When I started telling people that I was going to be taking a train from Los Angeles to New Orleans, they had 1 of 3 responses:
Turns out you can take Amtrak a lot of places, and NOLA is indeed one of them! The Sunset Limited is a non-stop train that runs from LA to LA - so I booked myself a sleeper cabin and I spent 48 hours on the train and while I definitely didn’t sleep well - I really enjoyed it. Here are my hot takes regarding riding the rails in case you don’t want to read this entire post: 1. Is it worth the price? Depends on what you’re looking for with your travel and if you’ve got the time to get there slowly. For me, it was. I loved having my own space, being able to see the countryside without having to drive, and I loved meeting new people. I was also a big fan of avoiding airport and airline BS. 2. If you are looking to be well rested - it’s not going to happen. Sleep is almost impossible. I’m a light sleeper, so maybe it’s just me, but the uncomfortable bed + the jostling about just didn’t add up for great sleep. It’s fine. I’ll sleep when I’m dead as they say. 3. You can bring your own food (and booze) on the train with you. 4. Rooms do not lock from the outside! So you should hide your valuables or keep them on you but I didn’t have any issues with anything. The sleeper car attendant is always around, and knows who should be in the sleeper car and who should not. 5. Be prepared to chat with total strangers because if you eat in the dining car and you aren’t with 3 other people - you’re going to get sat with people you don’t know. They call it “community” seating. But you can also eat in your room if you want. 6. The train stops - a lot - and some stops are fresh air stops so you are able to get off the train and stretch your legs a bit. 7. Not all trains have wifi (this one didn't!). OK - Now for a full rundown! Trip length & route The train from Los Angeles to NOLA runs every few days. It leaves LA at night (my train departed around 10 pm) and it gets to NOLA about 46 hours later (although my train had some delays so my trip was more like 48). So I basically got on the train and went to sleep, then spent a full day and night on it, then another nearly whole day, and got off. The train leaves Los Angeles and it goes through California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.. So.. Much.. TEXAS Seats vs. rooms The train has coach seats which are really big seats that fully recline. Coach tickets are cheaper than a roomette or a bedroom. Roomettes have bunk beds and no bathroom. Instead, you share the sleeper car bathroom with other folks who have roomettes. Bedrooms have a private bathroom, so your sink, shower, and potty are all in your own room. Bedrooms are obviously the most expensive option. Prices fluctuate, but I saw coach tickets run around $177 while roomettes and bedrooms ran between 500-2000.00. Yea… 2 grand. When you book a roomette or a bedroom your train fare and meals are included. You get 3 meals a day and the food wasn’t that bad (surprisingly). You also get to go into the lounge at the station, which isn’t super fancy (at least the one in Los Angeles isn't), but it has free snacks and drinks and they also check your bags for you. They also ride you directly to your train car on a golf cart! I decided to go big, so I booked a bedroom (it wasn’t 2 grand, but it also wasn’t cheap). Although in hindsight I really didn’t need it. I only showered once since I boarded so late on the first night, and I could have gotten away with just a roomette. The room was actually bigger than I thought it would be. It was more than enough room for just me. Since I boarded at night, my bed was already turned down (you have a car attendant who tends to all your needs including setting up your bed) and so there was even less space to move around. The "bed" is basically a sofa folded out with a memory foam pad laid on top. No, it was not comfortable and no, I didn’t get any sleep. There’s a bunk bed that drops down from the ceiling. There’s a chair and a small foldout table. During the day, the attendant comes and turns your bed back into a sofa to give you more room to move about your room. The room has a great landscape window too so you really never even have to leave your room to see the sights! The sink is in the bedroom and the toilet is in the shower. Or the shower is above the toilet? Either way, you shit where you shower. Very European. The food If you get a roomette or room, you have 3 meals a day included in your fare. While I think they need some more options, the food choices weren't bad, and they even had vegan options which surprised me. What do you do on the train? YOU RELAAAAAAX. Unless you have crippling anxiety like me. Then you take a pot gummy and color! A lot! Chill in the observation car (Sightseer lounge) if you’re stir crazy in your room and you can walk the length of the train. I brought colors, my kindle, my journal. I kept myself pretty occupied and mostly just enjoyed being able to chill and enjoy the sights. If you're on the train with your partner you could probably find other things to do but just know that the walls are VERY thin. Since I didn't sleep, I was up early and I caught sunrises both days from the observation car and snapped some photos. Overall I really enjoyed the train. There were some delays, the AC broke in the observation car about halfway through the trip (in JULY.. going through the desert) and the train needs some updates - wifi, new paint job, carpet (pretty sure it was from 1993), a few more menu options - but I still really enjoyed it, even though I didn't sleep. I met great people, heard stories, shared stories of my own, and got to take in some amazing views of our country. I definitely don't want to see any more Texas, though. If you want to see the full gallery of my snaps from the train - see the below slideshow. You can also check out my Instagram: @lololadeedah |
I'm LaurenI was born in NOLA and now live in Los Angeles. I'm a pretty basic bitch. I love: CategoriesArchives |