(The following story by Rob Ryan appeared on The Times website on August 30.)
LONDON — Americans are falling out of love with domestic flying, and who can blame them? With both fares and delays increasing, fees for checked-in luggage becoming the norm, JetBlue charging for pillows and blankets, and US Airways removing its in-flight entertainment systems to save weight, it’s a grimmer experience than ever. At least, this was the point of view expressed by Charles, the man sitting opposite me on the high-speed Acela train from New York to Washington.
“I have to make this journey twice a month,” he said. “And I used to fly. But now, this train takes me from Penn station to Union station, right next to Capitol Hill, in less than three hours. It can take that long just to get onto the plane.”
He leant forward conspiratorially. “And I’ll tell you something else,” he said, “I’m taking the family on holiday by rail this year.”
He isn’t alone. While the American Automobile Association suggests that the traditional family road trip is under threat from the $4 gallon, Amtrak, the oft-beleaguered US rail operator, hit record seat sales and revenue this year. It might not be a return to the glory days of the 1930s and 1940s (although they still yell “All aboard!” and have uniformed Red Cap porters), but as the ardour for SUVs and airports cools, America is heading back to the tracks.
On this side of the pond, though, we tend to think of American rail travel in terms of epic, pioneering journeys. Worthwhile though many of these great adventures no doubt are (see Cross America by Rail, right), you can use the Amtrak system for far shorter hops, to make up a two-centre trip that doesn’t involve flying or driving. Here are some suggestions for add-ons to your city trips in the USA.
NEW YORK Start from: the rather pedestrian Penn station, though the journey’s well worth it. Some of our alternative trips (see below) board at the wonderful Grand Central, with its soaring central hall, cocktail bars, delis and the classic Oyster Bar.
All aboard for: Rhinecliff, nestling in scenic horse-farm country and the stop for pretty Rhinebeck. Ninety minutes from Penn (from £26 return), it’s a small town soaked in history. At its heart is the Beekman Arms (00 1-845 876 7077, www.beekmandelamaterinn.com ; doubles from £62, open to nonresidents for drinks), which claims to be the oldest continually operating inn in the United States. All around is the National Historic Landmark District, with nine grand estates, including those of the Vander-bilts and Franklin D Roosevelt. The opulent villa of Wilderstein (845 876 4818, www.wilderstein.org ), famous for its lavish interiors by Joseph Burr Tiffany, is the closest, just a short cab (or cycle) ride south of town. The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome (www.oldrhinebeck.org ) stages vintage airshows every weekend until mid-October, and the area has plenty of hiking, horse-riding, cycling and kayaking.
Stay at The Rhinecliff (845 876 0590, www.therhinecliff.com ; doubles from £80), an imposing 1854 hotel that stands right on the river and just a two-minute walk from Rhinecliff station. More information:845 463 4000, www.dutchesstourism.com .
The alternatives: Manhattan’s Grand Central, terminus of the Metro-North Railroad, is best for day trips. Take the New Haven Line to Greenwich, Connecticut, with its great views over Long Island Sound. Or try the Hudson to riverside communities such as Cold Spring. For longer journeys, there’s the Empire Service from Penn. It will take you all the way up the Hudson River, and is the most scenic train journey on the East Coast, full of rivers, mini-fjords, waterfalls, forests and historic villages.
CHICAGO Start from: the imposing, beaux-arts Union station on Canal Street. If you’re early, pull up a stool at the bar of the Snuggery or shoot pool at the Metro Bar & Grill.
All aboard for:Saugatuck, a cute Victorian resort town on the shores of Lake
Michigan, a world away from the hard-edged steel-and-glass towers of Chicago. There are soft-sand beaches, board-walks, soaring sand dunes, chain ferries across the Kalamazoo River and paddle-boats on the lake. Thanks to frequent events and a summer school run by the Art Institute of Chicago, Saugatuck attracts plenty of painters and sculptors: there are dozens of galleries, as well as coffee shops, restaurants and locally owned businesses, including the delightfully old-fashioned Saugatuck Drug Store, complete with original soda fountain from 1913.
There is no station at Saugatuck itself: instead, get off at nearby Holland (which has tulip fields and windmills and was founded by Dutch pilgrims) and catch a cab. Train returns are about £35, taking three hours each way; the taxi’s about £13, with Saugatuck Douglas Car Service (269 543 3355).
Saugatuck is chock-full of B&Bs and inns. Try Twin Gables Inn (269 857 4346, www.twingablesinn.com ; doubles from £68, B&B), which overlooks Lake Kalamazoo and comes with complimentary bicycles. More information: 269 857 1701, www.saugatuck.com .
The alternatives: Chicago is a key hub, with trains to New Orleans, Los Angeles, Seattle, Memphis and New York, so there are potential stops in all directions. Our favourite is the lovely Michigan University town of Ann Arbor, with its bright, bustling, bookstore-filled downtown.
LOS ANGELES Start from: Union station, a pretty, palm-tree-fronted, Spanish mission-style building: imagine the Alamo as a rail terminus.
All aboard for: Palm Springs , across the desert on the marvellously named Sunset Limited. This sprawling city has had its ups and downs, but now it’s once again a fashionable retreat for Angelenos seeking clean air and a little golf or tennis. Palm Springs isn’t about chasing around in the heat. It’s about finding a decent resort, lounging by the pool, admiring the striking 1950s desert-modern architecture of places such as the Holiday Inn and Movie Colony Hotel, and maybe exploring the San Jacinto mountains and canyons. You can take the Aerial Tramway up to a cool 8,500ft and do some hiking, or sign up for Red Jeep desert tours (760 340 2345, www.red-jeep.com ). I saw my first wild tarantulas with them.
It’s about 2½ hours from LA, £20 return. Book a cab to pick you up at the station – downtown is about four miles and £8 away: try VIP Express (760 322 2264, www.vipexpresstaxi.com ). Stay at the excellent Desert Riviera (760 327 5314, www.desertrivierahotel.com ; doubles from £80), which harks back to the 1950s in style but is bang up to date with service and facilities. More information: 760 778 8418, www.palm-springs.org .
The alternatives: you’re spoilt for choice. North on the Coast Starlight gets you to wealthy Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo for Hearst Castle, Oakland for San Francisco, and, eventually, Seattle. The ride south, on the beach-hugging Pacific Surfliner, takes you to the perfect California climate of San Diego (stopping at Fullerton for Disneyland).
WASHINGTON DC Start from: DC’s Union station, and take your time. It’s a vast railroad palace, with shops, restaurants and bars, as well as the odd train. I like sitting at the bar at B Smith’s, which is tucked away off the East Hall. Its palatial dining room is a national landmark – it was once the Presidential Suite, where the top man and his entourage would board their train. All aboard for: Charlottesville, Virginia, one of America’s most fascinating and comfortable cities. It’s a college town, and the University of Virginia is a Unesco World Heritage Site, thanks to its collection of classically colonnaded American architecture. The university was Thomas Jefferson’s creation, and a visit to his home at Monticello (434 984 9822, www.monticello.org ; adults £7.50, 6-11 £4), two miles out, is on every visitor’s itinerary. The third president was a fascinating character, and it’s well worth the trip.
Elsewhere, it’s a lively place, with a wide range of restaurants, interesting shopping, museums, galleries and plenty of entertainment. Drink or dine at the crepuscular, candlelit C&O (515 East Water Street; 434 971 7044, www.candorestaurant.com ), once a railroad building.
The train to Charlottesville, running through beautiful Virginia countryside and shadowing the Blue Ridge Mountains, takes just under three hours and costs from £38 return. Stay at the lake-side Boar’s Head Inn (434 296 2181, www.boarsheadinn.com ; doubles from £75), a first-class country resort, with golf, tennis and good food. It’s a two-mile, £8 cab ride away. More information: 434 293 6789, www.pursuecharlottesville.com .
The alternatives: if you fancy mixing the senate with sand, trains run from DC to Newport News, an hour’s bus ride from Virginia Beach, a booming seaside town that claims to have the world’s largest pleasure beach. A good stop for surfers, too – it plays host to the East Coast Surfing Championships.
Buying tickets: you can book on www.amtrak.com or at any Amtrak station. The fares quoted above are for travel in September/October. For longer train tours, International Rail (0870 084 1410, www.internationalrail.com ) and The Travel Bureau (08448 156212, www.thetravelbureau.co.uk ) sell 15-and 30-day national and regional passes (from £160 for 15 days in the northeast region), which are excellent value.
CROSS AMERICA BY RAIL The California Zephyris one of the world’s great trains, going from Chicago to San Francisco by way of America’s heartland and the high plains of Colorado, then climbing into the Rocky Mountains via the Oregon Trail. Pioneers came this way, as did gold prospectors and America’s first continental telegraph. After Salt Lake City, you cross Bonneville Salt Flats and the beautiful Sierra Nevada.
The Southwest Chief also travels between Chicago and the Pacific, following part of the Santa Fe Trail first used by Native Americans, Spanish conquistadors, wagon trains and stagecoaches. You cross the Mojave Desert, one of the hottest places on earth, and pass Dodge City’s famous Boot Hill burial ground. From the station in Williams, Arizona, you can travel to the Grand Canyon by steam train.
The Coast Starlight operates between Seattle and Los Angeles, via Washington, Oregon and California. It passes some of America’s highest mountains, such as volcanic Mount Hood, and the forests and waterfalls of Twin Peaks country. Beyond San Luis Obispo the train runs on tracks set high on cliffs, with wonderful views of the Pacific surf and beaches.