Ok class - next lesson on trains

Probably the least comfortable area of the train is the coach seat. We were, as I said, going to have to go by coach from Portland, Or to Chicago, Il. Even when we made out reservations way ahead, the bedrooms and roomettes were gone. I haven't ridden coach in about 15 years. It was from Houston to El Paso on the Sunset Limited. The train was really late then (a lot of retail traffic that ended us on sidings - doesn't happen so much now. I wasn't in the lap of luxury for the over night, but I wasn't miserable. After a certain hour, the lights go down, you put your chair back down, and sleep - sort of.

If you are riding coach, you can go up to an observation car. You can go to the diner. You can go to the club car where there is food. There you find sandwiches and the like, and wine too. Don't know about any thing else. I haven't gone because once I get up the stairs, I don't like to go down until we are at our destination. I send G! But he won't be traveling with you, so you are on your own!

The roomette, from what I see, is two chairs for regular traveling that make up into one bed for sleeping. They are on both sides of the sleeper car. They have doors on them so you can have privacy if you want, and I think they are like the bedrooms where that door is a pocket door enabling you to be exposed to the hallway. The other bed seems to be one that is above like the bedroom that drops from the ceiling. This area is also first class. That means your meals in the diner are included in your ticket. Also coffee and juice are available at the stair well where the bedrooms begin. You will have to use a communal bathroom however. It is used only by the folks in the sleeper cars. Folks from the coach area are not allowed in the sleeper cars.

The bedroom is my favorite. It consists of a couch that is a good six feet long and a chair facing the couch. You have a pocket door or a curtain or both to give you privacy from traffic. These rooms have a "bath roon" in the room, but don't get too excited. The sink is just as you enter the room. It is probably half the sized sink as a home bar sink, and it does have running hot and cold water. There is a mirror above. The shower and toilet and pretty much one and the same. There is a door that is water proof. Most of the shower stall is the toilet. When you want to shower, there is a hand held, I think, shower head. You make sure the door is closed well and pull the curtain over it. They recommend that when you shower, you sit on the toilet lid. Let me tell you - depending when you shower, and where the train is - that is a wonderful idea! The toilet/shower uses space very well, but it gets the job done - which ever job you need!

The diner still has the graciousness that it always had. Even though people no longer dress up for travel, the diner reminds you of time gone by. The tables are for four. They have table cloths that look so much like fabric that one meal, I had to find the edge to be sure that it was paper. There is a real flower on the table, and the knives and forks look like silver - they may be silver plate or a good substitute. They do have communal dining - that means they fill the tables. Unless you are a group of four, you will be seated with other travelers to fill that table. The food, while not needing to be prepared to order, is prepared on the train. The menu is pretty much the same for all trains. It is tasty. The flatiron steak is prepared to your taste, and just that cut is a really good steak. The prices, if you are a coach passenger, are not high. That steak is the most pricey, and it is $24. You can find a good meal that begins usually with a salad then the protein with potatoes and vegetable for no more that you would pay in a mid-cost restaurant.

The fun of the diner or club/or observation car is getting to know other people. We have met and dined with some fascinating people. It really is fun.

To get schematics of the train cars, go to www.amtrak.com.

Peace.