AMTRAK rocks... mostly

It was my first train ride in a long, long time. And for the most part, it was not a disappointment. I got on in Jacksonville at a very early hour, thanks to my friend Tobe who was either kind enough or foolish enough to get up at 4:30 a.m. and come and pick me up... I think he was kind.

The Silver Service starts its run in New York City and ends up in Miami, Florida some 15 hours later, if I figured the time correctly. It takes about 5 hours to ride from Jacksonville to Tampa and slightly longer if you choose the Atlantic coast route to get to Miami.

Dr's Lake is south of Jacksonville and it was cool to see
the places I saw when driving up and down I-95
from the relaxed comfort of the train.

This photo is near where I once sailed on my boat, and I've driven I-95 (the bridge you see) many times.

The only caveat I have about the train is that it is not  as clean as it could be, should be! And especially the windows because the whole point is being able to SEE out of them! Bring your own food and only buy drinks since the cost of the food is outrageous and it's not very good.

Several of the train stations where we stopped were very clean and bright and others were so raggedety as to be offensive. The service providers were helpful and professional and I found most of them pretty agreeable as well.

Orlando Station for AMTRAK has a Spanish motif.

So, I will do the train again and perhaps the next time I will even try a longer trip.