I did not plan to write again until I hit the trail, but what do you do when stuck on a train for 27 hours?

I’ve learned some things about rail travel in general and specifically about traveling from Sarasota to NYC by train. First of all, do not do it! FYI there is no Amtrak station in Sarasota, and so they trek you to the Orlando train station by bus. Their bus. And very convenient—I boarded the Amtrak bus 5 minutes from the house and arrived in Orlando with an hour to spare. I will post a photo of the train station and another photo depicting its rich heritage when I learn how to do that.

If you live on Florida‘s west coast, you might be wondering why I did not skip north for 60 miles and catch the train in Tampa. Well, there is an Amtrak station there, but there was no train in Tampa that day. How do I know this? Because our bus stopped at the Tampa Amtrak station and collected more passengers for Orlando. Is this a permanent arrangement, or temporary? I don’t know.

A sad state for Amtrak…and America. When Annice and I lived in Philadelphia, we always took the Metroliner (pre Acela) to NYC and DC.

I fear we will never enjoy a European or Japanese level of train service in the U.S. The freight trains own most of the tracks and the airlines own most of the politicians. Amtrak is like a stepchild begging for leftovers. OK, enough politics. The pit boss will slap me silly if I go on.

Other Amtrak observations: 1) The noticeable range in speed. The Washington to NYC segment was very fast, but the Orlando to DC segment was significantly slower overall and the train went thru many towns that required slowing down even more. 2) The Food car hours of operation were a mystery and my grilled cheese sandwich was spongy and chewy. 3) Restrooms were often, but not always found to be like a gas station restroom.

For a trip that long, the sleeper car is the way to go. Imagine sitting on an airplane for a whole day. I know now that I will never fly non-stop to New Zealand. And so, my Amtrak experience was not for naught. Do you know how much moola Annice and I will save by not flying non-stop to New Zealand?

I was curious to see the new NYC Amtrak home at Moynihan Hall, but when I came up the ramp from the tracks, the spacious room looked familiar. It should have looked familiar, because we debarked in Penn Station. I found an employee and asked where I could retrieve my luggage. She said, “Across the street in Moynihan Hall.” I am not making this up.

I trekked over to Moynihan Hall and I discovered why we landed in Penn Station. Moynihan Hall is too friggin beautiful to muck up with dirty ole trains. It’s like a modern airport, but more open, more spacious. Very nice. I retrieved my luggage and headed to the next connection.

I chose to make this trip by train, because the NYC train station(s) are only 8 short blocks from the NY Port Authority bus station where I caught a commuter bus to Delaware Water Gap and the Appalachian Trail. I checked into a motel to go over my inventory one last time, before I hit the trail.