Dee K

We arrived into Union Station on Sunday evening from Penn Station on Amtrak. The train ride was fine. Amtrak has really been great. We don't have one complaint. Every train took off on time and we thought each ride was very affordable. We found a room right across the street from Union Station at the Phoenix Park Hotel. The rooms are really nice and the location is great. It's been around 30 degrees but the wind has been pretty bad. Monday we stayed in for a day to rest. Tuesday and Wednesday we took the trolley tour bus. We visited the memorials, American Museum of History, Air and Space Museum, Arlington Cemetary and the front of the White House. We've had a great time. Tonight we're hoping to find a good restaurant for dinner.... read more

Arrived in NYC on Wednesday evening. Amtrak arrived on time and we grabbed a car from Penn Station. We had a little disagreement with the driver. He was not a taxi driver but a town car service. When we got in the car I asked if he would charge us taxi cab rates and he said he would. Well when we arrived at our destination he tried to scam us for $120. Keith and I both refused to pay. I even stopped some locals to ask them if we were right. They agreed and said $50 max. It was about a 35-40 minute ride from Penn Station. He saw us coming and was just trying to put it to us. We ended up paying $80 bucks and made him pop the truck for our bags. I ... read more

Arrived Sunday evening on VIA Rail Canada (the train). We traveled from Niagara Falls through Toronto. The ride was about 5 hours long and went well. The cost was around $170 each. Trains are very clean and roomy. We arrived in Montreal's train station at 9:50pm and found a room online for $99. The hotel is the Grand Plaza Centre-Ville. It's a nice clean hotel. The cab ride to the hotel cost about $10. We were warned by the cab driver that some of the areas near the hotel is not safe. We took his advice and stayed in and ordered pizza, probably the best pizza I've ever had. We ate buffet breakfast in the hotel this am. After breakfast we took the Metro (subway) to Notre Dame Basilica. This is the largest church in North ... read more

Preparing for our vacation starting on Christmas. Concerned some about the weather but I'm confident we will be fine. Packing this week and trying to find all the info I can on Niagara Falls, Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City. Once we make it to the US I know we'll find our way.... read more