Serendipity on board the Silver Star

 I'm typing this from on board Amtrak train No. 92, the northbound Silver Star, as I pass the new SunRail commuter service layover yard, somewhere north of Orlando. It's been a fun run so far out of Hollywood on my trip north to Jacksonville. A morning obligation kept me from taking the earlier train, No. 98, which does not make the detour to Tampa. So I've trekked from one side of Florida to the other, and now I'm headed back to the coast from where I started.

I had a few options for traveling from Hollywood to Jacksonville today. I could have rented a car, which was surprisingly cheap for a one-way trip. But then I'd have to drop it at the Jacksonville airport, the only evening rental counters I could find in the city. I could have taken MegaBus, maybe for just a dollar, with its newer equipment and onboard Wi-Fi. But that would've required at least one bus change at a non-existent station somewhere in the state. Given these limitations, I chose the path already known: a comfortable seat in an Amfleet II coach.

 People lament the Amfleets. No, they don't look like the Heritage cars of the previous generation, and they don't have matching dome or dining cars. But that's alright by me. The window is still plenty large for me to see the Florida countryside and passing trains, and, honestly, with about half of the journey under the cover of darkness, a dome isn't really a necessity.

But in spite of these perceived shortcomings, I've still immensely enjoyed the journey. I can add Hollywood-Jacksonville -- and Tampa! -- to my list of "collected" mileage. I've met some wonderful people on board, even in the era of personal digital entertainment. And I have not been fighting traffic on Interstate 95 just to get there a few hours earlier. The food, served in a Northern Pacific-vintage dining car was great, too. (And this very well could've been my last meal in a Heritage dining car of any kind.) Yes, there is something to be said for arriving rested and refreshed.

Now, I just need to do this again, aboard the Silver Meteor, so that I can collect the other leg of the wye in Auburndale, and finish the journey to the Miami station!