Long distance amtrak is great if you have a roomette or a bedroom

it sucks ass if you're stuck in coach.

i took the train from nyc to montreal once and it was pretty brutal. wouldn't do it again. but like the other anon said a roomette would've made it tolerable

Threadly reminder, amtrak roomettes and bedrooms allow you to bring your own liquor. Feel free to ask your car attendant for glasses/ice. As long as you're enjoying your own bottle in your compartment, totally allowed. And obviously don't be a drunk POS to passengers when you're not in your compartment.

>>2713756
People drink liquor in coach all the time. Obviously, as at any time you are breaking a rule, keep it discreet. If you are not a well-disciplined white man who can handle his booze, you should not be drinking in coach.
>>2713717
One night in coach feels like an adventure; two nights is when it really starts getting to you. My first Amtrak ride was from Kingman AZ to Raleigh NC; I drank almost 1.5 L of cheap vodka over the trip. If you make an effort to seek out non-NPC travelers, entire days can pass in alcohol-fueled conversation.

>>2713717
Amtrak's not that bad at all, its a pretty pleasant travel experience. Problem is it doesn't have enough routes.

>>2713717
The two problems with Amtrak are delays and prices. Take the train to Glacier NP if you go through with it.

you can get a 30 day pass that includes 10 rides any distance for $500. you could easily see the whole country for this price:
>new york
>Boston
>Washington DC
>Atlanta
>New Orleans
>Los Angeles
>Portland
>Chicago
>New York
that's a lot of time sitting in coach but if you're a broke boy and don't mind a little adventure hard to beat that price

What's Coach like? How does seating work? Do I have to arrive early to steal a window seat? My trip is going to be 12 hours, will my ass hurt?

>>2715033
It will be a lot better than a 12 hour flight in coach. Seats are pretty big and comfortable. They are like old business class seats on airplanes. I believe you get assigned seats

>>2713787
And not a lot of frequencies

>>2715033
the seats are as big as first class airline seats, but they are old and some are squeaky and they don't recline all the way flat. it's not the easiest to sleep in them but it's possible. on most of the cross country trips I've been on there have only been 10 people on a 100 person coach, so usually you have a few rows to yourself to stretch out on. your ass might hurt, but it's not like an airline it's easy to get up and walk around.

I say just go for it.

>>2713717
It's fine. It's not a nice Scottish train but it's not horrible either. When I was in my early 20's and homeless I traveled long distance on greyhound. That was truly hell

>>2715114
i’ve never thought of scottish trains as anything special…

>>2715918
It's really sad the extent that even British regional rail makes the US look like a fucking joke. If you have the time and money though, or the time and don't mind the coach seats, Amtrak can be fun. It's really just the 1-2 trains per day frequencies on the long distance routes, plus long delays for freight trains that make it frustrating to use.

>>2715925
I use it for major city-city connections with a bedroom/roomette, for which it's perfect. You're obviously paying for privacy compared to coach, but the comfort level is miles beyond sitting in coach.

I would never use amtrak (outside of the NE corridor) for a daily commute, or to try and visit random small towns.

>>2715928
If the train stops between 10 AM and 3 PM, it's pretty easy to hop off, get a room, explore the town, then board on the next day's train. Other times (i.e. 80% of stops) it is much more of an inconvenience, as you will have to wait many hours until check-in or after checkout. Amtrak has the option of purchasing multi-city tickets.
>>2715073
Ridership has been going up since the COVID slump. Still a tossup if you will have a seatmate or not.

>>2715052
Exactly.

But travel experience is nice if the timing and route is convenient. Their pivot from long distance routes to focusing on regional routes should make it better

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is chicago safe around the amtrak station or is it typical chiraq nonsense, i wanna take the train from fort worth to there and back, or maybe on to la and then back

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>>2715943
It's in a decent area of town, but i mean just like any major city, crime happens all over to a certain extent.

>>2715944
are the hotels near the station real expensive, or would it be more sensible to taxi or uber (are they safe anymore) to like a days inn? they have big layovers for trains

>>2715947
It depends entirely on when you're there and what else is going on in the city at that time.

>>2715943
It's chill
t. Chicago