Ct Rail 4400 departs Berlin station for Hartford, Windsor, Windsor Locks and Springfield, MA Thursday morning as Amtrak 125 - running 15 minutes late - arrives from Springfield with major stops in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and terminating in Newport News, VA on 10/8/26.
I was flying into ORD last week and as we were taxiing, saw this older jet being worked on - looks like a cargo conversion - and am curious if anyone knows what was happening? Couldn't spot an N number as we went by. Thanks.
Perhaps a local can help me out.
I'm coming to Seattle in a couple of weeks for a one week vacation. I'm flying in on my birthday - alone - and am curious if anyone has any restaurant recommendations for a solo diner to have a simple celebration of his 64th birthday? Ideally, I would prefer not to sit at a bar, rather have a nice quiet - and hopefully memorable meal - in a restaurant with American, French or Italian cuisine and if possible, accessible by public transit. I'd like to keep my bill to about $140 or so (one cocktail). Thank you.
The Vermonter on 8/28/26 arriving at New Haven's Union Station this afternoon (Platform 2/12 minutes late) - headed south to Washington, D.C. The Vermonter originates in St. Alban's, VT and goes through 9 states on its full day trip south where it is scheduled to arrive just after 10pm. The Vermonter states include: Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and finally, the District of Columbia. The entire trip - about 13 hours.
Two-car Amtrak 474 - originated in New Haven (Track 4/Departing 6 minutes late) - in Berlin Thursday afternoon. 474 makes the following stops out of New Haven's Union Station: New Haven/State Street, Wallingford, Meriden, Berlin, Hartford, Windsor, Windsor Locks and Springfield, MA
Daytrip on Amtrak 141 from Berlin, Connecticut to Philadelphia.
20 photos of what I saw… (actually shot 300+ but these are the first twenty from the trip... )
Left Philadelphia at 6:50pm; got into Berlin at 11:45pm and home around 12:15am (after stopping at McDonald's for some late-night fries and a Coke.)
Say what you want, the MTA app - covering Metro-North and Long Island Railroad - is so superior to the Amtrak app. Thoughts? And I get that this is probably mostly relevant for tri-state Amtrak riders who use MNRR/LIRR, NYC Subway along with Amtrak.
I always sit in the Quiet Car on my Amtrak journeys; for me, it is the most civilized way to travel outside of Acela. So shortly after departing Philadelphia, sitting in the Quiet Car, I heard a sound I almost never hear: someone talking on a cellphone. They weren't talking loudly - nor with the speaker on - but you could definitely make out the passenger-side of the conversation from three rows away. Normally conductors make a special announcement about the QC rules; and on the trip down to Philadelphia in the morning, on Amtrak 141, the conductor did one of those 'Quiet Car only' announcements where he said, that he knew the Quiet Car was popular with riders and they would be strictly enforcing the no cellphone call rule and library-like atmosphere. If you don't want to adhere to the rules, there are six other cars you sit in. No one moved. Great!
But on Amtrak 136, northbound, no such announcement - nor signage - in the car. But being the second car on the train set, following Business, I knew I was in the QC and so did the other passengers because it was library-like. But another passenger - someone close to the offending cellphone user - had enough. An older gentleman, finally told the guy that he was in the Quiet Car and that there is no phone use; if he had to talk he should leave. Way to go! He said what everyone else was thinking and hoping the train crew might address - as I have seen it before. In the caller's defense - and I'm sure he probably didn't know due to a lack of announcements or signage - he apologized and ended his call.
Which makes me once again suggest that Amtrak add a slight surcharge to the tickets for QC-only passengers - and strictly enforce the issue as I believe sitting in the car is a something of a premium experience compared to the other coaches. When I say a surcharge, I'm talking $1-$2 or so; but enough to require passengers to pay the fee and check off a box on their ticket purchase agreeing to the terms of the QC requirements.
Thoughts?
Sold two items a couple of days apart at the end of July. One netted me $37 and the other $126. Both items were shipped out the following day with eBay supplied postage, etc and I received confirmation/tracking numbers, etc. I have immediate payment (for which I am charged $2 per transaction) because I want my money ASAP. I got a payment for $117. Like what happened to the other $46? There's no mention of a pending payment. Anyone else have this issue? And how did you get it resolved? Can I talk to a real person? Thanks.
Should this get resolved by eBay in the next couple of days, I will update here.
I have long been a fan of the iPad; bought the first version when it came out and have never looked back. I find the iPad to be the ultimate content consumption device for news, periodicals and video. (I also have an M4 MacBook Air and M4 MacBook Pro for productivity and photography. I use an iPhone 16 Pro Max (512GB) which is a standout device - but I do not love consuming content on it due to screen size. I do, but it is not ideal.
For the past 7 years or so, I have been using an iPad Pro 11" - the first version of the Pro line and for the most part, the 256GB with cellular was a great tool. Easy to travel with, good fit in the hand and quite light. One evening, I sat down in my chair and was painfully reminded I had left my Pro on my chair. Ouch! The Pro had a bend but no cracks and I was able to bend it back enough to make it usable and for the most part, not too noticeable. There was no degradation in the screen quality but the device no longer sat flush on a table and it really kind of bothered me. (I also sat on a 13" Pro model and that was the end of that.) I no longer leave iPads on chairs!
So I have been in the market for a new iPad and in May decided to get an iPad Air 13" from the Apple Refurbish site. I settled on a Space Gray M3 with 256GB and cellular. Total cost: $849. I also went online and found an Apple Smart Folio - new and in a sealed box - for $60 and purchased that. I wanted the Magic Keyboard too - but $319 is simply too much for what it is. So I scoured Facebook Marketplace and eBay and found one for sale - in like new condition - for $135. It was a 90 minute drive to pick it up, but I thought the savings justified the effort. Finally, today I finished off the ensemble and purchased an Apple Pencil Pro - on Marketplace and in like-new condition (with original packaging) - for $70, after negotiating the price down from $90; as you know, they sell new from Apple for $129. All in all, a very good set-up for a bit over $1k. If I purchased all of that from Apple today - including the iPad from the Refurnished site (now $150 more than I paid) - the total comes to $1,516. It pays to look around and see if you can get something for less.
I sold off the older Pro for $280 on Marketplace - and included a non-OEM case plus an Apple Pencil in that deal.
So far, so good.
Caught up with 174 today (7/31/26), which originated in Washington, DC at 10:35, and had just departed New London and was heading east to Mystic and then on to Providence and finally Boston/South Station where it arrived a few minutes early at 18:54
Is it just me or are people getting flakier on Facebook Marketplace?
Case in point, I got a message last night around 8:30pm about an Apple Pencil I have up for sale. The asking price is $50 which I think is beyond fair considering it is in like-new condition. Guy asks if I would take $40? I respond back, no and he says, no problem, he'll pay the $50. Then he asks if he can pick it up tonight? From my experience, the longer people wait to get something the less likely they're going to get it - so I say yes, but ask where he's coming from - he says the next town over; I give him the address and he says once he leaves his house he is "5 minutes away." Then I get a text asking what form of payment I take, I tell him cash. He says he has to stop at an ATM but will head right over. Twenty minutes later, I reach out to him - he's ended the chat. No, message, no apology for wasting my time - just ended it. And this is a guy with 4 star reviews. I left a complaint with Facebook about his failing to pick up the pencil.
But it seems more and more, people tell me they're going to buy something and they simply disappear. Even with people who write reasonably articulate messages, using my name, etc.
It is about a two hour ride between Providence and New Haven. I took a day trip - and advantage of a $24 roundtrip fare - to check out the RISD Museum, Track 15 (food hall), some coffee places and a self-guided tour of the state Capitol. All in all, a decent day. Here's a selection of views on my trip back to New Haven - with views of Long Island Sound - aboard Amtrak 177
Originated in Roanoke, Virginia (updated) the night before; terminating in Boston with the following stops north of New Haven: Old Saybrook, New London, Mystic, Westerly, Kingston, Providence, Route 128, Boston/Back Bay, Boston/South Station.