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Have camera, will travel..planning a trip.

rayyan

Well-known member
Planning a train Journey across USA and Canada. Two months. Time is not that important.

Home to JFK. Plane.

NYC meet up with a local street photographer for 2 days.

1. NYC to Chicago..Train...

2. Chicago to Seattle. Train.

3. Seattle to Portland, OR. Train.

4. Portland, OR. to Vancouver B.C. Train.

5. Vancouver to Jasper. Train.

6. Jasper to Banff and back...Car/Bus.

7. Jasper to Toronto to Montreal. Train

8. Montreal to NYC. Train.

9. NYC to Home. Plane.

Planning for early September 2016.

Let's test the new Fujis!!

Any suggestions, alternative routes shall be appreciated.
 
Have done 80% of that in last two years. A couple suggestions.

1) In Canada consider the "Rocky Mountain" rail vacation packages. Have not done it but I'm sure one of the readers has and will comment. Separate from VIA rail. Travel the most scenic routes in Canada. Red carpet service. Probably trying to be the Canadian Orient Express. But if you want the best scenery and first class experience, might be of interest.

2) Might want to train only the most interesting segments... thru the mountains.

3) Skip the Seattle to Portland leg. Either Chicago/Portland/Vancouver or Chicago/Seattle/Vancouver. No need to backtrack over boring terrain.

4) Overall, I would add a Rocky Mountain experience and buy the time by flying over the prairies.


Planning a train Journey across USA and Canada. Two months. Time is not that important.

Home to JFK. Plane.

NYC meet up with a local street photographer for 2 days.

1. NYC to Chicago..Train...

2. Chicago to Seattle. Train.

3. Seattle to Portland, OR. Train.

4. Portland, OR. to Vancouver B.C. Train.

5. Vancouver to Jasper. Train.

6. Jasper to Banff and back...Car/Bus.

7. Jasper to Toronto to Montreal. Train

8. Montreal to NYC. Train.

9. NYC to Home. Plane.

Planning for early September 2016.

Let's test the new Fujis!!

Any suggestions, alternative routes shall be appreciated.
 

rayyan

Well-known member
seablister, wow! thanks so much.

We have visited most of the major ( and not so major cities ) in both USA and Canada. The Pacific Northwest is something we never experienced.
Wife wants to experience America and Canada by train. I prefer to spend time in really good scenic places, new experiences, food, meeting people. And photography!!

If I might bother you a bit more, please.

Is it worth going to Seattle or Portland by train. Or could we just fly there from NYC and spend our time enjoying the places there?
Which, in your opinion, is better? More laid back, more scenic..Seattle or Portland?

Is ViaRail across Canada worth it? Much more expensive than flying to Montreal!!

Thanks for the ' Rocky Mountain ' trip advise. Shall definitely plan for it.

I am grateful for your advise.

Best wishes.



Have done 80% of that in last two years. A couple suggestions.

1) In Canada consider the "Rocky Mountain" rail vacation packages. Have not done it but I'm sure one of the readers has and will comment. Separate from VIA rail. Travel the most scenic routes in Canada. Red carpet service. Probably trying to be the Canadian Orient Express. But if you want the best scenery and first class experience, might be of interest.

2) Might want to train only the most interesting segments... thru the mountains.

3) Skip the Seattle to Portland leg. Either Chicago/Portland/Vancouver or Chicago/Seattle/Vancouver. No need to backtrack over boring terrain.

4) Overall, I would add a Rocky Mountain experience and buy the time by flying over the prairies.
 
Perhaps we should take take this off line, email me sailfast at fastmail dot com dot au

Happy to help any way I can.


seablister, wow! thanks so much.

We have visited most of the major ( and not so major cities ) in both USA and Canada. The Pacific Northwest is something we never experienced.
Wife wants to experience America and Canada by train. I prefer to spend time in really good scenic places, new experiences, food, meeting people. And photography!!





If I might bother you a bit more, please.

Is it worth going to Seattle or Portland by train. Or could we just fly there from NYC and spend our time enjoying the places there?
Which, in your opinion, is better? More laid back, more scenic..Seattle or Portland?

Is ViaRail across Canada worth it? Much more expensive than flying to Montreal!!

Thanks for the ' Rocky Mountain ' trip advise. Shall definitely plan for it.

I am grateful for your advise.

Best wishes.
 
More thoughts.

VIA Rail in Canada from Toronto to West Coast uses different (older) rolling stock than Amtrak in the US. Specifically, the observation cars are the older type which have a bubble on top allowing passengers to get a view fore and aft over the tops of the cars ahead and behind. A real advantage to a photographer, I found.

If you want to use the train to get a feel for the size and variety of terrain across the US, then traveling from one coast to the other is the way to go. With this strategy, my first choice route would be Chicago/Sacramento. A close second would be Chicago/Portland. A distant third would be Chicago/LA.

A trip from Toronto to Vancouver BC would give you the same feel for the variety across Canada.

If, on the other hand, you want to maximize dramatic scenery, then 1) fly over the plains states and get to the mountains quickly and 2) get serious about the Rocky Mountaineer in Canada. (Booking way in advance may be required.)

Mountain scenery is best between Denver and Sacramento on the Chicago/ SF run, Portland/Eastern Montana on the Empire Builder, Vancouver/Jasper on the Toronto/Vancouver run. On the later a few days in Jasper with a rented Jeep would be great for your mountain scenery.

As a side note, you might want to consider either the Vancouver/Jasper run, the Rocky Mountaineer or the Denver/Sacramento run in January or February. I did that last Christmas and it was unbelievable.

But be prepared to kick back and not worry about schedules and being on time. If you can't it will drive you crazy.

Ask questions if you want more.
 
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