There is so much favorable to say in support of rail travel. Besides the ease in getting tickets, boarding, and enjoying comfortable seats, to say nothing of the more economic price than the flying alternative, there is the added charm of enjoying magnificent scenery, meeting new people and sharing ideas. Sure it takes longer than flying, but the benefits certainly outweigh the air if you have the time.
En route to Pensacola, Florida Amtrak’s Crescent to Hattiesburg, Mississippi is about as close as it comes to the Naval Air Station that both the Blue Angels and Naval Aviation call home. For this traveler, it was made especially easy; with a son living in Mississippi also traveling to the naval base for ceremonies winging a new aviator in the Navy, Hattiesburg Mississippi was a wonderful place to meet and travel together in his car the remaining 150 miles.
Unlike the airlines, you don’t have to arrive two hours in advance in order to board Amtrak; you can sit comfortably in Newark’s Penn Station until they announce the platform where the train will be arriving from New York heading south and west.
Seats are comfortable, spacious, with the opportunity to stretch out, put your feet up, or sit up while you plug in your electronics seat side to ensure full batteries.
The Crescent, trains #19 and 20, depending on the direction it’s going, are Amtrak’s most convenient way to travel between the northeast and New Orleans and other points southwest of New Jersey.
It’s a journey of about 27 hours or so and has a reputation for most often running either on time or a few minutes early. It passes through 11 states before hitting Louisiana with Hattiesburg one of four stops in Mississippi after passing through Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama .
Arriving in Hattiesburg station around sundown, a few minutes before scheduled, it was great to see my son waiting on the platform eager to take my bags and get us on the way to Pensacola.
Amtrak’s Crescent, as great as it is, seems to have lost some of the class and certainly some of the friendly staff are usually an important part of Amtrak’s service.
For one thing, while the Café car is well stocked, with a variety of foods for breakfast, lunch or dinner and all kinds of beverages, including beers, wine and more, the quality is definitely not where it used to be. This could be the sharp decrease in purchases on board compared to purchases on the Chicago trains bound.
It was amazing how many passengers I spoke with were shocked I purchased each of my meals rather than carry “lunch bags,” really shopping bags filled with beer, soda, sandwiches, salads and pastries. Not sure whether it is because there have been decreased café purchases since folks began bringing their own food or the quality of food and service has declined so people started carrying their own; but either way, food and service on the Crescent is adequate and comparatively inexpensive, just not top notch.
That defect is certainly more than compensated for with the magnificent views as the train rolls by cities, villages, mountains, lakes, rivers and picturesque settings this nation offers in every state.
There’s something about the Blue Ridge mountains that make the foothills, especially with creeping myrtle blooming along so much of the way especially beautiful.
Jefferson fans might like passing through Charlottesville while Clemson fans cheer as the Crescent stops at that university’s hometown before continuing on to Georgia.
The inflated cost of private bedrooms keeps the coach cars full as travelers get on at any one of 30 or so train stops and off one to 25 or so stops later. The sleeping cars are on the opposite side of the Café car, along with tables and chairs for more formal full meals for those passengers.
But sleeping in the coach cars is definitely a comfortable option. The seats are wide, affording room between you and the passenger in the next seat; the backs go back and foot rests come up to make more comfortable positions once the car lights are dimmed and conversation stops Even passenger stops during the night are quiet, as the conductor leads late night arrivals to seats and helps them with any luggage they have not checked.
There are several stops along the way where extended time in the station is included in the schedule, both in order to change train crews and to enable passengers to get out, have a cigarette, get some fresh air and exercise or pick up a magazine or newspaper in the station.
The Crescent passes from the eastern to the central time zones and it’s amazing how watches and phones know how to adjust as soon as the train goes from one to the other
Passengers tend to chat with each other along the way, but phones, laptops and mini screens for movies are far more evident than books or puzzles. The café car is well fitted with comfortable tables and chairs, giving passengers the opportunity to change seating at their will and enjoy their meals either in their seats or in the café car meeting other passengers.
Arriving at the station early for the return trip to Newark, spending time in Hattiesburg station also makes a future trip to that city tempting. Known as the birthplace of Rock ‘n Roll, the city is home to both the East Sixth Street Museum District and the 1964 Freedom Summer Trail, a historic adventure that highlights the city’s role in the civil rights era. It’ s a city with more than 200 eateries, plenty of art and boutique shops, more than 3,000 hotel rooms as well as B&Bs and campgrounds, a zoo, two military museums, many historic sites, and some great murals and sculptures along a Public Art Trail that features 100 stops. Even their utility boxes are painted with colorful art!
But for this trip on the Crescent, more adventurous and exciting was getting to Pensacola for the wing ceremony of a Naval Lieutenant grandson soon to be Naval Helicopter Pilot.
