From Boston to Vancouver by train and bus, but mostly train, except when the train dies
UPDATE: Seems Amtrak is even worse than the T at handling cold weather, so she reports from Ohio she's had to book a flight from Chicago to Vancouver in order to make a lecture there on time.
Like Paul Theroux in The Old Patagonian Express, Julie Campoli yesterday started an epic train trip at South Station. Unlike Theroux, though, she's tweeting the whole thing:
Goal: My house in Vermont to University of British Columbia without stepping foot in an automobile or airplane
We're off! Only 2 hours late. Since we're scheduled to leave Albany at 7:05 we've got some elasticity. pic.twitter.com/qtxGeixXKV
— Julie Campoli (@JulieCampoli) January 23, 2014
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Sadly, the experiment has ended
A recent tweet says "Goal of Bos to VAN on low carbon modes aborted. Just booked flight from CHI to show up in time for UBC lecture. So sad."
That's too bad.
In February of 2003, I took a trip from Boston to the Bay Area and back via Amtrak (BOS-CHI-LAX-OAK, five days in SF, and then EMY-CHI-BOS). I would do it again, although I would probably opt for a sleeper, rather than go by coach as I did back then, even though coach was pretty comfortable.
It's expensive
I looked into doing the same type of trip but I wouldn't do it without a sleeper. At least on the CHI-LAX or CHI-SF leg, far too long to be in coach in a regular reclining seat. But Sleepers are $$$$ you could almost FLY to SF in First Class cheaper than you could get a sleeper on Amtrak for even part of the journey.