The Crowded In – the Crew Not Letting Us Spread Out – Palmetto Through the Flat Carolinas from Charleston to D.C.

To come home from Charleston the choice is obvious, the Palmetto to Washington, DC with a same ticket stopover have an overnight with my Aunt and Uncle and enjoy DC before continuing home just under the 23 hours and 30 minute cutoff that turns a stopover into a layover (and would have given me a $97 + $84 fare, costing $181) and only $120 ($108 with my NARP discount) would get me home. An extend stay in DC isn’t worth $55 to me! I also had a hard time finding the low-bucket $84 fare on Sunday so heading home Saturday night made the most sense. I aslo have friends coming into town. The final decision was whether to go Business Class for the long ride on the Palmetto and I asked the question on my favorite Amtrak forum Amtrak Unlimited and the conscious was that the Palmetto crew loves to group people together northbound so pay for Business Class if you want to spread out. I have 2 Upgrade Coupons that expire in March with no plans of Acela trips for myself (I might end up giving them away) although using one to upgrade would cost me $12 since I’d have to lose my NARP discount (the full Upgrade fee is $50). I ended up calling an agent 3 days before and was told that my original fare would be protected when I use a coupon and would owe the $12 regardless of the day of fare. Hearing that I through a coupon in my bag before leaving home and decided I would simply ask at the ticket office in Charleston before boarding the train.

Today:
I wake up around 7:00 in the NoHostel to the German I’m sharing my room with clearly packing. The other Australian in the room is also up. I shower and ask the German where she’s going and the response is “Washington by train, I’m taking the bus there and am nervous.” The one thing this hostel could improve is their breakfast of bagels and English Muffins doesn’t start until 8:30. Part of me is tempted to grab and run but I decide I might as well me super early and have time to get a full photo essay. The German woman leaves before me and I leave the hostel a little before 8:00. I find a bakery and buy a scone and muffin for breakfast and the train. The goal of this ride on the Palmetto that lacks a dining car is to buy no overpriced AmFood. If there was a proper dining car I would pay to have lunch in it.

I then walk out to Meeting Street and the 10 comes about 5 minutes after it’s scheduled too, the German woman is already aboard the same bus even though she left ten minutes before me. It’s a newer low-floor bus that doesn’t smell. We get to the modern North Charleston Transit Center at 8:39, early and have to wait for the driver to smoke a cigarette before our 8:43 departure time.

We get off a little before 9:00 at the stop nearest the Charleston Amtrak Station–(51 Photos) and I tell the German to walk down to the station trying to explain (her English is poor) that I’m going a different way to get a picture. I walk up a highway overpass that I’ve scouted via Google to get a decent photo from the end of the station’s platform. I then head into the station and walk through the one opening gate into the parking lot that is clearly closed when the station is closed making the parking lot secure.

I continue my photo essay and enter the depot. I notice that the 1950s station has two identical waiting rooms, each have modern Amtrak era benches (just one has a working LCD TV, the other and old CRT display), two sets of wooden doors in the back that are clearly for restrooms (one waiting room’s is still open – just an hour before trains departure time to keep them for passengers only as signs say) and each finally has two of its own old wooden telephone booths with signs saying the payphones are broken and to visit the ticket office if you need to make a phone call. I finally visit the ticket office (there situated across from the ticket office with two open windows). I chat with a friendly agent and explain that I have an Upgrade Coupon in my bag and am debating using it on today’s Palmetto if it would give me a guaranteed window seat and less crowded car. He types in at his computer and explains that there are ~180 people on the train right now heading north from Savannah, about ~160 of them are getting off and only about ~70 are getting on. He then explains that the capacity of the train is ~320 people and to just tell the staff on board that you want to sit in a different car if you can’t find a window. He finishes with “In a couple weeks with the holiday season it will be much more crowded.”

At 9:54 is the Palmetto arrival announcement is quite along all passengers are told zone 8. The agent come and says 158 kids are getting off and to move back to 8, originally it was 9, I see school buses.

The train arrives at 10:02, pretty much on time with a Northeast Regional Cafe. I’m the second to board. For Washington I’m directed to the Amfleet I just behind the cafe car. I grab the last set of seats before the parties of two or more signs begin. The IIs must be reserved for others going farther. There are no seat assignments like I fear. I’ll at least have a window for the ride. We leave, passing houses as we get a nice southern welcome from the conductor. The crew is at trying to keep everyone together in a couple cars, I don’t say anything but the agent clearly hasn’t ridden the train recently and doesn’t understand how it’s loaded with the crew not wanting folks to spread out over the entire train. The station dwell time is long (that’s a lot of children to get off) and we leave at 10:14, 14 minutes late.

Some people have boarded the reserved seats and the conductor comes kicks everyone out of the reserved for parties of two or more seats (including a couple, who are sitting properly), there is clearly a miss communication between him and the coach attendant. The woman directly in front of me doesn’t move and starts chatting with the crew, nearly by namem saying, “I’m a frequent traveler and am not moving.” We pass some more 1960s trees before getting to flat forests. Then follow a two-lane highway.

10:28 – It leaves and were back to trees before passing the first scrapyard of the day. There Is tons marshland and no hills. I’m appreciating the South Carolina low-county.
10:31 – Notice a cross, a grade crossing fatality?
10:32 – A lot of white Sprinter cans and the first fields of agriculture.
10:35 – A nice restored depot in Monicks Corner
10:38 – Pinopolis and we then cross a long river bridge (I’m too slow with my camera) and pass a power plant
10:42 – Another small town, with a trailer park literally on the otherwside of the tracks – Bonneau, we follow US-52 on the edge of Frances Marion National Forest. Were going faster than the traffic on this fast main line.
10:46 – Come into St. Stephen and I notice a historic but dilapidated white-framed depot with purple trim. Were joined at Sephen’s Junction I think by another rail line.
10:48 – We leave roads and go over canal of some sort and slow down on a bridge above a swamp. This embankment above a swamp with some water continues in a forest of trees (some down) clearly to keep the rail line from flooding.
10:52 – Another river on a proper bridge and more swamps
10:53 – Go over a grove of trees and into Santee’s Bluff siding.
10:54 – South Carolina 377 at a grade crossing
10:56 – Speed through Lane and back into forests and swamps. I see the conductors and coach attendant walking towards the back, I assume because were coming into Kingstree.

At 11:05 we get to the first stop of the day, Kingstree, 10 minutes late, we let a few people off, maybe one on. There is a nice wood framed depot that is now a restaurant named Grand Central Station. For Amtrak passengers there are no amenities, just a tiny platform that can accomidate a car, a wheelchair lift enclosure and a modern information panel. There isn’t any sort of canopy structure. We slowly leave at 11:07, passing a building that says Railroad Auctions. Kingstree feels bigger than the other towns we’ve passed through. The entire ride sow far has been as flat as a pancake since were in South Carolina’s low country.

11:14 – Slow down for a CSX track gang at Buynum siding
11:15 – Pass a sign for Williamsburg Cooperative Center that leads to a driveway to nowhere and an empty field. There other signs that actually lead to something.
11:19 – Trees and an old barn.
11:20 – Another junk yard.
11:23 – Pass a cement plant as we pass Lake City with clearly a former brick depot in the middle of town. A man asks me “Do you know how to get the foot rest down” My response is other cars have them, this one doesn’t.
11:26 – Scranton South Carolina as the water tower says.
11:30 – Follow US-52 through Coward
11:36 – As we go through Effingham I ask if Florence is a fresh air stop and get a nod, yes.

The conductors make an announcement that Florence is a crew change and fresh air stop. As we arrive they announce that because of the crew change to have all tickets out for rescanning, that’s a new one for me. They end with “On behalf of our Florence based operating crew and New York based passenger service crew we thank you for choosing Amtrak.” Not to stereotype but I definitely noticed a difference in demeanor between my northern attendant the conductors that had a slow, southern charm. We arrive into Florence at 11:41, 2 minutes after aour departure time that has a small more modern station next to a historic structure on the edge of a large railroad yard. I don’t take my chances and enter the station but get a decent walk along the unusual platform. I can’t quite imagine how they fit the auto-train during its service stop now that it’s also the train’s only smoke stop. There is a freight train going by in the distance. We leave at 11:51, 10 minutes late. The attendant is clearly giving out numbers saying we have a sold out train (I think north of Richmond), of course no one follows them and he kicks the singles out of the two or more seats. This time he’s moving singles. I don’t get a seatmate yet. One woman’s clearly not happy and fuming at the attendant as she is moved forgetting where she’s put her bag.

11:54 – Croppers Crossing as we leave the freight yard of Florence beyond and enter fields.
11:59 – See a large suburbian office park building off in the distance
12:05 – Go over another river and pass a huge junk-yard off in the distance. Then its back to the flat country.
12:09 – MarCo Rural Water Company in the flat low-country of trees.
12:14 – Speed through Latta, this is relatively fast straight track
12:19 – Cross another railroad

We come into tiny Dillon, South Carolina stopping at 12:20. The Meteor doesn’t bother stop here in the middle of the night, at least it has a nice historic station house (with pointless arrow signs) and a brick platform. It lacks a wheelchair lift and I notice it’s not listed as wheelchair accessible. There is a large group of a dozen passengers waiting to board I see one woman walking the length of the train I assume because she is in business class. There some CSX High-Railers stopped along thee platform We get the double-toot at 12:23.

12:25 – Pass the historic Dillion Water Tower and leave the station. I see the conductor looking like he’s counting. I’ve heard no ticket beeps and have a feeling they were scanned on the platform in Florence and maybe Dillion too.
12:27 – We go along another siding on this fast track.
12:30 – Pass a nice meadow, I’m starting to miss trees, I had no idea the line would be so flat.
12:33 – Rowland, the first town in North Carolina, my 48^th State (that I’ve either set foot in or ridden a train through)! I’m now just missing Alabama, need to take the Crescent down to New Orleans and Hawaii, when Honolulu finally opens its automated train I’ll fly out.
12:39 – Under I-74
12:41 – Slow down to pass through Pembroke, NC a small town that until recently had an HI Hostel, but no train station although Amtrak passes through. I use the Amtrak wifi that is working well and find out this hostel has closed.
12:44 – Pass some more low-rise houses and trees, the landscape is still completely flat in Carolina’s low-country. We go back to trees.
12:52 – The same trees and flat land. We keep passing more trees and fields.
12:57 – Parkton with a historic depot set back from the tracks and rusting historic diesel locomotive and Budd DMU outside of the station. The trees break for another field with irrigation ditches.
1:00 – The southern end of South Hook Siding, there is a historic always lit signal gantry and a modern silver one getting added.
1:01 – GO over another small bridge and start seeing a subdivision near South View, were coming towards Fayetteville
1:04 – Under a highway and past more trees. We get the Fayetteville next stop in 5 minutes. Unfortunately I don’t thing I will have a chance to step on terra-ferma in North Carolina since the next crew change point isn’t until Richmond, Virginia. Were also a few minutes late.
1:06 – Seem some more 1950s brick houses through the trees.
1:08 – MP-211 and under another highway and another arriving Fayetteville announcement.

We arrive into Fayetteville the station at 1:12. The station has a nice brick depot with a long canopy. There is a good crowd of two-dozen people waiting to board. I see the usual signals going up to the reserved seats. Time for another reseating by the train attendant (that I assume is giving out seat numbers from back to front, the reason I don’t have a seat mate yet). A CSX train starts passing the other way as were stopped. I assume were waiting for luggage and we leave at 1:17 as I see the conductor scanning (but not kicking people out) of the Parties of two or more seats. We leave Fayetteville

1:22 – Pass a large Cargill Plant.
1:23 – There is a bottleneck as the conductor kicks people out of the parties of two or more seats. I get a seat mate who is only to Wilson. Only about an hour and she says she takes the train all the time. Telling her to double-up for just two stops seems silly in my book unless a large crowd is boarding in Selma-Smithfield.
1:30 – Were back in trees on a line that is double-tracked here at South Gordon siding and feels like its in decent shape. There plenty of breaks in the trees for fields.
1:37 – Come into Dunn as I keep my eyes open for a historic depot. I see an old caboose! We continue through the fields of North Carolina.
1:44 – A lake and some more houses then under a highway underpass.
1:45 – Another irrigation ditch
1:50 – The small town of Four Oaks and over some more water
1:52 – Another stream
1:54 – Pass a Long Yard (as the rules sign calls itself) and into Smithfield. The bigger town of our next station stop although the station is in the next town of Selma where we join the line from Raleigh used by the Carolinian and Silver Star. We pass factories as we come into town.

The two cities basically flow from one city to the other (industry along the rail line) and I see an add for Selma Auto-Parts as we pass a CSX freight train and I hear some people snoring. We pass a large concrete plant as we enter and I see the other rail line. It turns out the station has three platforms, one not in use. We stop at the Selma-Smithfield Station at 2:00pm and I think they’re making a double-spot for business class but it turns out there only stopping once making the couple of boarding coach passengers walk through the cafe to actually board the train. One man has decided to move himself; I wait for the attendant, he kicks the man out, he’s going to NWK and is sitting in the wrong car. They are actually putting a party of two there, boarding people from farther up and two walk into my car. This stop I’ve got to visit with its two platform. The old man claims every time I sit somewhere and get up someone takes my seat. The attendant says your going to Newark right and lets him stay, clearly not wanting to deal with him anymore. People are wondering “I ride the train all the time and I’ve never seen the psycho’s today” says the lady in front of me. I hear others snoring. The trees continue with some fields. The lady sitting next to me who says she rides the train all the time says its not normally this crowded or crazy.

2:13 – Welcome to Kenly. We go back to trees and fields. I notice the attendant putting two NWK seat checks by the cranky old man’s seat, relenting.
2:18 – Lacama, another small town in the fields and trees and more houses. We enter the South Conantina (spelling) siding.
2:13 – My seat-mate gets off. We exchange Nice meeting yous although we didn’t really chat.
2:25 – Pass Wilson ‘B’ were coming into this town. The line of passengers getting off stretches a bit through the car.

At 2:27 we stop in Wilson, another nice historic brick depot. The downside to the Palmetto from Charleston is that if I had gone to Charlotte or somewhere else in North Carolina I could have done a couple hour stop-over anywhere north of Selma-Smithfield from the Carolinian to the Palmetto that runs only a few hours later. I’m not complaining, I wanted to stay in a town with a hostel. There not as many people boarding. We leave and I lack a seat mate! The seat attendant isn’t really up to his game with a single grabbing two empty seats from two departing passengers. The stop is quick and we leave at 2:30.

2:36 – We leave Wilson and go by more fields. The attendant and the conductor walk the car and the attendant tells the conductor “Leave it like that for the complaining old man” who now has two NWK seat checks.
2:37 – The small town of Elm City with a nice, silver water tower.
2:41 – Sharpsburg with a water tower. We slow down passing a large yard.

As we pass a large yard I walk the train for the first and definitely find the crew is being totally ridiculous about packing the train. The car behind mine is completely full, the next car is half-full with the entire rear of the car totally empty, having reserved for parties of two or more signs on every set of seats. I get to the rear vestibule and fine this car completely closed. If the crew wanted to make everyone more comfortable (and let nearly everyone have two seats to themselves) they could open the rear coach like most trains I’ve ridden! My main question is if a full car load of folks will be getting on in Richmond, then I will sort of change my opinion. It would though be better if the crew let people spread out for the nearly 9 hour ride from Savannah to Richmond. In terms of ‘playing by the rules’ I think I lucked out by getting put in the intermediate car since I’ve only had a seat mate for the short Fayetteville to Wilson portion of the ride. We continue very slowly past a yard and the Southbound Palmetto passes us.

At 2:50 I hear music to my ears ,I can get a brief step-off on firm ground in North Carolina! There is a bunch of padding into Rocky Mount and we have made it up and arrive early at 2:52. I have a nice brief step out to the historic and nicely resorted station but decide not to take my chances and try and venture inside. All aboard is at 2:57 and I re-board at 2:59. They then announce that the cafe car is temporarily closed (no reason given) and if you’re seating in the cafe car to kindly return to your seats. Not just that only the counter is closed.

3:08 – Start going over a large swamp with tons of standing water.
3:12 – Slow down on a siding and to meet a CSX Freight Train. We then stop. Probably the first time we have had to stop. The wifi has worked quite well and I use the train tracker on Amtrak’s website, noticing the southbound Carolinian is heading towards us. I hear a conductor say were in Whitakers. I notice the Carolinian is stopped too according to the train tracker. The siding is in woods.
3:20 – We slowly start moving again.
3:22 – Cross a river and pass industry in Enfield. It has a historic station with a tower across from it along the railroad that goes straight through downtown.
3:27 – Leave this town and enter nearly tree-less woodlands, it looks a lot more like winter here than down in South Carolina.
3:40 – We rise up onto a trestle and go above the tiny town of Weldon before crossing the Roanoke River with multiple channels on a high bridge.
3:43 – Pass on the outskirts of Greysburg a tiny town, this area between Rocky Mount and Petersburgh (extreme southern Richmond Suburbs) is extremely rural; no wonder there isn’t a stop for 98 miles between Petersburg and Rocky Mount.
3:48 – I get up for some water (no word about the cafe car reopening) and when I come back to my seat were following a road that starts having a bunch of signs like Radar Detectors are illegal, buckle up Virginia. I’ve crossed just my second (and final, DC is in a district) state line of the day.
3:55 – Pass a grave yard and see the road next to us going up and down just a little bit, I think I’m finally back in rolling hills. We then go through more of a town, Emporia, as it’s water tower says and cross another river. We then pass the nice restored train depot. I wonder if this town has ever been a stop in the Amtrak era? I check out a historical timetable and find out the answer is no (at least in 1978). The sun sets behind us since were going northeast.
4:02 – More trees and houses as we come into Jarratt. Some of the trees are in standing water.
4:03 – The cafe car finally reopens after being closed for an hour! Most of the trees along the line are conifers so there is not too much to see. I wonder if there will be any amount of light for photos in Richmond? Some water is along the line and cell towers rise above the swampland.
4:11 – Cross a little river and through tiny Stony Creek. I notice were parallel to I-95 that’s just beyond some trees. The wifi is working surprisingly well as we go through tiny Carson. Evening has descended too much for photos of all these trees.
4:16 – Pass a generating station and yet more trees. There have been plenty of small lakes on today’s train ride.
4:22 – Reams, a siding in woods
4:24 – Another track joins us
4:25 – We come into a yard approaching Petersburg with a bunch of green boes that are garbage from Waste Management portions of the cars are marked WMNY with serial numbers. Is this where New York’s Garbage goes?
4:28 – We go over another railroad and get the arrival announcement for Petersburg, Virginia, they announce that between here and Richmond over a hundred passengers will be boarding this train since the train is sold out. I start seeing houses and what looks like a decent sized place off in the distance. We start passing more houses.

We arrive in Petersburg at 4:33 it has a modern brick station house, 2 minutes late. A crowd is waiting to board but not a ridiculously large one. A northbound CSX freight soon passes heading northbound. We finally leave at 4:40.

4:43 – The houses begin and I assume the ride will be urban all the way into Richmond. We pass a yard full of tractor trailers.
4:47 – We return to the trees has the sun has nearly fully set off in the distance.
4:49 – Chester, a bunch of larger transit oriented development buildings. There are some larger buildings off in the distance. I notice both Newport News-bound Northeast Regional 95 and the Miami-bound Silver Meteor are barreling south towards Richmond, I wonder if we can stop in the station at the same time. We pass a southbound intermodal train as I see suburbs.
4:55 – I notice we curve off the former passenger main line to curve around Richmond and head towards the AmStation in the northern suburbs I haven’t been too. Instead were just going through the suburbs. We slow down I see dusk off in the distance
5:01 – Come to a stop outside of Richmond. We move again at 5:02 and switch onto another track.
5:06 – We cross a wide river and get a bit of a glimpse of the Richmond Skyline passing highways. I get ready for the final fresh-air stop of the day.
5:09 – Were briefly in the median of a highway has dusk as fully descended as we continuine around Richmond.
5:11 – Another highway as the crew leaves for the stop. The cafe looks packed as we pass a large yard just south of Staple Mills Road and I prepare for another walk.
5:14 – Now arriving Richmond Staples mills road, the only stop in Richmond on Train #90.

We arrive in Richmond-Staple Mills Road at 5:15 across from the Silver Star that is about to depart. I realize that the platform can accommodate two trains at once only by having people walk around the front Locomotive. I run up for a photo of it as a hoard of passengers boards, they finally open up the rear car and it becomes packed with those passengers. I feel like the Palmetto has transitioned from long-distance to a Regional route, just like what occurs on all my New York State trains in Albany. I re-board and find a cell phone talking seatmate discussing how she finds the Palmetto doable because it doesn’t make so make so many stops like the Regional does. The next stop is Alexandria on this train.

5:40 – Go through Ashland a pretty town with a historic depot and a stop on some Regionals. We zoom north on fast trak in the dark. I check and realize I’ve missed seeing the Auto Train, perhaps it was the train I thought was a freight as we came into Richmond.
5:47 – See some freight cars and just darkness, The route south to Richmond I’ll ride in daylight at some point
5:51 – Pass Southbound Northeast Regional 125 heading to Norfolk, another short-trip I’ll make one day soon. Were making good speed. We reach a cellphone dead zone. I see grade-crossing lights and a few houses.
6:06 – Some lights again Woodford.
6:17 – Clearly pass an Airport as we approach Fredericksburg.
6:18 – Pass a freight train and slow down. A train with lower windows than us passes. I assume a VRE Galley Car. I see a parking lot and cars clearly leaving as we pass Fredericksburg with a historic train station. Suburbia takes over and another train passes on the right hand side of the tracks.
6:24 – A VRE Station, Leeland Road, only one platform on the right side of the train
6:28 – Another VRE Stop, Brooke, a simple canopied platform and I have no cell service.
6:30 – We pass VRE train #309 as their train tracker tells me that has old school graphics.
6:31 – Pass a marina (without any boats) and cross Aqua Creek. We now start following the Potomac River I only know from my iPhone, I can’t see it.
6:36 – I see a very wide generic looking building as we go through the Quantico Navel Station. It’s large and I can’t believe there is a rail station in the middle of it.
6:38 – Bypass the Quantico Train Station. The lights continue.
6:44 – It’s dark as we keep following the Potomac River, this part of the ride must be fairly scenic during the day. We then pass the Rippon VRE Station.
6:47 – Woodbridge as we pass another VRE Train, since VRE runs peak direction rush hours only we keep taking the right hand track as it takes the other track
6:48 – cross over another body of water on this fast track
6:49 – Pass another train, I think Amtrak because its windows are higher, Northeast Regional #
6:51 – The Auto Train station, it has an extremely long platform (for good reason), then the Lorton VRE Station. We get 5 to 10 minutes for Alexadria, detraining only between the first and second coach. The cafe car closing announcement and that seating is also closed, folks please return to your seats.
6:54 – We slow down, if it was daytime I might very well decide to get off in ALX and take the Metro in, it doesn’t seem worth it in the dark. The conductors then come through and say about ten minutes.
6:57 – Pass Franconia-Springfield with two narrow side platforms and clearly the beginning of the Metro. I see blue lights since were following the Metro of its call boxes and we zoom by another train on the right.
7:00 – Van Dorn Street
7:02 – We pass houses and a VRE train as I see the lights of the Galley Cars. I then see the large Metro yard.
7:03 – Pass a well-lit soccer field.

At 7:04 we arrive in Alexandria with its ice historic brick station. I see an Amtrak agent and notice an underpass. A southbound VRE train on the Manassas Line comes to a stop in the station, it and Marc are the only two commuter rail lines in the country I haven’t ridden. I can’t believe I have never really gotten down to DC for transit purposes and this layover will be on a Saturday! We finally leave at 7:10 passing the King Street Metro Station. A few people have boarded here going up to New York. We leave and continue heading north. I hear were ten minutes away from DC.

7:15 – Pass the Crystal City VRE station as we pass another Southbound Regional. They make the announcement about Washington DC and that the engine will switch and to not use the restroom and also to stay trainside. “This train has no departure time and if you leave the train and enter the station you do so at your own risk.”

Were early, as we pass the Potamic in view of the Orange Line on its bridge, its nice and scenic. I see the lit monuments and am excited to spend a proper day here.

7:21 – Pass L’Efant Plaza and I pack-up.

We enter Washington-Union Station our official arrival time is 7:26, 31 minutes early. I now have a 23 hours and 54 minute stopover in DC! (the maximum for a scheduled layover without getting caught with a second fare is 23 hours and 50 minutes, my trip is barely, just 7 minutes under the maximum time!). I see a long distance train across from us getting ready to leave, the Silver Meteor (the Crescent we passed a short ways before). It soon does, how about that, getting photos of both Silver Service Trains on the same day!

I get some pictures of the low-level through platforms before following the crowd up the escalators to the VRE waiting area before the G gates. Their empty because the last trains have left for the day (LCD monitors show there location). I gradually get some pictures with an employee telling me I’m not supposed to be there, my response: “I’m getting off a train!” and nearly grab my ticket.

I’m spending the night with my Aunt and Uncle in Cleveland Park but there out to dinner so I’m on my own tonight in no big hurry. I leave the Amtrak concourse and decide I’m thirsty and to check out the ClubAclea. I hand my card over and enter a windowless room that’s slightly nicer than the New York Club but doesn’t have the historic glamor of the Philidelphia and Boston Clubs. There are doors though that lead directly to the preboarding areas beyond the entrances to each gate.

I spend maybe five minutes in the Club as they make an Acela Express boarding call. I then head out and follow the signs to the Metro that require basically going by the Amtrak exits outside the coucourse. I buy a SmartLink Card for $10 (with $8 of Value) since I lack one and paper tickets now have a $1 surcharge per ride. I then get on the Red Line that fills up quite a bit. I’m debating making a photo stop and end up deciding to ride out a couple of extra stops to Tenleytown-AU before doubling back to Cleveland Park, a good little introduction to photographing the DC Metro who’s unique vaults are extremely hard to photograph and also hard to identify. This is definitely another challenge for the SubwayNut, at least this system offers unlimited ride passes unlike BART.

My first D.C. Metro Ride with a camera (I had ridden in at least 13 years ago as a child):