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New York to Florida by Train
As of September, 2005, there were two direct
trains from New York's Penn Station
to Miami:
the Silver Star, which departs
shortly before
lunch, and the Silver Meteor,
which departs
mid-afternoon. Both trains arrive
in Miami
around dinner time the next day.
Sitting in a coach seat for 26-30 hours while
the train rumbles southward may not be your
idea of a great trip, but remember, this
is a train, so there are no seatbelts and
plenty of room to stretch your legs as you
walk from car to car. if you are willing
to pay for a private cabin with a bed, this
train becomes a rolling hotel that can make
for a grand experience.
There's not much to see as you
pass through
the Northeast Corridor, but once
you get
south of Washington, the coastal
scenery
improves. The earlier train allows
for more
scenery seeing -- as far as North
Carolina
in the summer, before darkness
sets in. Daylights
greets the earlier train in Jacksonville,
Florida, while the later train,
closing fast,
greets the morning one stop north,
around
the lowlands of Savannah, Georgia.
If you're heading for a cruise ship departure
from Miami, plan to stay overnight. Both
trains arrive later than most ship departures,
and even if you have a late cruise departure,
there is that incessant problem of late trains.
Worrying about connections can take the fun
out of the trip, so plan a nice, long overnight
buffer. |
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