Hi from the Philadelphia Sheraton-Society Hill. More on the hotel later. For now, I want to discuss today’s trip on Amtrak’s Acela from Washington, DC to Philadelphia.
First things first, we departed and arrived on schedule….to the second. Considering the state of flying this summer, that’s a real reason to consider Acela for your travel needs in the northeast. The seats were Amtrak “Business Class,” and were wide and comfortable. Pitch at least met, and I really think exceeded that of domestic first class airline travel. 110V power is available at every seat, and there’s no need to turn off your cell phone or Blackberry! Although, I admit that I wish the person 2 seats behind me would have turned off his cell phone. But alas, there’s even a solution for for cell phone “yappers” in the Acela “Quiet Car” where cell phone conversation is not allowed.
The only negative comment I have is that the attendant in the cafe car appeared to be “bothered” when I asked for a Diet Pepsi and a pack of almonds. An attendant does offer beverages and snacks for purchase at your seat, but I missed them when they were in my car.
I’ll offer a more in depth trip report after the completion of my trip on Friday. But in the mean time, I’m very comfortable saying that Amtrak’s Acela will be my preferred method of travel from Washington, DC to anywhere as far as New York (dependent upon where I need to be in the city) from now on.
