3/4/13

Arrived "early" in to LAX. Although the scheduled arrival is IIRC 5:15 am, most arrivals are about 4:30 an! However, this one was "early", as we arrived about 4:20 am!

The SCA (I wish I had gotten his name) was not even awake!! The "rule" is that sleeper passengers "can" occupy their rooms until 6:30 - but I never saw wording saying that they "NUST" occupy their rooms until 6:30! With akk the activity on the platform (coach passengers must disembark upon arrival) and with other trains coming and going, I don't see how anyone could continue sleeping anyway.

Since the SCA was not awake, passengers had to carry their own bags down the stairs to the door. As many of you know, I have a balance coordination problem. It wasn't easy for me to carry my 2 carry on bags and my walking stick, but it was possible. But for the couple in the H Room, that was a different story!

After many of the passengers disembarked, we flagged down a Red Cap. He assisted the couple in the H Room with their bags. After helping that couple, he saw a conductor on the platform and notified her of the situation. She went into the car and did not see, to be happy!

Before she cane back, I had left with the Red Cap so I don't know "the rest of the story"! This was one of the very few times I didn't tip the SCA, but I had no choice. There was no one to tip!

As per my practice of traveling for an extended period without stopping over, I had checked one bag of clean clothes to LAX, with the intention of switching my dirty clothes for my clean clothes and then checking my dirty clothes bag back home.

I went to the ”Parcel Room" (aka baggage claim at LAX) to retrieve my bag. I then took a seat in the beautiful waiting room to switch my clothes from 1 bag to the other. I then took that bag to the ticket counter to recheck it back to BOS.

Due to being very tired, I did not go to Phillippe's! (I know that's rules for dismissal from AU.) instead I stayed at LAX and had a great conversation with a Native American returning from AZ to OR.

I waited for the Traxx Lounge to open to recharge my iPhone and iPad. Also to get some free coffee and juice!

Soon it was time to board the CS. I again used a Red Cap. #14 departed right on time, with a PPC in the consist! However, by the time the conductor reached me to scan my ticker,and I got to the PPC, all 8 of the great swivel seats were taken. So I was forced to take one of the "bar seats" instead.

There was no wifi in the PPC. If there was, it wasn't listed as a choice.

I had lunch (and dinner) in the PPC. Lunch was great, with the ocean views as a background. Dinner had the salad served in a real glass bowk, the iced tea was served in a real glass - but the entree was served on a (plastic) Amplate!

I later discovered that the PPC did have wifi, but I could not connect to it.