Vacation
This vacation my girlfriend and I decided to travel to Irvine, CA. Rather than deal with all of the hassles associated with airline travel (delays, waiting in lines, cramped seating, delays) we decided to take Amtrak. It takes a lot longer to get to our destination, around 34 hours, but at least we’re not giving money to the airlines. ;) (At least Amtrak KNOWS it is subsidized, the airlines like to pretend they’re not, I think).
We decided to go with the sleeper car accomodations. It’s a bit more cramped than the photos on their website make it appear, but it’s still comfortable for two people, one to a bunk. The included shower is a nice touch (but remember to bring your own soap and shampoo, the bars of soap do the job but not well). The best part, though, is the meals. The meal cost, excluding alcohol and gratuity, is included in the price of the accomodations. And the food is pretty great. I had a 10oz prime rib for dinner, cooked medium, and it was tender and delicious, and french toast (texas toast) for breakfast, also delicious. The meals are served on real plates and with real utensils, and the drinks come with real glasses.
The wine and cheese tasting was interesting. I found a red wine that I enjoyed (for once) — a Pinot Noir made by Davey Crockett.
That all said, the room is pretty cramped:
Still, it was comfortable for me, at 5’7″. I think a 6′ tall person would have some trouble, though.
I’m posting this via PdaNet (Treo 600 application) over the Sprint cellular network. As long as I keep the phone up high, I stay connected: around 4KB/s while moving around 40mph.