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cruft posted:When I've gone through LA, it seemed like a really busy union station connecting CalTrans or whatever it's called, so there was a ton of foot traffic. I just checked: yeah, the Ritz-Carlton is nearby, it'll be fine. Looks like I can't stay with my loyalty chain (IHG) though but whatever. Let us know if you eat at union station. It's supposed to be real nice!
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Apr 29, 2023 03:23
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I am currently researching how to get my 15-year-old folding bicycle into a suitcase, because I'm planning to take the train to my new job in Washington 3-4 times a year and I don't want to have to rent a car. It's not looking super workable. The bike does fit into a suitcase, but I'm not sure I want to leave it downstairs, right next to the exit and out of sight, for 3 days at a time. |
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May 1, 2023 04:21
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cruft posted:I am currently researching how to get my 15-year-old folding bicycle into a suitcase, because I'm planning to take the train to my new job in Washington 3-4 times a year and I don't want to have to rent a car. For a carbon-neutral future that includes electric trains, I'm surprised that you can't just check bikes into baggage cars. Hopefully that changes.
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May 1, 2023 05:36
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sb hermit posted:For a carbon-neutral future that includes electric trains, I'm surprised that you can't just check bikes into baggage cars. Hopefully that changes. Well you can, kind of. It's complicated. I can't on the route I'm taking, but that may change in the next few years as they replace cars. I posted a longer response to this in the travel thread. My trip to Minneapolis starts in 5 days! |
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May 1, 2023 14:17
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I saw a play about this once but that travel time doesn't really scream express like in the play's title Apparently I'm #1 Kotori fan |
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May 1, 2023 17:21
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Hello, train thread. I get on a train tomorrow afternoon and arrive in Chicago Saturday... sometime. Depends on what BNSF decides they want to do. Nothing scheduled in Chicago other than hopefully meeting up with MFP, then sleeping, then catching another train on Sunday. Or maybe sleeping first: I've got Sunday until 14:00. Anyway, expect some hot train posting action. Get ready for it! |
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May 5, 2023 04:17
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timing might be rough depending. i'm playing board games at a friend's way up on the north side Saturday afternoon/evening, that probably won't go too late. sunday i'm supposed to do brunch at 10 near my place and then I have a thing at 12:30 that's probably gonna run into the evening. Amtrak is amtrak obviously, but do you have an idea about when you're expected to be in on Saturday? and would you be up for something later at night? if it doesn't work out it doesn't work out but I'd love to meet up if it makes sense
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May 5, 2023 05:38
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cruft posted:Hello, train thread. Eat a chicago dog for me!
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May 5, 2023 07:45
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sb hermit posted:Eat a chicago dog for me! The children inform me that this is called a 'glizzy'
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May 5, 2023 18:03
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Hello from the Lamy station! Which is now "unsupervised", which means all these old people are sitting outside acting cranky about the train being late. Good thing it's a nice day! Train #4 is currently stuck in Albuquerque. Once it gets moving again it'll be about an hour before I can get on. No telling how long that will be. |
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May 5, 2023 19:53
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cruft posted:Hello from the Lamy station! I hope it makes the right turn! Or was it left?
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May 5, 2023 20:36
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GODSPEED JOHN GLENN posted:The children inform me that this is called a 'glizzy' then call me a glizzy glutton 'cause dressed up dogs make my mouth water
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May 5, 2023 20:37
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I am on the train 
cruft fucked around with this message at 22:01 on May 5, 2023 |
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May 5, 2023 21:43
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The dining car is back! This is heckin' rad! I'mma make a reservation for 18:00 and have dinner with some total strangers! |
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May 5, 2023 22:01
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Let us know what you have for dinner 
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May 5, 2023 22:10
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Any plans for the trip? sightseeing, reading, gaming, moviewatching, live streaming...? All of the above?
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May 5, 2023 22:13
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Well I'm vegetarian so it looks like I'm going to get rigatoni. I hope I didn't miss the opportunity to make a reservation... |
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May 5, 2023 22:13
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will you be passing anything as mysterious as the mima mounds???
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May 5, 2023 22:14
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cruft posted:Well I'm vegetarian so it looks like I'm going to get rigatoni. rigatoni sounds delish maybe I'll make some tonight. Or some kind of pasta.
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May 5, 2023 22:15
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sb hermit posted:Any plans for the trip? sightseeing, reading, gaming, moviewatching, live streaming...? I've got a couple movies to watch, and a Tony Hillerman novel to finish. Right now I'm enjoying the scenery. Just east of Lamy is frickin' gorgeous. Also Ratón pass. If there's time I'll try to get some work in on the model for my electronic bagpipes, and put in some practicing on the ones I already have. And posting, of course. I should get in Chicago around 15:30 tomorrow. |
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May 5, 2023 22:18
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Lots of kids on this train. In front of me is a family of four going to Kansas. They have a tiny baby and a little girl who's very excited. My seatmate is an older guy who likes trains a little more than I do. Across the aisle is a lady traveling by herself, and behind me sounds like a dad and kid watching what sounds like Shrek: I can barely hear it, so not sure. I just made reservations on the dining car. It's $45 holy crap, but I'm saving like $300 by not taking the plane so I went for it. In my little lunchbox are 6 boiled eggs, a bunch of hummus, some triscuits, and a pound of mixed nuts. I'll be going through that tomorrow. |
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May 5, 2023 22:24
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someBODY
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May 5, 2023 22:37
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For some reason, I considered mixed nuts to be a reasonably affordable snack but it's now approaching delicacy prices (to be fair, this is over the span of 30+ years). Or maybe it's just cashews and pistachios. Peanuts are still cheap, thankfully, but I have to consume them in limited quantities because they're so good and I get addicted.
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May 5, 2023 22:40
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I think in the hierarchy of nuts, the peanut is the most underrated nut. Peanuts are fuckin good, yo (unless you're allergic). I mean OK they're not pistachios or macadamias, but they're up there. |
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May 5, 2023 22:42
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whenever I try to read anything in a moving vehicle, I get a headache in short order. It's reading large portions of text quickly that does it, so if I have to do work where I just ponder an issue or carefully word a response, it's easier because I work it out in my head before I type it in. Tony Hillerman sounds like a pretty engaging author with a unique viewpoint. I should probably try to pick up a book or two of his. It's a good excuse for me to hit up the library since covid19, I guess.
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May 5, 2023 22:46
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Finger Prince posted:I think in the hierarchy of nuts, the peanut is the most underrated nut. Peanuts are fuckin good, yo (unless you're allergic). I mean OK they're not pistachios or macadamias, but they're up there. the best thing about peanuts is that they're cheap and good enough to experiment with, so you can get candied peanuts, toffee coated peanuts, chocolate coated peanuts (m&ms or mr goodbar, either works), peanuts dusted with cool ranch, peanuts used as filler for other mixed nuts, peanuts ground into a sort of butter, peanuts roasted hot in front of you at the ball game, etc yes sir, throw a big bag of hot nuts in my face, thank you, here's 
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May 5, 2023 22:52
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Peanuts are great, agreed. I've always wondered why the cheap mixed nuts advertise less than 50% peanuts. Give me 70% peanuts and promise I'll never get a Brazil nut, you've got a customer. |
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May 5, 2023 23:55
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Last year my employer struck some weird deal with American Airlines that got me first class upgrades all the time. First class seats on an airplane are roughly the same size as Amtrak coach seats, but the space you get is smaller than Amtrak. The woman across the aisle has the leg rest out, seat fully reclined, and her feet are dangling off the end of the leg rest. Think of a recliner, it's basically that. You also get a little footrest bar you can drop down if, like me, you have longer legs. There's a tray table you can pull down, about 25% bigger than an airline tray table. And, of course, you can stand up and walk around any time you want to. I'm 6'2" with a short torso, and I can extend my legs all the way out. With the fancy dinner that includes booze, this is feeling pretty posh right now. Downsides: there are other people. Of course, in first class on American, like ¾ of the time I sat next to someone who wanted to talk my ear off. So the train is like that but also with children. I don't mind it but I know this sort of thing drives some people nuts. |
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May 6, 2023 00:05
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cruft posted:Last year my employer struck some weird deal with American Airlines that got me first class upgrades all the time. I only got first class a couple of flights but the bliss that comes with free unlimited jack and coke is an experience that cannot be replicated except in a casino or at home.
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May 6, 2023 01:07
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Dinner:
Seating is limited so you get other folks at the table. I sat across from a couple from Fresno, he was a semi-retired Anglican priest. I felt bad that I didn't wait for them to say grace. They were a lot of fun. Nice folks. Now I'm sleepy so I'm going to blow up my pillow and conk out. I bring Benadryl in case I have trouble getting to sleep, but I don't think I'll need it tonight. When I wake up tomorrow I'll get to see how badly delayed we were to Kansas City. |
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May 6, 2023 03:38
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cruft posted:Dinner: Now I'm split between having a glass of red when I get home, or tequila on the rocks. I would have also liked to make a bolognese but I'm not talented enough yet. Sounds like you brought some sort of camping pillow. I hope it's comfortable! I got one over the pandemic but I haven't gone camping with it yet.
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May 6, 2023 04:26
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Okay, real talk, sleeping was not easy. The chair reclines, which is great, but I'm not a back sleeper, and, well, that was the only option, really. I have a little travel sleep kit I got on a previous trip. It includes a blanket, eye cover, and pillow. I've never quite figured out how these pillows are supposed to work: I used mine like a kind of donut to go around my head. It was okay. Lots of Amish on this train. I read somewhere that their thing isn't the outright rejection of technology, but rather the careful consideration of what they adopt. Like, I'll be honest, I've had so many zippers fail and render things useless, I get the button thing. |
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May 6, 2023 13:16
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I took a train to get to south Osaka tonight. That's my train story!
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May 6, 2023 13:20
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cruft posted:Lots of kids on this train. In front of me is a family of four going to Kansas. They have a tiny baby and a little girl who's very excited. My seatmate is an older guy who likes trains a little more than I do. Across the aisle is a lady traveling by herself, and behind me sounds like a dad and kid watching what sounds like Shrek: I can barely hear it, so not sure. It's too late for this advice this time around, but when the train leaves the station, you can ask the conductor if there are any available Roomettes. If there are, they can usually be had for a crazy discount. Not only do you get a little privacy and access to showers, you also get three meals a day.
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May 6, 2023 13:51
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Robot Made of Meat posted:It's too late for this advice this time around, but when the train leaves the station, you can ask the conductor if there are any available Roomettes. If there are, they can usually be had for a crazy discount. Not only do you get a little privacy and access to showers, you also get three meals a day. That is a solid tip, thanks. I'm going to be going by train a whole hell of a lot this year and probably the next 5-20 years, so at some point I may do this. I bet I can come up with something to help me sleep better. One thing I found to be very helpful is this Robert Jordan audiobook. The reader uses the exact same inflection on every sentence and it is boring AF. Puts me out within minutes, every time. |
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May 6, 2023 14:54
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2 hours to Chicago. There is a *lot* of water in this part of the country: the Mississippi is really big. |
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May 6, 2023 20:06
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cruft posted:I'm going to be going by train a whole hell of a lot this year and probably the next 5-20 years, so at some point I may do this. I'm envious of that.
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May 6, 2023 20:14
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more falafel please posted:timing might be rough depending. i'm playing board games at a friend's way up on the north side Saturday afternoon/evening, that probably won't go too late. sunday i'm supposed to do brunch at 10 near my place and then I have a thing at 12:30 that's probably gonna run into the evening. Hi, MFP. Later at night might not be a great idea before this incredibly stressful high-stakes week coming up. But I'll be back in Chicago next Saturday! And I'll be going to DC at least once this year, so there will be other opportunities. |
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May 6, 2023 21:36
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glad your trip seems like it's rolling along nicely  but I'm sorry you didn't sleep well. as someone else with some trouble sleeping on my back I get it. I have self medicated for sleep aid too for a long time so there's that. hoping you make it to Chi town safe, let me know if'n you have time and spoons to get a meal when you're up here
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May 7, 2023 14:03
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| # ? May 13, 2024 07:36 |
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It wasn't awful, just not ideal. The overnight stay in Chicago was honestly a good break, I got plenty of sleep and a noodle. This morning it was two more of the package of six hard boiled grocery store eggs, some more triscuits and hummus, and an orange. This hotel was crazy expensive, I'm going to have to find a cheaper way to do this. I've checked out now and I'm sitting in the hotel lobby planning my next move. Train leaves in 4 hours and the $50 dinner two nights ago combined with this hotel has ruined my mood to go through money, so I'm looking up stuff to do downtown that won't cost anything. Worst case I can just hang out in the hotel lobby reading for a couple hours. I know imgur is going away any day now but I lack a way to scale down this photo of my backpack, so sorry, future people, for the broken image. This is some REI thing we got years ago for a trip overseas. It's mostly a big open space, but has pockets on the sides for me to put my self-standing banner for the conference, and tie down points down the back to attach my fancy French canvas blazer, insulated lunch box, and my Amtrak sleep kit. I used some paracord to tie down the blazer, and carabiniers to attach the other junk. 
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May 7, 2023 17:16
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