New Orleans: Day 1

We departed from the Birmingham Amtrak station at noon today on Amtrak's Crescent Route, which originated in New York the day prior. The Birmingham station would prove to be the least impressive of all stations we would pass through, which is odd seeing as how it is one of the biggest cities on the route. There was something a little strange about walking onto a train already filled with people who had been on it an entire day before us - it was almost like we were hopping into their little private world for just a few stops. My parents had made this train trip before, so they knew the best way to book a reservation for a family of 4 was with two of the "roomettes" - these are the private compartments in the sleeper car that can seat (and sleep!) two comfortably. There is also a private toilet and sink inside the compartment which took a little getting used to, but once you get over fact you are just going to be sitting next to a toilet for the trip, it really stops phasing you. :) The accommodations were very clean and the steward on board was friendly (okay, overly-friendly) and was there at our every beck and call to answer questions and make sure we were comfortable.

My favorite part of riding the train was the dining car, which we got to experience twice on the trip down. The food in the dining car was surprisingly delicious! These meals are inclusive in a roomette reservation, but cost extra if you only book a coach seat. I felt it was definitely worth the extra money to have them included, as the meals were fantastic and having no financial barrier, I was free to order exactly what I wanted. Not to mention, lugging on enough food for all the meals we ate on the train would have been a hassle. For lunch I had a salad and catfish and for dinner I had the Angus burger. I hadn't prepared myself to also eat an included dessert at lunch, but I was ready for all my future meals and thoroughly enjoyed my dinner cheesecake as a result. Birmingham is a perfect location on the route to be able to squeak out two meals. As soon as we boarded the train they had the call for lunch, and we were sitting down to dinner as we rolled through the Hattiesburg station. Perfect timing to eat and get back to our cars in time to debark.


Another fun part of being on the train was that we packed a bottle of wine and some beer in a cooler, and were able to sit and enjoy the world flying by with a glass of wine in hand.


Aside from the dining car, the trip was relaxing and uneventful. I enjoyed pulling in to the different stations because they all looked so different - it seemed that the smaller the station, the nicer it had been maintained: Tuscaloosa (Loserville USA), the home of the University of Alabama campus, crossing over the Tombigbee River and the Alabama/Mississippi State Line into Meridian, Laurel, Hattiesburg, through DeSoto National Forest into Picayune, over the Mississippi/Louisiana State Line, Slidell and finally crossing six miles over Lake Pontchartrain and entering New Orleans. This is not a mode of transportation if you are looking to cut off travel time - the trip actually took a little longer than it would have taken to drive from Birmingham to New Orleans (the train trip was approximately 7.5 hours). But it is a great way to travel if time isn't at a premium, and you just want to relax and enjoy the trip rather than have to drive it.


We found it helpful to use our Google Maps iPhone app to determine exactly where we were when we were passing through what otherwise looked like a lot of nothingness.


Seven hours on the train was about right, though, and I think everyone was ready to get off by the time we pulled in to our destination. We were off the train around 7:30pm and took a quick cab ride from the train station to Harrah's, where we will be staying for the next few days. The hotel is in a pretty centrally-located area for the things we have planned, and it is connected to the Harrah's Casino, which my brother and father are planning to spend some serious time in. I'm no gambler, but even I can appreciate the five-second walk outside to cross over to the casino! The hotel is very nice, especially for a casino hotel, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone staying in New Orleans looking for a place that will be in walking distance of most of New Orleans' attractions.


We took a quick trip down to the casino, but I was quickly reminded that smoking indoors is still allowed in places outside of New York, so it didn't take much time before the long trip started to catch up with me and I just wanted to be back upstairs in my smoke-free bed. Tomorrow we have a full day planned, so time to get a good night's sleep!

Miles Traveled Today: 350
Total Miles Traveled: 7,571