Tuesday, February 27, 2024
With it's tawny stuccoed façade, shady porticos and stately palm trees, the West Palm Beach station is juxtaposed among tall, modern buildings in the downtown area of West Palm.
With something of a Mediterranean Revival style, this station was built in 1925, for the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, in time for the Orange Blossom Special. This luxury, all Pullman (sleeper compartments) train running winter-only was an effort to lure more wealthy people down to the land of sunshine. Running from Miami to NYC, it ran until 1953. These days that route is covered by Amtrak Silver Star, the Silver Meteor, or the Palmetto.
After a nice hot breakfast, Tom and Gina drove me to the station for my mid morning departure. This station once served a clientele that awaited their train in a plush waiting area, while a porter corralled their many bags in the expansive luggage room. These rooms have since been repurposed, as this station is a now hub for Amtrak, Greyhound, and Tri-Rail. Thus I opted to wait outside in the morning breeze, while the station master repeatedly made announcements warning commuters not to board the Amtrak train and vice-versa, for Amtrak passengers not to unwittingly climb aboard the intercity train.
Once aboard and settled into my roomette, I watched the scenery slip by as we headed in a northerly direction, bound for New York City. The route doesn't hug the Atlantic coastline, so there's never a glimpse of the ocean, but there are nonetheless interesting views of palm trees, tangled vines and bodies of water so different from the evergreens and lakes of home.
While we waited, with oranges practically within picking reach, I asked an attendant if they were good eating. He assured me that they were, and said that back in the day when they waited on this siding, passengers were allowed to go out and pick a few to enjoy!
On this train the dining car has a brown, cream and chrome 50s diner vibe. The etched glass partitions are unique to this car also.
On the east coast Amtrak uses what are called "Viewliner" trains. They are lower profile, to fit through smaller tunnels. As such, they are all one level. This puts the kitchen at one end of the dining room instead of on the lower level. It also provides a second row of windows.
A simple vase of roses, fresh from Miami, graces each table.
Amtrak's dining menu is limited, but I have a few favorites. The burger is certainly one of them. I don't know all of their kitchen secrets, but I know that many items come partially or fully cooked. That said, they do a good job with most of their entrees. Even now, typing this months later, I can practically taste the smoky, cheesy goodness.
Daylight hours took us through Florida. I enjoyed my favorite dinner entrée of salmon with ancient grains, green beans and Parisian carrots as the sun set behind a band of scrubby pines.
Then, stretched out on the narrow bed, beneath the signature, silky blue blanket, I was lulled to sleep by the motion of the train. Through the night hours we would pass through Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. When I woke, a bit sore from the firm bed, it was to the leaden skies and brick buildings of Alexandria, Virginia.
For some reason, on these east coast trains, they never utilize the hallway coffee system in the sleeper car. So, with a hoodie over my pjs, I made a couple of treks to the dining car for my pre-breakfast coffee. A thyroid pill requires that I wait an hour before eating, but the wait is worth it on the train. It was on the Coast Starlight many years ago that I first tried grits. I've loved them every since.
By late morning we had rolled into New York City and disembarked into the Moynihan Train Hall. And so ended the first leg of my journey home.
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