A Weekend Blitz on the Silver Meteor

Jeffrey and McCown in Roomette

You know how some people plan big trips for weeks? Pack days in advance and count down to their departure?

Jeffrey and his finacee McCown don’t operate like that.

“We were looking for just a weekend getaway,” Jeffrey says. “I looked the day before and the flight options weren’t great, and we liked the idea of traveling overnight and saving the first night’s hotel stay by sleeping on the train.”

So the couple booked a roomette aboard our Silver Meteor one hour before the train left the station. They call it a Weekend Blitz, and rightfully so!

“It was a very spontaneous, spur of the moment decision,” Jeffrey says of their getaway from Charleston, S.C., to New York City. “We were using Amtrak Guest Rewards points, and it was the same amount of points between Miami and Boston, so we were attracted by the big city feel of New York.”

McCown, who was riding an over-night train for the first time, and Jeffrey were surprised by the privacy and amenities in their roomette. “There’s an actual bed, not just a seat that reclines,” he says.

When the couple boarded in South Carolina, they were greeted by their train attendant who explained the workings of the train and made their beds for the night.

“It sounds like its going to take forever,” Jeffrey says, “but by the time you get some sleep, wake up, get breakfast, you’re almost there.”

Since they booked a roomette, their reservation also came with free meals in the train’s dining car—a perk he calls, “an awesome deal.”

By the time they were done with breakfast and had played around on the computer a little, they were pulling into Manhattan (approximately 30 minutes ahead of schedule!).

“The time goes by very fast,” he says. “There’s plenty to do on the train. If you’re comparing it to driving, it is just a way better experience. You can sit back, grab a beer if you want, play on the computer, and just kick back and relax.”

To see more pictures of Jeffrey and McCown’s adventure on Amtrak’s Silver Meteor, check out their blog here.

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