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 | America's Orient Express |  | | | Story by Phyllis Humphrey
Photographs by Curt Humphrey
"Everything but Cary Grant!"
That’s how Time Magazine described the American Orient
Express, North America’s only private luxury train. And if the
beautifully restored coaches with |
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| their
fine woods and gleaming brass don’t remind you of Hitchcock’s
"North by Northwest," the superior service will.
Although it has been in operation for over
five years, we only heard about the American Orient Express a year
ago thanks to PBS. We sent for their brochure, chose their
Antebellum South tour, and had a glorious time.
The original Orient Express traveled from
Paris to Istanbul in the early part of the 20th
century, and was the inspiration for many a story and novel
including Agatha Christie’s Murder
on the Orient Express. Air travel caused a decline in its use
by the affluent until its cars were restored to their original
grandeur and it became a "tour" train rather than merely
a means of getting from one city to another. |
| The American
Orient Express consists of fifteen U.S. railroad cars built in the
40’s and 50’s plus an Amtrak engine, and it too provides
tours, rather like a cruise on land. The cars have been restored
to their original beauty, with fine polished woods and gleaming
brass fixtures. |
| Editor’s Note:
Among Phyllis Humphrey’s many published works is the
classic Wall
Street on $20.00 A Month. She also pens
contemporary full-length fiction under her maiden name,
Phyll Ashworth. CLICK HERE to read excerpts from a review
of Choices, her most recent novel. |
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| Depending
on the time of year, they go south to Florida, through western
mountains and canyons, and north to Seattle.
Our trip, the first of the 2000 season,
began in New Orleans on March 18th and ended in
Washington, D.C. (when the cherry trees were in full blossom!)
seven days later. We stopped in Jacksonville, Florida, Savannah,
Georgia, Charleston, South Carolina, and Richmond, Virginia. At
each stop we left the train for expert guided tours of the area.
The train waited for us, and we slept on board every night
(although some of the other American Orient Express tours include
hotel stopovers).
Our group numbered 75 passengers (the six
sleeping cars can handle about a hundred) with a crew of 40 to
take care of us. Talk about pampered! Curt and I had reserved one
of the smallest size cabins, which contained upper and lower
berths. During the day, the upper bunk folded up and the lower
converted into a large, comfortable sofa. We had our own toilet
room and sink, and luxurious terry robes were provided for our use
in going to the shower room at the end of the car.
After dinner in the dining car and
listening to the lovely piano player/singer in one of the two club
cars, we returned to our cabin each night to find our beds made up
and mints left on our pillows. Also waiting for our perusal,
thanks to the on-board office complete with computer, was a
printout of the next day’s itinerary and weather report.
All meals were excellent. One could eat in
either of the two dining cars, or have a Continental breakfast in
the observation car at the rear of the train. Lunch (when we
weren’t off on a side trip enjoying the local cuisine) was
served in the dining cars or sandwiches were provided in the club
cars. Dinner was always a five-course affair (with at least four
choices of entrée) complete with wine, served on crisp white
table linens, with fresh flowers, fine china, silver and crystal.
Waiters—everyone—went out of their way to provide whatever we
desired. |
| Side trips usually
involved two buses or trolleys. The guides were charming and
extremely knowledgeable. In Savannah, where Midnight in the
Garden of Good and Evil is referred to as "The
Book," we lunched at the home of the coroner’s wife, and
Mandy served our mint juleps!
Next stop was Charleston, where visits to
two plantations gave us a taste of what life was like before the
Civil War. |
| The
train cannot handle wheelchairs or walkers. Guests should
be prepared to do some walking, and to climb steps.
For more
information contact American Orient Express, 5100 Main
Street, Suite 300, Downers Grove, IL 60515. Telephone:
800-320-4206. Or call 877-854-3545 to request a free
brochure. |
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| In
Richmond we toured both Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and the
University of Virginia, which he founded. |
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| The cost of such a
vacation ranges from about $2,500 to $5,000 per person, depending
on the tour chosen and the size of the cabin. Larger ones, with
separate beds and private baths, are available. The price includes
all meals, wine at dinner, and first-night and last-night
champagne and caviar parties, plus the guided tours. Juices and
soft drinks in observation car and club cars are complimentary,
but other drinks must be signed for and tabs paid at the end of
the trip. Laundry service is also available for a small fee, and
certain items, such as polo shirts with the handsome AOE logo, the
terry robes, or the unusual soup tureens, are available for
purchase.
Considering all we saw and did, and the
accommodations, to say nothing of the delightful people we met on
board, we decided it was well worth the cost. |
Posted by PaulusMM on July 09 2004 - 14:03:27 - 0 Comments |
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