car.  Amtrak grudgingly allowed them to eat in another
>dining car, but not without a fight.
>- They arrived 6 hours late into DC because a drunk woman drove her car in
>front of the train.
>- The DC departure time on the ticket differed from what it really was, so
>they missed the departing train back to Pittsburgh by 4 minutes.  Since my
>granddad purchased the entire trip through an Amtrak ticket agent, Amtrak
>gave them a flight on US Airways to get them to PA on-time for their
>connecting train [with the associated nightmare of getting a handicapped
>senior through heavy security at National].
>- More problems with the train running out of food out to the west coast.
>- Their train arrived late [5 hours] in southern CA, so they were bused
>again to another station to make the connection that finally took them home.
>
>In my own Amtrak experience and that of other family members, this is not an
>isolated incident.
>
>Back to polishing my M6.
>
>/Mitch
>_________________________________________
>Mitch Zeissler
>   E-mail: zeissler@directvinternet.com
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > Sent: Thursday, July 04, 2002 6:58 PM
> > To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> > Subject: Re: [Leica] airport security kinda long. ;-)
> >
> > Try Amtrak's California Zephyr, Chicago to San
> >
> > Seth     LaK 9
>
>
>--
>To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html


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Replies: Reply from "James A. Gatlin" <jagatlin@attbi.com> (Re: [Leica] Amtrak not a real alternative to air travel)
In reply to: Message from SthRosner@aol.com (Re: [Leica] airport security kinda long. ;-))