Amtrak: a partial trip report

[RedSox68]

Soooo, I remember a lot of conversation here about the dining car, but on our ride down we only have the cafe lounge. Anyone get food from there -- and any recommendations on what to eat or not to eat? Thanks.

 

[bcla]

Vancouver, BC. It was actually cheaper to fly into Seattle for a cruise leaving Vancouver and take the train. But then again, I am a train nut so I was thrilled to do that trip -- just gorgeous scenery!

My parents did that for an Alaskan cruise leaving from Vancouver, BC. They didn't take the train though. It was a bus transfer that was part of their cruise package.

Soooo, I remember a lot of conversation here about the dining car, but on our ride down we only have the cafe lounge. Anyone get food from there -- and any recommendations on what to eat or not to eat? Thanks.

There's no current cafe menu available online. However, the last one (April 2017) online is archived by Google.

https://webcache.googleusercontent....-Cafe-Menu-0417.pdf+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

It doesn't seem all that appetizing. At least on the Coast Starlight they had an Angus cheeseburger. It wasn't great. All food items are already prepared, and basically they just reheat stuff. With the burger they just cut a hole in the plastic wrapper and place it in a convection oven. The bun got kind of soggy. I had the dining car equivalent earlier for lunch, and that was actually cooked on a grill with the bun grilled and no soggy. Amtrak doesn't serve foods that need to be deep fried since deep fryers are kind of dangerous on a train that might need to make an emergency stop. I guess it's not like a food truck where they know it's going to be stopped and they can seal it when moving.

They do have DiGiorno pizza, which is pretty common on Amtrak long-distance cafe cars. I remember one time I wasn't buying from the cafe car on the Coast Starlight, but I did see some passengers come out with instant noodle bowls. Another deal is often the breakfast items sell out first, even if breakfast hours haven't started. They're the cheapest items and the price makes them attractive even during the afternoon or evening. I remember on the Coast Starlight we got an announcement at about 5 PM that they were completely out of breakfast items. Some were purchased right as we left in the morning (no breakfast in the dining car) but it was pretty obvious that they were being purchased throughout the day and they wouldn't be restocking until they got to Oakland in the morning.

 

[RedSox68]

My parents did that for an Alaskan cruise leaving from Vancouver, BC. They didn't take the train though. It was a bus transfer that was part of their cruise package.



There's no current cafe menu available online. However, the last one (April 2017) online is archived by Google.

https://webcache.googleusercontent....-Cafe-Menu-0417.pdf+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

It doesn't seem all that appetizing. At least on the Coast Starlight they had an Angus cheeseburger. It wasn't great. All food items are already prepared, and basically they just reheat stuff. With the burger they just cut a hole in the plastic wrapper and place it in a convection oven. The bun got kind of soggy. I had the dining car equivalent earlier for lunch, and that was actually cooked on a grill with the bun grilled and no soggy. Amtrak doesn't serve foods that need to be deep fried since deep fryers are kind of dangerous on a train that might need to make an emergency stop. I guess it's not like a food truck where they know it's going to be stopped and they can seal it when moving.

They do have DiGiorno pizza, which is pretty common on Amtrak long-distance cafe cars. I remember one time I wasn't buying from the cafe car on the Coast Starlight, but I did see some passengers come out with instant noodle bowls. Another deal is often the breakfast items sell out first, even if breakfast hours haven't started. They're the cheapest items and the price makes them attractive even during the afternoon or evening. I remember on the Coast Starlight we got an announcement at about 5 PM that they were completely out of breakfast items. Some were purchased right as we left in the morning (no breakfast in the dining car) but it was pretty obvious that they were being purchased throughout the day and they wouldn't be restocking until they got to Oakland in the morning.

Good to know. Thanks.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Agreeing with bcla: nothing special or even close to it in the cafe car and expensive (think Disney QS prices) to boot.

Once I ordered a ham and cheese on pretzel bread and a crudite side. I figured nobody could screw that up and I was right, LOL. I'm not a big dessert eater but right on the counter you'll find pre wrapped brownies. Nice and fudgy, baked with a pretty good quality of chocolate. I was surprised to find it.

Never eaten the cafe breakfast so can't say. They seem to do a good business selling hot dogs. You might be able to get some soup...my mind is a little hazy on that but truth be known I generally bring my own food onto the train.

You are starting your journey in Philly so for me that would mean a quick SEPTA ride on the Market-Frankfort line from the 30th Street Station to either Sonny's or Campo's. Campo's makes some beauteous hoagies and I favor Sonny's for the cheese steaks but Campo's wins hands down for the roasted pork heros; add some sauteed spinach or broccoli rabe and you have good eats that are still tasty room temp or hot. The cheese steaks don't travel as well since they really are better warm IMO.
Or you can make a run into the Reading Terminal Market where there are so many choices
and it's a bit closer to the train station.

Here's a link to Reading:

http://www.visitphilly.com/articles/philadelphia/best-things-to-eat-at-reading-terminal-market/

and this one includes the websites for both Campo's and Sonny's:


http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/12/best-philly-cheesesteaks.html

HTH!

 

[bcla]

Agreeing with bcla: nothing special or even close to it in the cafe car and expensive (think Disney QS prices) to boot.

Once I ordered a ham and cheese on pretzel bread and a crudite side. I figured nobody could screw that up and I was right, LOL. I'm not a big dessert eater but right on the counter you'll find pre wrapped brownies. Nice and fudgy, baked with a pretty good quality of chocolate. I was surprised to find it.

A lot of the cafe food is made in large commissaries and are the equivalent of vending machine meals at restaurant prices. At least quick service meals are prepared fresh in a kitchen.

The only trip I've taken on the East Coast was on the Keystone and there wasn't any food service at all. We just picked up some donuts at Krispy Kreme. Certainly it would be nice to pick up a first meal before getting to the train station, or perhaps something at the station if it's any good. My only times at 30th St I basically only transferred to another train. I was there waiting for a SEPTA-NJT transfer to get from Paoli to Penn Station, but I didn't think of exploring the area while I was waiting about 90 minutes the train.

 

[NYCgrrl]

A lot of the cafe food is made in large commissaries and are the equivalent of vending machine meals at restaurant prices. At least quick service meals are prepared fresh in a kitchen.

The only trip I've taken on the East Coast was on the Keystone and there wasn't any food service at all. We just picked up some donuts at Krispy Kreme. Certainly it would be nice to pick up a first meal before getting to the train station, or perhaps something at the station if it's any good. My only times at 30th St I basically only transferred to another train. I was there waiting for a SEPTA-NJT transfer to get from Paoli to Penn Station, but I didn't think of exploring the area while I was waiting about 90 minutes the train.

I wuvvvv the SEPTA/NJT connection; it appeals to my inner skinflint nicely and allows us to look at each other on the spur of the moment and say "Hey? Let's go to Philly!". There is no other city I still know/visit on the East Coast that has such a nice mix of high and low, then and now. Recycled oil barrels filled with trash wood to give a touch of warmth to the produce workers of the Italian Market; the walk up the well planned boulevard to the Museum of Art with points in between high-lighting the Calder family's contributions to the city. I'm sorry Strawbridge and Colthier is gone but glad another department store took it's place. Hope they do well by the holiday displays this December.

The next time you find self with an hour or so layover avail yourself of some of this city's delights. There are many nearby activities and attractions that will allow a glimmer of Philly's past and future.

Paoli?! Blast from the past for me. As a child we summer camped near Lancaster and I don't think we traveled that far but do recall the name.

 

[TLSnell1981]

No contest..roomette!

 

[bcla]

I wuvvvv the SEPTA/NJT connection; it appeals to my inner skinflint nicely and allows us to look at each other on the spur of the moment and say "Hey? Let's go to Philly!". There is no other city I still know/visit on the East Coast that has such a nice mix of high and low, then and now. Recycled oil barrels filled with trash wood to give a touch of warmth to the produce workers of the Italian Market; the walk up the well planned boulevard to the Museum of Art with points in between high-lighting the Calder family's contributions to the city. I'm sorry Strawbridge and Colthier is gone but glad another department store took it's place. Hope they do well by the holiday displays this December.

The next time you find self with an hour or so layover avail yourself of some of this city's delights. There are many nearby activities and attractions that will allow a glimmer of Philly's past and future.

Paoli?! Blast from the past for me. As a child we summer camped near Lancaster and I don't think we traveled that far but do recall the name.

It was maybe 5 years ago. We were visiting my wife's friend in the area. We actually went from Penn Station to Exton on Amtrak's Keystone Service. I thought the train would go all the way through because it was marked as one segment, but at 30th St we all had to get out and anyone going on had to transfer to a different train on the opposite platform. I think it had fewer cars, but was otherwise identical equipment.

My main problem with the SEPTA-NJT trip was that I carefully planned it for minimum transfer times, but my wife just couldn't get out of bed. There were plenty of SEPTA trains to 30th St, but that little delay hit a hole in the SEPTA Trenton Line schedule, which then hit another hole in the NJT schedule to NYC. And it got worse because my wife forgot something and went all the way back to Paoli to retrieve it. The strange thing is that she tried to make up the time by riding Amtrak from Paoli to NYC where we would meet, and her train was actually scheduled to arrive before my NJT train. It didn't because the train was delayed, but it did seem rather odd that she could go all the way back and still theoretically arrive before me.

That NJT train was a little bit odd. It was full and I remember one conductor going up to a woman and suggesting that she sit in an open seat next to a fairly clean cut looking young man. She looked at the conductor and loudly said "I don't know him!" and walked to another car. I said something about it to the young man, and he said he was rather puzzled why she wouldn't sit down next to a harmless looking guy. And the kicker was that NJT trains operate at a top speed of 79 MPH while (non-Acela) Amtrak is 120 MPH. As one Amtrak train passed us by on the inside track, a guy behind me was talking to his friend saying "That's the rich people train."

 

[NYCgrrl]

You know what they say about the best made plans. Our last train trip took 2 days for all of us to get there. By the time I finished getting everyone else packed up I was exhausted so sent them on ahead and leisurely packed for self . They took the NE Regional @ 10:35 AM and I grabbed pretty much the same train but scheduled to leave around 3:00 AM; it was interesting to say the least.

Train conductor as match maker? Yeah that's different, LOL.

Gotta agree with the price difference comment between the commuter train line ride to Philly and AMTRAK's cost. It's a gulper even though AMTRAK gets there faster. The commuter line trick is a bit of a secret and I frequently tell friends about it so they can spend the saved funds on a nice meal or souvenirs.

 

[RedSox68]

Agreeing with bcla: nothing special or even close to it in the cafe car and expensive (think Disney QS prices) to boot.

Once I ordered a ham and cheese on pretzel bread and a crudite side. I figured nobody could screw that up and I was right, LOL. I'm not a big dessert eater but right on the counter you'll find pre wrapped brownies. Nice and fudgy, baked with a pretty good quality of chocolate. I was surprised to find it.

Never eaten the cafe breakfast so can't say. They seem to do a good business selling hot dogs. You might be able to get some soup...my mind is a little hazy on that but truth be known I generally bring my own food onto the train.

You are starting your journey in Philly so for me that would mean a quick SEPTA ride on the Market-Frankfort line from the 30th Street Station to either Sonny's or Campo's. Campo's makes some beauteous hoagies and I favor Sonny's for the cheese steaks but Campo's wins hands down for the roasted pork heros; add some sauteed spinach or broccoli rabe and you have good eats that are still tasty room temp or hot. The cheese steaks don't travel as well since they really are better warm IMO.
Or you can make a run into the Reading Terminal Market where there are so many choices
and it's a bit closer to the train station.

Here's a link to Reading:

http://www.visitphilly.com/articles/philadelphia/best-things-to-eat-at-reading-terminal-market/

and this one includes the websites for both Campo's and Sonny's:


http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/12/best-philly-cheesesteaks.html

HTH!

We plan to pick up hoagies in the train terminal for our "first" meal -- although if we eat late enough we won't need dinner since it's not included going down. The terminal has a couple of good hoagie/deli shops in there that I'm familiar with their food. For dinner, if we're hungry at all, we'll grab whatever they have left.

 

[NYCgrrl]

We plan to pick up hoagies in the train terminal for our "first" meal -- although if we eat late enough we won't need dinner since it's not included going down. The terminal has a couple of good hoagie/deli shops in there that I'm familiar with their food. For dinner, if we're hungry at all, we'll grab whatever they have left.

Do you remember the names of any of the hoagie shops you frequent at 30th Street? Never know when I'll be in a hurry.

 

[RedSox68]

Do you remember the names of any of the hoagie shops you frequent at 30th Street? Never know when I'll be in a hurry.

We haven't been to 30th Street station since the last time my mom came in by train 20 years ago. However, I googled the restaurants there and two of them we have been to their off-site locations. I'll try to find the list I printed and post.

 

[bcla]

You know what they say about the best made plans. Our last train trip took 2 days for all of us to get there. By the time I finished getting everyone else packed up I was exhausted so sent them on ahead and leisurely packed for self . They took the NE Regional @ 10:35 AM and I grabbed pretty much the same train but scheduled to leave around 3:00 AM; it was interesting to say the least.

Train conductor as match maker? Yeah that's different, LOL.

Gotta agree with the price difference comment between the commuter train line ride to Philly and AMTRAK's cost. It's a gulper even though AMTRAK gets there faster. The commuter line trick is a bit of a secret and I frequently tell friends about it so they can spend the saved funds on a nice meal or souvenirs.

I didn’t get the impression that he was trying to play matchmaker. It was an empty seat and she was the only one standing. She just seemed indignant that anyone would suggest that she sit next to an adult male stranger.

We could have taken the Keystone all the way, but that was maybe double the cost of two rides on SEPTA and the transfer to NJT in Trenton. SEPTA also had some special fare from any of the western suburb lines to Trenton through 30th St. We frankly couldn’t figure that out without asking at the ticket office in Paoli.

 

[RedSox68]

So just got informed that because of my husband's newly diagnosed medical condition, Amtrak "upgraded" us to an accessible room -- which is twice the size of the roomette. I wish it wasn't for the reason it was, but the up side is at least now I don't have to worry about the luggage and where to store it. I can actually bring the full size luggage.

My friend leaves this Sunday on the auto train for three weeks in Florida -- she's never vacationed that long or taken the train, so I'm excited for her and her new experience.

 

[RedSox68]

Quick trip report -- more later.

Train ride down was a nightmare -- engineer drove like he was trying to break a speed limit and my mattress slid off the bottom bunk twice because it was liking being airborne. There were times when we swore we were going to go off the tracks. Even our room steward said that that engineer that got on in Washington made the overnight trip "interesting". My poor husband got banged around so much (in a handicap room no less) that Amtrak actually gave us a partial refund. Placing a handicap room on the axles is just the dumbest idea -- I couldn't even imagine someone in a wheelchair trying to maneuver in the bathroom -- they would have ended up on the floor. It was the roughtest ride I've ever had on a train.

Our room steward filed a report and suggested I call Amtrak to see if we could be moved to a one-bedroom, but when I called they were booked for the return trip. But she did offer the refund and I was grateful for that.

The trip back was 6 hours late -- started out 2-1/2 hours late because a commuter train in Miami hit a pedestrian, which caused Amtrak to have to wait until the investigation was done. Then during the night we were delayed another 90 minutes because of a stalled freight train somewhere near Savannah. Then during the morning we had to keep "pulling over" for freight trains which added another hour. Because we had a dining car going home, all meals were provided -- including lunch since we were on the train so long. They actually gave away beef stew to those in coach since they had to pay for their meals.

HOWEVER, the ride home was the very ride we expected on the way down -- reasonable speeds, smoother ride and much more reasonable comfort. We did feel bad, however, because our room steward was telling us there were many people in our car panicking about meeting deadlines. One couple from England, who had started their vacation in Florida, was trying to make a cruise in NYC. Since they were originally supposed to arrive at 11 a.m., that would have been fine. But since we didn't get to Philly until after 3 p.m., and their check-in was no later than 4:30 p.m., we held little hope they were going to make it. Of course, someone in the dining car had to lecture them that they shouldn't have done a same day travel.

Then there was a mother and daughter who had tickets to the Rockettes for the 5 p.m. show. Didn't see them making that one either. We were happy we were going home and had no deadlines to meet. We did see some really pretty scenery, but it was weird seeing fall foliage in Virginia on the way down and then waking up to palm trees. Of course, it was also amazing that the day we arrived home it started snowing LOL.

 

[BrianL]

Quick trip report -- more later.

Sorry for your rough experience. I've been there. I rode Amtrack once, and swore not to again. We had some bad weather and once we were delayed a little bit it caused a domino effect. The freight trains get priority so you're basically stuck, and unlike when a plane gets delayed or something, you have no options. To be fair, I felt the Amtrack staff was very nice and, yeah, they gave us that beef stew. The trip took twice as long as it should have. It's just not a method of travel I am willing to rely on.

 

[RedSox68]

Sorry for your rough experience. I've been there. I rode Amtrack once, and swore not to again. We had some bad weather and once we were delayed a little bit it caused a domino effect. The freight trains get priority so you're basically stuck, and unlike when a plane gets delayed or something, you have no options. To be fair, I felt the Amtrack staff was very nice and, yeah, they gave us that beef stew. The trip took twice as long as it should have. It's just not a method of travel I am willing to rely on.

We did it for the novelty -- and the crew going both ways were amazing. Very helpful, polite and informative. It was fun having the dining car on the way back and we thought their food was amazing and surprised us! My husband got the steak and it was better than I've had in some restaurants! If I could guaranty our future trips would be as smooth a ride as the one home, I'd do it again, but I'm not willing to take that chance. The ride down was downright scary!

 

[NYCgrrl]

Thanks for your trip report, Redsox68.

We'll be leaving in about 10 days travelling AMTRAK's dining car train down and I hope I have all the travel comfort accessories in hand: neck pillow, a poncho that will multi-function as a blanket and thermos. Can you think of anything else we might need/want? Two of us will sleep in a roomette and the other has a coach seat.
Sounds like the going down engineer made the ride a tad lively and I thought the mattresses were hooked to the frame; guess not and think I'll try and think of a something simple to "MacGyver" them. Thanks for that heads up!

Good to hear firsthand the food is edible. Have read several reviews but nothing like hearing it directly.

 

[RedSox68]

Thanks for your trip report, Redsox68.

We'll be leaving in about 10 days travelling AMTRAK's dining car train down and I hope I have all the travel comfort accessories in hand: neck pillow, a poncho that will multi-function as a blanket and thermos. Can you think of anything else we might need/want? Two of us will sleep in a roomette and the other has a coach seat.
Sounds like the going down engineer made the ride a tad lively and I thought the mattresses were hooked to the frame; guess not and think I'll try and think of a something simple to "MacGyver" them. Thanks for that heads up!

Good to hear firsthand the food is edible. Have read several reviews but nothing like hearing it directly.

Having the dining car down will save you quite a bit on food. Our trip down did not have the dining car and we brought lots of snacks and bottles of soda. Two sandwiches, a cheese tray (small) and a bag of chips in the cafe lounge costs us $24! I tended to think that the reason our ride back was smoother was because of the dining car and the fact they couldn't drive like they were in the Indy 500 with food being prepared and served!

We took extra ponchos for fear of being cold, but a sweatshirt was fine as the rooms were very comfortable and had the ability to switch off the air vents. There were some unpleasant odors every time the train stopped, so bring a travel size can of room freshner for a quick spritz. Neck pillows are a must.

The food really did surprise us -- the pecan tart was amazing. For breakfast I had an omelet with potatoes and my husband had scrambled eggs. We both got bacon and "croissants". They don't serve toast, so I asked for 2 croissants -- which really turned out to be square fluffy "biscuits" and were amazing. For lunch we had the salads with goat cheese, walnuts, pecans, grapes, etc. and it was huge. Came with a roll.

 

[Albort]

im not sure if this was brought up but it is a quite a big price difference. A coach ticket is like $100, a roomette is close to $800. at that point, i would consider stopping somewhere, get a hotel night, then hope on the next day would probably be worth it. (pricing is LA -->SEA).

Your right about the snack cart. Even on a 2 hour trip south and north, they were out of almost everything. (LA -->SD).