My Dad worked for Southern in Washington and my Mom was from Atlanta so we took the Crescent from Alexandria, VA, to Atlanta many times plus since Dad was an employee, we got to ride free.
I love The Crescent, used to be called The Southern Crescent. I have taken that train many many times. I love it and for me it’s the perfect way to travel.
"...we also like snacks" "and I can sing!" "my kids are bloggers" Pete's runway walk Meridian, Mississippi! keep your shoes on! I had to pause this video so many times because I was laughing so hard. The shoe announcement made me laugh last fall when I heard it for the first time and I said to the woman next to me, "Only in America do we have to remind people of things like this". Loved everything about this, and I hope Kevin saw it and enjoyed his little shout-out. ps I'm serious about doing the NYC-Colorado route. sometime in 2024/2025, but count me in.
Love the vlog, another of those Brits here. Planning on taking The Crescent N.O to Laurel MS to see the town popular on the HGTV show Home Town. Love trains American and European, keep it going guys
The first thing they tell you when you get to The Crescent City, is that only tourists and Brits call it New Orleans. Unless you call it "N'Orlans", they won't let you in 😇. At least you guys got it right.......... Respect 😃😃😃❤
This looked like fun! :) USA should definitely do more trains, with the vast and diverse landscape you guys have there. Also, with due respect to your Dad coz I guess he frequents the comments, it was kind of hilarious watching your Dad do Dad things like telling everybody about you being vloggers, etc :P Its so cute when parents are like that, at the same time makes us self-conscious for some reason :P Reminds me of a video of yours from South Korea I think where you were quite flustered about vlogging in your parents' presence :P Glad to see you all traveling together! :)
Growing up in Birmingham, this is one of those things you don't realize is actually nicer there than in other parts of the country. While the station wasn't always that nice, the location was the same, and its in a pretty good spot for accessing the city. Likewise, while there's only two trains, the boarding/arrival times are actually nice (It can be a bit rough to get off in the Carolinas. Charlottesville is about as "early" as I'd get off if not going to Atlanta... but the station in Atlanta's not in a great spot either). When I went to college, I was surprised peopled people didn't like going by train to places as much (As well as just hanging out at art museums or botanical gardens, which like the train, are obviously not the best versions in Birmingham, but notably above average while not actively acknowledged as such.).
I seem to be first. Woooweee! OK so in about 1992 I took Amtrak from Massachusetts to SF Bay Area via Baltimore and Chicago. I had a single sleeper Baltimore to Chicago. The whole thing took 3 days (I think). I would not do it again. Apart from the not too subtle racist bullying in the food place and the attempt by one of the staff to directly rip me off, the trip is only doable if you have a cabin to lie out in and bring your own food. the scenery you pass through is spectacular in parts, especially around the Rockies but I'd rather go by coach. I love trains, like you both. Travelled all over India, Europe. Oh, just to say I'm a white Brit so the racial thing was educational.
Check out some of the Halloween trains. In the South, they're usually 'out and back' dinner and stops at graveyards, pumpkin patches. etc. Sometime with a Murder Mystery addition.
The train isn't that much slower in this case, 8 hours train vs five hours car. 🙂 The shorter Amtrak routes -- called "corridor" trains -- are normally state funded, so if TN wants a train from Chatannoga to Memphis, they could do it, but the state would likely be the funder and Amtrak would be the operator. That might be a future route for Brightline or a similar company, also! 🙂 Here in California, we have Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo (north of LA) to San Diego, San Juaquins from Bakersfield to Sacramento, and Capitol Corridor from San Jose to Sacramento. Those are all operated by Amtrak, but funded primarily by local counties and the state! Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we have Caltrain from San Jose to San Francisco, and BART, the regional subway. They're working on another corridor from San Jose to San Luis Obispo too.🙂 I actually don't know how to drive, since you don't really NEED a car in the Bay Area, unless you have kids, or your job requires you to go different client sites. Most people in my graduating class learned, but I never did. I get around with our great public transit, and to go long distances, I fly, unless I'm taking Amtrak for the experience. I did that once, as my ride home from the Navy, Seattle to San Jose. 24 hour ride, and it was great! The Navy paid since it was my ride home. 🙂 We did vote to build HSR from SF to LA but that project has been a complete disaster. I voted no despite being a centrist democrat...I saw that the bill didn't require them to go down I-5, so I knew it was going to be a mess, so I voted no. I definitely support a statewide train, but the 99 corridor was a huge mistake. Don't get me started on that lol. Looks like that last corridor from San Jose to San Luis Obispo will create three or four round trips San Jose to LA before CAHSR is completed lol. 🙂 Looking at the election results in TN in 2020 it appears that only Memphis and Nashville have their heads on straight....if it was up to those two cities, there would probably be a bunch of corridor trains in TN too! 🙂
This is great info! And yup, I feel you on the TN voting issues. Chattanooga proper has it's head on straight too, but unfortunately not county-wide. :)
11:59 “The sun is rising!” Hays’s version of the glass is half full lol 😂 Imagine if U.S.A. wasn’t driven by car companies and actually worked on an efficient interstate train system. I wonder how that would change society. I think especially for people that can’t afford cars, it would give so many more job opportunities and what not. Blessed to have cheap public transportation here in Korea and Japan! But the train ride looked fun!
Forgot to point out, the corridor trains are typically closer to driving speed....for example Capitol Corridor takes 3 hours to go San Jose to Sacramento, and Google Maps says it would take 2.5-3 hours to drive, so it's about the same speed. Also San Diego to Los Angeles, is 3 hours both driving and on Amtrak. Caltrain, from San Jose to San Francisco, is not Amtrak, but it's a public transit train. It's about the same speed as driving, approximately one hour to go 56 miles. They recently made it electric via catenary wire, so that made it 59 minutes vs 65 minutes. 🙂 BART, the regional subway, was always electric, and also takes about an hour to go to SF, although it goes along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, so if you're trying to get somewhere on "the peninsula" you would want Caltrain. 🙂 (of course, during rush hour, all these trains are significantly faster than driving 🙂)
@@StephandPete I wish we had something in Knoxville and/or Chattanooga. It would make sense. BHam for us is about 4 hours away. North side of ATL is 3 AND I get to go to Buc-ee's and not have to go around the base of Lookout Mountain on I-24. I HATE that part of the interstate. ;)
Amtrak is chaos. You can only get reserved seats in business class or in the sleepers. Not all lines have sleepers, but NY to LA or San Francisco have sleepers. Despite some of its flaws, I will always prefer Amtrak to flying or driving any day of the week.
Great video, I went to New York on the train and we was 4 hours late but I didn’t care because I’m just a kid who likes trains.
bahahahah 8 hours of tv. "We woUlD NeVeR!" lol!!!!!
hehehe
My Dad worked for Southern in Washington and my Mom was from Atlanta so we took the Crescent from Alexandria, VA, to Atlanta many times plus since Dad was an employee, we got to ride free.
I love The Crescent, used to be called The Southern Crescent. I have taken that train many many times. I love it and for me it’s the perfect way to travel.
Totally agree!!
The big lake before New Orleans. When we took this trip we saw the sunset. It was so amazing.
It’s a shame not more people take the train!
"...we also like snacks"
"and I can sing!"
"my kids are bloggers"
Pete's runway walk
Meridian, Mississippi!
keep your shoes on!
I had to pause this video so many times because I was laughing so hard. The shoe announcement made me laugh last fall when I heard it for the first time and I said to the woman next to me, "Only in America do we have to remind people of things like this". Loved everything about this, and I hope Kevin saw it and enjoyed his little shout-out.
ps I'm serious about doing the NYC-Colorado route. sometime in 2024/2025, but count me in.
Love the vlog, another of those Brits here. Planning on taking The Crescent N.O to Laurel MS to see the town popular on the HGTV show Home Town. Love trains American and European, keep it going guys
Thanks so much!! And have a great trip!!
The first thing they tell you when you get to The Crescent City, is that only tourists and Brits call it New Orleans. Unless you call it "N'Orlans", they won't let you in 😇. At least you guys got it right.......... Respect 😃😃😃❤
I think you mean N'awlins. ;)
This looked like fun! :) USA should definitely do more trains, with the vast and diverse landscape you guys have there. Also, with due respect to your Dad coz I guess he frequents the comments, it was kind of hilarious watching your Dad do Dad things like telling everybody about you being vloggers, etc :P Its so cute when parents are like that, at the same time makes us self-conscious for some reason :P Reminds me of a video of yours from South Korea I think where you were quite flustered about vlogging in your parents' presence :P Glad to see you all traveling together! :)
I’m surprised he hasn’t relied back to this comment yet!
North America needs HSR but without land reform that ain't happenin'
Growing up in Birmingham, this is one of those things you don't realize is actually nicer there than in other parts of the country. While the station wasn't always that nice, the location was the same, and its in a pretty good spot for accessing the city. Likewise, while there's only two trains, the boarding/arrival times are actually nice (It can be a bit rough to get off in the Carolinas. Charlottesville is about as "early" as I'd get off if not going to Atlanta... but the station in Atlanta's not in a great spot either). When I went to college, I was surprised peopled people didn't like going by train to places as much (As well as just hanging out at art museums or botanical gardens, which like the train, are obviously not the best versions in Birmingham, but notably above average while not actively acknowledged as such.).
Love your Birmingham pride! Thanks for watching.
Yes
Freight trains own train tracks. Amtraks don't.
I seem to be first. Woooweee! OK so in about 1992 I took Amtrak from Massachusetts to SF Bay Area via Baltimore and Chicago. I had a single sleeper Baltimore to Chicago. The whole thing took 3 days (I think). I would not do it again. Apart from the not too subtle racist bullying in the food place and the attempt by one of the staff to directly rip me off, the trip is only doable if you have a cabin to lie out in and bring your own food. the scenery you pass through is spectacular in parts, especially around the Rockies but I'd rather go by coach. I love trains, like you both. Travelled all over India, Europe. Oh, just to say I'm a white Brit so the racial thing was educational.
Amtrak California Zephyr
I always love train traveling videos.❤
Anyway, 8 hrs drive could have been the night train and arrived the destination in the morning.
I wish that existed! Thanks for watching, Jo. We’re headed back to Thailand soon. 🤩
Loved your video I’m from Chattanooga also and us not having train service is crazy
Take the coast starlight from Los Angeles to Seattle. There is so much scenery on this train.
Check out some of the Halloween trains. In the South, they're usually 'out and back' dinner and stops at graveyards, pumpkin patches. etc. Sometime with a Murder Mystery addition.
Try the western routes either out of Chicago or the sunset limited out of New Orleans.
I took my first train ride to travel to boot camp. We are about to go to New Orleans from Memphis for my 2nd.
It depends which train you are on, some trains have assigned seats and some have open seating.
I feel like I can't judge your child for watching the same amount of tv that I would watch on a train ride
🙌
The train isn't that much slower in this case, 8 hours train vs five hours car. 🙂 The shorter Amtrak routes -- called "corridor" trains -- are normally state funded, so if TN wants a train from Chatannoga to Memphis, they could do it, but the state would likely be the funder and Amtrak would be the operator. That might be a future route for Brightline or a similar company, also! 🙂
Here in California, we have Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo (north of LA) to San Diego, San Juaquins from Bakersfield to Sacramento, and Capitol Corridor from San Jose to Sacramento. Those are all operated by Amtrak, but funded primarily by local counties and the state! Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we have Caltrain from San Jose to San Francisco, and BART, the regional subway. They're working on another corridor from San Jose to San Luis Obispo too.🙂 I actually don't know how to drive, since you don't really NEED a car in the Bay Area, unless you have kids, or your job requires you to go different client sites. Most people in my graduating class learned, but I never did. I get around with our great public transit, and to go long distances, I fly, unless I'm taking Amtrak for the experience. I did that once, as my ride home from the Navy, Seattle to San Jose. 24 hour ride, and it was great! The Navy paid since it was my ride home. 🙂
We did vote to build HSR from SF to LA but that project has been a complete disaster. I voted no despite being a centrist democrat...I saw that the bill didn't require them to go down I-5, so I knew it was going to be a mess, so I voted no. I definitely support a statewide train, but the 99 corridor was a huge mistake. Don't get me started on that lol. Looks like that last corridor from San Jose to San Luis Obispo will create three or four round trips San Jose to LA before CAHSR is completed lol. 🙂
Looking at the election results in TN in 2020 it appears that only Memphis and Nashville have their heads on straight....if it was up to those two cities, there would probably be a bunch of corridor trains in TN too! 🙂
This is great info! And yup, I feel you on the TN voting issues. Chattanooga proper has it's head on straight too, but unfortunately not county-wide. :)
11:59 “The sun is rising!”
Hays’s version of the glass is half full lol 😂
Imagine if U.S.A. wasn’t driven by car companies and actually worked on an efficient interstate train system.
I wonder how that would change society.
I think especially for people that can’t afford cars, it would give so many more job opportunities and what not.
Blessed to have cheap public transportation here in Korea and Japan!
But the train ride looked fun!
Forgot to point out, the corridor trains are typically closer to driving speed....for example Capitol Corridor takes 3 hours to go San Jose to Sacramento, and Google Maps says it would take 2.5-3 hours to drive, so it's about the same speed. Also San Diego to Los Angeles, is 3 hours both driving and on Amtrak. Caltrain, from San Jose to San Francisco, is not Amtrak, but it's a public transit train. It's about the same speed as driving, approximately one hour to go 56 miles. They recently made it electric via catenary wire, so that made it 59 minutes vs 65 minutes. 🙂
BART, the regional subway, was always electric, and also takes about an hour to go to SF, although it goes along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, so if you're trying to get somewhere on "the peninsula" you would want Caltrain. 🙂 (of course, during rush hour, all these trains are significantly faster than driving 🙂)
More good info! Thanks for commenting!
What hotels would you recommend close to the New Orleans train station?
Why not drive to ATL? We drove to ATL out of Knoxville to NOLA. Was it cheapr to board in AL? Scenery for me was Eh. Great experience though!
Atlanta is an option. Same distance from Chatt but we much prefer the drive to Birmingham.
@@StephandPete I wish we had something in Knoxville and/or Chattanooga. It would make sense. BHam for us is about 4 hours away. North side of ATL is 3 AND I get to go to Buc-ee's and not have to go around the base of Lookout Mountain on I-24. I HATE that part of the interstate. ;)
Amtrak is chaos. You can only get reserved seats in business class or in the sleepers. Not all lines have sleepers, but NY to LA or San Francisco have sleepers.
Despite some of its flaws, I will always prefer Amtrak to flying or driving any day of the week.
Same!
My friend come to India again'❤🎉
We’ll be back!
What was going through security like?