New York to Washington DC in November. Plane, train or auto-mobile?

[Didicoi Marmie]

speaking of coats... make sure you go to the Macy's international customer center in the basement - that'll get you 10% off...

OR... for Macy's you could buy through the SKYMILES shopping portal and get 2miles per $1 !!!!

 

[Pushka]

Train for sure. We actually went there and back in a (very long) day due to quick trip to NY. Left around 7am (acela) in the morning at Penn Street and in Union station a while later. Nice scenery along the way and very comfy seats, and service. The HoHo (excellent) trolley leaves just outside the station entrance. You must visit the free Smithsonian museums, especially the aeronautical one.

We booked it all online from Australia and we also did our trip in November! It went from hot, the freezing, in the space of two days!

Macys. Our hotel was one end of Times Square and Macy's way down the other end. I needed another suitcase from all my purchases (oops - did I tell you the shopping was simply amazing!) and then had to walk from one end of Broadway to another dragging the new suitcase. It was bucketing with rain and no taxis to be seen!

 

[Sprucegoose]

speaking of coats... make sure you go to the Macy's international customer center in the basement - that'll get you 10% off...

Yes good call,take your passport. They are on 34th for memory??

 

[petercr]

Pushka - we needed an extra 2 suitcases !! (mind you a Lego R2D2 does take a fair chunk out of a suitcase anyway) and had to go from there up to 81st St on the subway :shock:

EDIT: yes they are Sprucegoose (same St as Penn Stn but a couple of avenues across), they suggest showing a passport although they accepted my QLD drivers licence just as easily (maybe it was also the Aussie accent too)...

 

[amaroo]

About to book the train tickets for our trip in Dec......looked at other options and the train screamed - book me! Got a little stumped with the "No Checked Luggage" message.....soon worked out - no problems.

Driving to Charleston SC & beyond 4 days later.....hope the roads aren't icy:shock:

Had a look at Amtrak today for our trip in late Dec.....tickets for 2 adults and 2 kids, one way NYC-DC

Slower train Econ $147
Slower train Bus $311

Fast train Bus $456
Fast train First $920

Traveling with a fair amount of luggage....

Is there a difference between the slow/fast train other than the 28 minutes? Thinking Fast in Bus but for an extra 28 mins - the slow train looks pretty good!

 

[erkpod]

Had a look at Amtrak today for our trip in late Dec.....tickets for 2 adults and 2 kids, one way NYC-DC

Slower train Econ $147
Slower train Bus $311

Fast train Bus $456
Fast train First $920

Traveling with a fair amount of luggage....

Is there a difference between the slow/fast train other than the 28 minutes? Thinking Fast in Bus but for an extra 28 mins - the slow train looks pretty good!

When in America earlier this year. I went NYC - DC enroute to Chicago. I did enjoy the trip but it wasn't fast by any means. There's a difference between what would be in our terms intercity v long distance.

 

[petercr]

From Wikipedia...

Acela Biz class seating
File:Acela Express business class coach.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Northeast Regional Coach class seating
File:Amfleet I seats.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Northeast Regional Biz class seating
File:Amfleet I business class at WAS.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

We went Coach on the Northeast Regional and it beat anything I've travelled on in Oz (both short and inter-capital journeys)

 

[Duffa]

From Wikipedia...

Acela Biz class seating
File:Acela Express business class coach.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Northeast Regional Coach class seating
File:Amfleet I seats.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Northeast Regional Biz class seating
File:Amfleet I business class at WAS.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

We went Coach on the Northeast Regional and it beat anything I've travelled on in Oz (both short and inter-capital journeys)

Thanks Petercr,
I'll get to sample both Northeast coach and ACELA business, though on first glance I don't think the latter is worth triple the cost of the former.
In our case we had no choice as the coach class seats for the return journey had all gone due to Thanksgiving.

Duffa

 

[coles525]

Ive already put a plan on our trip which isnt for another 13'ish months!

Have also chosen to go by train from New York to Washington, which is just under 4 hours.

The only issue/problem I have, is that the decent train (get there early, arrive with more time to wander) allowing checkin luggage leaves at 3am.......

$49 or so each in econony, adding a total extra of $80'ish for business class.

Mmmm, Business or Cattle?

Also going to Niagara Falls, as well qs a location by the name of "Crater Of Diamonds State Park". State park shall be done from Texarkana Regional Airport...

There is even a hot springs a few towns away.

Total trip will be 5 weeks away, including HK and America.

 

[amaroo]

From Wikipedia...

Acela Biz class seating
File:Acela Express business class coach.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Northeast Regional Coach class seating
File:Amfleet I seats.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Northeast Regional Biz class seating
File:Amfleet I business class at WAS.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

We went Coach on the Northeast Regional and it beat anything I've travelled on in Oz (both short and inter-capital journeys)

Thanks for that.

 

[amaroo]

When in America earlier this year. I went NYC - DC enroute to Chicago. I did enjoy the trip but it wasn't fast by any means. There's a difference between what would be in our terms intercity v long distance.

It will be good to compare other train trips we've done recently. Haven't been on many fast trains the highlights so far.....

Shanghai Maglev

Madrid - Sevilla AVE

Tokyo - Kyoto Shinkansen

The best so far.......Madrid - Sevilla.

 

[erkpod]

It will be good to compare other train trips we've done recently. Haven't been on many fast trains the highlights so far.....

Shanghai Maglev

Madrid - Sevilla AVE

Tokyo - Kyoto Shinkansen

The best so far.......Madrid - Sevilla.

Maybe this bit needs a thread of its own, LOL.

High speed trains I've done, all in 2011:

Shinkansen (Tokyo - Hiroshima & vv)

TGV (Paris - Lyon & vv)

Eurostar (Paris - London, ow)

ICE (Amsterdam - Frankfurt ow)

Thalys (Amsterdam - Brussels & vv)


AVE (Madrid - Sevilla & vv)

Highest confirmed speed on in-car display was the ICE at 300kph. Mind you, it was 46°C the day I rode the AVE.

Favourite/best trips were the Shinkansen & Eurostar.

 

[amaroo]

Geez, can't believe I forgot about Eurostar.....Paris-London. It was 17 years ago:shock:

 

[jukebox333]

Maybe this bit needs a thread of its own, LOL.

High speed trains I've done, all in 2011:

Shinkansen (Tokyo - Hiroshima & vv)

TGV (Paris - Lyon & vv)

Eurostar (Paris - London, ow)

ICE (Amsterdam - Frankfurt ow)

Thalys (Amsterdam - Brussels & vv)


AVE (Madrid - Sevilla & vv)

Highest confirmed speed on in-car display was the ICE at 300kph. Mind you, it was 46°C the day I rode the AVE.

Favourite/best trips were the Shinkansen & Eurostar.

Agreed!

TGV: Paris - Lausanne (&vv)
Le Mans - Paris

Shinkansen Tokyo - Osaka - Hiroshima (&vv)


Eurostar Paris - London


ICE Berlin - Hamburg - Copenghagen (inc. train ferry!)
Kolding - Frankfurt

THSRC (Taiwan) Taipei - Taoyuan (&vv)


Shanghai Maglev PVG - Pudong (&vv)

 

[erkpod]

Where would someone put a high speed rail thread here on AFF?

 

[coles525]

New "section"(s), giving reference to different transport options.

Ie:
- Overseas travel by plane
- A train travellers guide to "insert countries / borders" (America, Europe, Germany, Poland.......)
- Driving to the conditions of "insert countries": Rules you must know!


Main topic can be labelled as transport options, with other topics internally.

We could even upload our train passes/Eurail books with train travel history

 

[erkpod]

New "section"(s), giving reference to different transport options.

Ie:
- Overseas travel by plane
- A train travellers guide to "insert countries / borders" (America, Europe, Germany, Poland.......)
- Driving to the conditions of "insert countries": Rules you must know!


Main topic can be labelled as transport options, with other topics internally.

We could even upload our train passes/Eurail books with train travel history

I've started a thread http://www.australianfrequentflyer....scussion/long-distance-rail-travel-53547.html

If the mods feel they need to move it, I'm sure they will.

 

[Duffa]

OK, so I've done DC. I visited the downtown Air and Space Museum AND the Udvar-Hazy annex at Dulles - in one day, as well as indulging Mrs D with a couple of hours in the National Gallery (yep, those Cezannes, Manet's etc look the same as the ones in London, Melbourne...)
Some great sights at both places. Amazing to see the 1903 Wright Flyer up close.


Couple of things to add:

The 5A bus from L'enfant Plaza to Dulles ($6 cash only or Smartcard) takes 1 hour. It leaves on the hour and half hour. The local bus, which looks like something from Postman Pat, takes you from there to Udvar-Hazy and leaves from exactly the same spot, so you don't need to move BUT it was -2 degrees and windy at Dulles and we had to wait 25 mins for our connection. Very chilly. The Udvar-Hazy bus costs $1 each way - cash only - and takes 10 minutes. Total journey time to the museum 1hr 40mins

The Acela express is all Business Class so don't make my mistake and hang back at boarding to let all the plebs go first, "knowing" my seat is safe. It isn't and we had to search quite hard to get two seats together.

Next adventure is the 77W on AA from JFK to LHR in J - on points of course. New fully flat bed product

 

[jukebox333]

OK, so I've done DC. I visited the downtown Air and Space Museum AND the Udvar-Hazy annex at Dulles - in one day, as well as indulging Mrs D with a couple of hours in the National Gallery (yep, those Cezannes, Manet's etc look the same as the ones in London, Melbourne...)
Some great sights at both places. Amazing to see the 1903 Wright Flyer up close.

Well done that man, doing both in one day!

(You do realise that right about now, Mrs D is probably writing on a ladies forum "..indulged Mr D with two plane museums in Washington... they all lokked the same as the ones in London, Melbourne...")

Glad you got to the Dulles annex - some incredible history in that hanger there.

 

[amaroo]

The Acela express is all Business Class so don't make my mistake and hang back at boarding to let all the plebs go first, "knowing" my seat is safe. It isn't and we had to search quite hard to get two seats together.

Good to know. We're taking the Acela express from NYC to DC on the 28th Dec......did you see any issues or have any tips for boarding with luggage?