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Thursday, June 23, 2011

"If God had meant for us to fly, he wouldn't have given us the railways..." :)

For our recent anniversary, we visit the Crescent City of New Orleans, LA. We did not fly...we did not drive...instead, we took a TRAIN! This ingenious idea spurred from the mind of my ever-planning, creative husband and let me tell you, everyone should travel via train at least once in their life!

Our adventure on the rails began in Birmingham, AL since Chattanooga does not have an Amtrak station, nor does anywhere in TN besides Memphis I believe. This is something that I plan on writing some letters about in the near future! Back to Birmingham though...it definitely started as an adventure because the train station was straight up sketchy...it looked like an abandoned warehouse from the outside and I personally did not take any photos, but just to give you and idea:

Think circa 1970 (might be pushing it) with a touch of horror movie meets antique store
However, as it goes most of the time, there was more than meets the eye to Amtrak. Once we boarded the train, we found our seats in coach relatively cozy and cushiony (yes, I made up a word - move on - it's called artistic license). Please see this lovely photograph our train mates took of us:



Also, this is the train we road on "The Crescent"
As one can see, we are impeccably dressed for travel - personally, I never go anywhere on a train without my lucky ruffled blouse..haha. Moving past the sarcasm, I loved this photo because honestly, this is what it looked like! Mike and I were able to stretch out our 6 feet plus bodies on a train, which was good because it was a seven hour trip. Forget 7 hours in coach on a plane!

So, after our fun weekend in NOLA, we boarded the Crescent once again. However, this time we had a sleeper cabin! It was so neat! Check out the pictures below (some are mine and some are Amtrak's):

In our cabin!

The couch I am sitting on turned into a bed! Cozy!

We got to eat in the dining car twice (breakfast and dinner) - it was yummy!

In the dining car! We enjoyed talking to all of the other passengers on our train...

 The photo to your left is a better view of what the sleeper cabin looks like when you first enter it - there is a sink, a shower, a toilet, bunk beds, a chair, and a table - all in that tiny, but comfortable space! Definitely splurge for this when you go Amtrak! Also, to add to the benefits of a sleeper cabin, your meals in the dining care are included - and it is great food!

Overall, it was an excellent way to travel! We are looking forward to making a trip to Washington D.C. via Amtrak soon!



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