We’re heading back home today. I’m sitting in the Grand Junction Station with a view of the striated mountains. It’s running a bit late, as seems to be the norm especially west of Chicago. We’ll go from here to Chi-town in (allegedly) 26 hours, then Chicago to Boston in (again, allegedly) 22 hours.
We’re doing the rail pass, but I thought about splurging on a sleeper car for at least one of these legs. Luckily, they are all out, so I just saved a over a thousand dollars that I will now have to enjoy in some other way
Gotta say, despite the delays and the somewhat uncomfortable sleeping, I’m all in on train travel. Unless there’s a boat option, of course.
I know I am way late on this. For some reason I always forget this thread exists until someone posts something and brings it back on top.
Anyway, I love the Eurostar service and this really is a shame. I think it is especially unfortunate for the British, since us continentals are more used to changing trains on high speed services, so aren’t as dependent on direct connections. But they made their bed, now they have to lie in it.
Meanwhile, I can still take a TGV from Stuttgart to Paris and the Eurostar to London from there when I’m back in central Europe. Just looks like it will be even more expensive now that they’re running the Eurostar on reduced capacity.
French restaurants are reportedly requiring more than $5,000 minimum spend per table and refusing reservations for returning diners who didn’t spend enough at their last visit
Siri told the Nice Matin paper she would begin talking to restaurant owners and warned that restaurants could risk losing their licenses if they were found guilty of “extortion and organized racketeering” and “illegally compiling databases” of customers.
I’d splurge for some sleeper cars next time, but for $499 each, it was a pretty great way to travel the country (and we still had a couple more segments we could’ve used on our passes), and trains west of Chicago were pretty comfortable to sleep on, even in coach.
The WiFi was unreliable. Luckily, we’d loaned out a hot-spot from the library for the trip. It was great, with just enough “no service available” areas to force us into semi-vacation mode when we otherwise would’ve been trying to work.
In mid-October I’m doing a 4-day drive from Chicago, around Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, and back to Chicago. Expect to stop in Holland MI; Mackinaw City, MI; Sault ste. Marie, ON; Thunder Bay, ON; Duluth MN.
Any suggestions for things to see? I’m pretty familiar with Holland and marginally familiar with Duluth.
I had been wondering about this in case I would be able to travel from San Diego to Chicago to visit dad. Do the seats recline at all? Was there much difference between coach and business class seats?
I’d have more suggestions if you were staying in the US for the Superior shore. Just north of Duluth is Gooseberry Falls, it’s pretty. Lutsen is more of a winter tourist area for x-country skiers and ice fisherfolk. There’s Ile Royale, but I’m not sure where you could get a ferry since Michigan claims it (I can’t even with that). What’s your route from Duluth to Chicago? Could be more stuff to see depending on that.
You’ll probably be going through Nipigon, ON during the peak of brook trout spawning migration. Nipigon Bay and the Nipigon River have some of the biggest brook trout in the world. I’m not sure if they are as visible as salmon during their migration but it might be worth checking the river as you cross it. They should be pretty colorful by then!
There will also be salmon in those waters at the time. I’m not sure what’s in season and what isn’t, but it’s always amazing to watch salmon/trout go up a river. It’s especially cool if it’s a pink year. They get pretty funky looking.
If you’re not a picky sleeper, you can definitely hack it.
Be prepared to bring some kinda hearing-cancelling-thing.
We were seated directly in front of three really chatty drunk people who discussing their kinky sex lives, which I didn’t really want to hear about, and we were traveling with our then 4-year old. C’est la vie.
There’s Ile Royale, but I’m not sure where you could get a ferry since Michigan claims it (I can’t even with that). What’s your route from Duluth to Chicago? Could be more stuff to see depending on that.
