Every trip should be an adventure, whether it is out of necessity or leisure. We recently had the pleasure of escorting RJ’s grandmother to New York and wanted to show her a bit of the east coast along the way. So we decided to make a short sightseeing pit stop to show her the sights. And of course, the journey is really where all the fun lives.
Norfolk – 6:14 am
We started our journey nice and early with a dawn train departure on Amtrak. We love this train because it is the beginning (and end) of the line, so it is typically not very crowded at this point and quiet. It is also so on time that at the at our scheduled departure time of 6:14 am, we were well on our way down the tracks.
Amtrak is a great way to travel with plush leather seats, free wifi, electrical plugs at every seat, restrooms and a snack car. No need worry about rush hour traffic and if you want to lean back and close your eyes, go for it!
Tickets are usually fairly economical. We paid around $85 pp one way for this trip because we booked it last minute, you can get this same trip for as low as $33 if you pre-plan your trip. Amtrak also runs specials depending on the season that are unreal. At the time of publishing, there is am auto train deal, that runs from Lorton, VA to Sanford, FL, for $19 per person each way. Unreal!! Don’t believe me? Check it out for yourself!
The journey continued as we stopped in Richmond, Ashland, Fredericksburg, Quantico and Alexandria. The train started to fill up with each stop, which was evident with more activity, however it was nothing over the top. If you prefer a quieter trip, Amtrak had a dedicated quiet car where phone conversations are not allowed and it tends to stay pretty low key. In the normal cars, the conductors are also pretty good about making sure passengers use headphones when on phone calls, watching movies or listening to music. This helps with noise tremendously!
Washington, DC – 10:49 am
We finally made it to Union Station in Washington, DC around 10:49 am and now it was time for our DC excursion to begin.
As our nation’s capital, Washington, DC is full of historical and political landmarks that can take days to fully explore. We only have 2 hours, so we had to figure out a way to hit the big sights and make it back to the train station in time for our next train.
After weighing multiple options, we settled on hiring a car from ING Chauffeured Transportation to take us on a tour. This was a fantastic option! The driver picked us up from directly in front of Union Station. Since we had a Escalade, we were able to fit all 5 of us comfortably and throw RJ’s grandmother’s luggage in the trunk with ample room to spare.
The driver definitely knew his way around DC and within that two-hour window, we were able to visit the Washington Monument, White House, Jefferson Memorial, MLK Memorial, Howard University and the Capitol Building. Since the driver was able to stay with the car, we were able to hop out and take a few quick pictures. We even made it back to Union Station with enough time to grab a few sandwiches for lunch.
To continue our day trip, we hopped back on the train, however this one was a treat. None of us had ever been on the Acela so it was a first for the entire group. The Acela is a high speed train connecting Washington DC to Boston at speeds up to 150 mph with stops in Delaware, Philadelphia, NYC, Connecticut and Boston. The Acela has all of the amenities of the regular train such a wifi, electricity, restrooms and a snack car with upgraded seats and seating for 4 with tables.
New York City – 4:40 pm
We finally made it to New York City just in time for rush hour. With a quick pickup curbside for RJ’s grandmother, we were off to the subway. Oh how we missed it. The our last bout with the NYC subway system was in December 2019, during our Christmas trip in Manhattan, pre-Covid.
With a little pre-boarding music from a jazz band in onesies, we were well on our way to Brooklyn. Of course the train was standing room only, but it feels like we were there in a breeze.
Once in Brooklyn, we made a quick stop at Island Pops for ice cream. This place is amazing with traditional Caribbean flavors like soursop, sorrel & rum, passion fruit cake and grapenut, you can’t go wrong.
We met RJ’s grandmother and cousins at her home, got his grandmother settled in and within 30 minutes, we were in an Uber, headed to our next destination, JFK.
We made it to JFK with plenty of time to spare before our flight. Having no luggage and TSA Precheck made it a pretty painless process. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and boarded our flight, back to the same place where we started!
Our flight wasn’t full at all. The kids each got their own row and the only hiccup was the low fog cover right before we landing into Norfolk. After a full day of travel, we made it back to Norfolk. Now if you remember, we started out on the train, so we grabbed a quick Lyft for the short trip back to the train station. That may have been the most eventful part of the day, as our driver wasn’t the best, but it made for an interesting end to a fantastic day.
This was one crazy day trip, with lots to take in and see, 5 different modes of transportation and a round trip from Virginia to NYC in 16 hours. Every experience should be an excursion. We were able to turn a quick trip into an experience. Make your own excursion experience by booking your next trip with Excursion Guys. We can help you think outside of the box and enjoy the journey just as much as the destination. Contact us today!
