Over the course of my 15 day train adventure, it became clear to me exactly why Amtrak needs its generous federal subsidies. Let's just say, the process of getting a ticket and making reservations was less than user-friendly.
I had purchased a USA Rail Pass that would allow me to make a 15 day trip with up to eight different segments. The price was certainly reasonable, less than $500 for a reserved coach seat. But, when you factor in the hurdles that I had to jump through, that bargain price soon began to climb in terms of time and effort.
To begin with, when you purchase a USA Rail Pass, you must go to an Amtrak station to have the pass printed. They will not mail it to you. You cannot receive it via email or store the information in the "handy" Amtrak app. I suppose for most people, that is not an unreasonable amount of effort, but given that the station in my city is entirely unmanned, I would have to drive to either Kansas City or Topeka to obtain the pass, only to find out that once I had the pass in my little hot hands, the station agent was not able to make the reservations for me while I stood there at the ticket window. I had to call the 1-800 number. Hmm ... reservations made at the ticket window... what a concept.
Upon calling to make my reservations, I learned that if I started my trip in Lawrence, Kansas and got on the train at 11:50 pm, that 10 minute time period would count as the first of my 15 days. Being the highly resourceful and intelligent person that I am, I deduced that if I were to leave from the Topeka station 15 miles and 30 minutes down the road, boarding the train at 12:20 am, I would enjoy the benefit of the full 15 days. Take that, Amtrak!
"Oh, the coach seats are very comfortable for sleeping," my friends said. "The seats are nice and wide," they said. "They recline and there is a leg rest that flips up from under your seat," they said. Well, I thought, I should be able to handle that. After all, I would be getting off the train every few days to spend several nights in various hotels. No problem, I said with an optimistic shrug of my shoulders.
All of those things were entirely true. The seats were nice and wide. There was no middle seat as there is in most airplanes and you can move around the train to the observation car, the dining car and the snack bar. It would have been extremely comfortable, if you stood less that 5'6".
Unfortunately, at 5'10", that is another story entirely. Suffice it to say that, between my shifting around to try to find a comfortable position, the sub-zero temperature of the rail car and the proximity of the complete strange in the seat beside me, the quality of my sleep was less than stellar.
But that's okay. I was on the adventure of a lifetime! I was checking things off my bucket list! I was gathering first-hand experiences to launch my travel blog! It would be great! Besides, there might be that tall, dark, handsome stranger that I would be seated with at dining or encounter in the observation car. We would strike up a lively conversation, discover that we had loads of things in common and we would make plans to meet on the observation deck of the Empire State Building in exactly one year's time.
Not to burst anyone else's bubble, but the reality was that I was most often seated with old, married couples off to see their grandchildren, widows and divorcees. Oh, but don't let me forget that generously tattooed, tank top wearing, heavy smoking guy that smelled like an ashtray that they tried to saddle me with. That's when I vowed to stay out of the dining car for good.
Lest you think the entire experience was a disaster, let me add that lounging around the train for long hours alone with my thoughts while still surrounded by people that I could choose to engage with when I felt like it, watching the passing scenery which was pretty spectacular at times, reflecting on the events of the past year and envisioning the kind of life that I could build for myself moving forward was an integral part of the life-changing adventure that began when I first stepped onto that train.
Truth be told, in spite of everything, I will cherish it always.
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