For holiday travelers, there are a number of choices, but at D.C.’s Union Station, rail riders made the case for hopping all aboard an Amtrak train.
For holiday travelers, there are a number of choices, but at D.C.’s Union Station, rail riders made the case for hopping all aboard an Amtrak train.
For Tamyshia Curry and her dog Sevyn, traveling by train to New York for the Thanksgiving holiday was a no-brainer, especially when compared to flying.
“It’s a lot cheaper, and it’s easier,” Curry said. “Especially with a pet.”
Sevyn, a 2-year-old mini goldendoodle, is a calm travel companion, Curry said.
“She actually doesn’t mind it, she usually just sleeps,” Curry said.
Although, Sevyn does like to snag the window seat.
“She loves the window seat. Yeah, it’s her favorite,” Curry said, explaining that having her dog outside a crate means buying an extra seat — but it’s worth it.
Curry also said her decision to hold off on buying a Thanksgiving week Amtrak ticket paid off, with a low $78 fare. But as she was explaining that, Sevyn snagged WTOP’s microphone!
Sevyn had been eyeing the mini microphone with its furry windscreen, which Curry easily retrieved before the pup could make a complete snack of it.
Mark Thompson and his family opted for a pre-Thanksgiving holiday trip to D.C. from Delaware, a decision prompted mainly by his 4-year-old son, Mateo. Asked about that, Mateo told WTOP the decision to take a train trip boiled down to one simple fact.
“I like it,” he said. “Cause it’s fast.”
His father asked, “and what else?”
“Because it’s fun and there’s a lot of people in the train,” Mateo said.
Thompson is also a fan.
“I like the train, because it’s kind of relaxing, better than driving,” Thompson said. “On the way down, I was saying to myself how smooth the ride was.”
Ana Conner, a Princeton student, was on her way home to Prince George, Virginia. Like Thompson, the train is an easy choice when compared to driving.
“I do not want to drive through D.C. and Baltimore traffic,” she said. “The train makes it a lot easier, a lot less stressful.”
Conner has a piece of advice for anyone who wants a stress-free trip by train.
“College students in general, they book trains very, very quickly and a lot of times they’re sold out. So make sure, especially if you’re a college student, that you book way in advance,” she said.
“And get your student discount!”
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