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Thursday, May 17, 2012

CULTURE

All Aboard! Traveling by Train from New York to Tucson

Leaving our beloved NYC for a cross-country move to Tucson merited a grand exit for my ten year-old son and me. The thought of boarding a plane to abruptly begin our new life in the Southwest seemed rather anti-climactic. An overdue “Darjeeling Limited” DVD on top of the pile on the kitchen table gave me an idea: A train trip! My son and I could have our own comedic journey. We were in.

I called and set up our itinerary on Amtrak: New York to Chicago on the Cardinal in Coach; Chicago to Albuquerque on the Southwest Chief in a roomette, complete with reclining seats that convert to a bed and an upper berth that folks down from above. In Albuquerque, we would disembark for a few days to visit my brother. Then we’d hop back on, head to L.A. overnight, and spend the weekend visiting friends. The last leg of the trip would be from LA to Tucson aboard the Sunset Limited. The total trip would last nine days.

We mostly camped in coach but had the most fun in our roomette. Fisher, my son, was enamored with locking me out and shutting the drapes every time I went to the restroom. He was fascinated with the contraption that would catch him if the train pitched too far to one side, though the highlight for him was taking a “moving” shower, which is really funny as he avoids showers at home.  

As for me, I loved taking drive-by photos and being able to fall asleep while stargazing from my bed. A few of my snapshots from the trip are pictured in the collage above.

The unexpected predicament of being seated with strangers at mealtime in the dining car was at first alarming, and then we began to look forward to it. Watching my son interact with seniors, singles, and the wait staff made me smile.

In support of other likeminded travelers planning train trips, I reached out to Joe Brancatelli, a business journalist and founder of Joe Sent Me, “the homepage for business travelers” featuring news, tips and deals. Along with purchasing tickets ahead for the best prices and B.Y.O everything (from snacks to entertainment to bedding), he reminds travelers to mind their manners. “Red caps, porters, and other railway personnel can give you the ‘work-arounds’ and the ins and outs. Be friendly!” he says.

Until our next journey, Fisher and I are shopping for a model train (or two) to remind us of our trip. A model train collection (even a mini one) would put us among the thousands (maybe millions?) of avid collectors around the world, many of who use eBay as prime hunting grounds. According to Ivka Adam, Collectibles Manager at eBay, model trains are consistently one of the top five collectibles categories on eBay, along with U.S. coins, bullion, sports cards and dolls. She says that a model train, for which there are approximately 112,000 current listings, is sold about every minute on eBay.

 

As for what to pack for a real life train trip, here’s a list of what I used most—and what I’ll bring for next time.

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