Amtrak

For most peple the idea of travelling across America inspires feelings of freedom, adventure, fun and excitement. But while most people travel by air or road, one method of transport that does not draw as much attention as it should is the Aamerican railway. Amtrak run the rail system in America exciting and they provide a great way of seeing the country. At 10.15 every morning Amtrak Train-43 heads west from Penn Station in New York City and you can travel by rail all the way to San Francisco on the West coast

Over your journey you will find that Americans can be a friendly lot and you'll probably have time to talk to many different characters over your time spent on the train but you won't be making any friends when you pull into stations at times like 3am in the morning. The unsocialable travelling hours are probably one of the few challenges of a trip like this but its all part of the experience.

Fittingly, one of the first stops is in Philadelphia. It is the city of brotherly love and also home to the liberty bell as well as one of cinema's great characters. Rocky Balboa is from Phillya and you can join the other tourists and run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Artin homage to Mr. Stallone.

Another great stop to make is Cleveland. Most people don't think of Cleveland when they think of music but this is where you'll find the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. The reason for this being that Alan Fried, a cleveland disc jockey, is credited for having coined the term "Rock and Roll" in the 1950's. You'll find all sorts of rock memorabilia from all over the globe here and you'll even see an some U2 related memorbilia.

From Cleveland it is a 7 hour train journey to Chicago where local institutuions include great architecture, baseball and some very good shopping spots. But the one thing that is an absolute must here is "the american breakfast". Lou Mitchells beside Union Station is a great place to chow down. While the bustlingly busy eatery is not the place to come for a quiet release it will definitly give you a great slice of American life.

Click here for Part 2 of Kathryn's Amtrak Journey

Price Information

Aer Lingus
www.aerlingus.ie
Dublin to New York
Return fares start from €399 including taxes and charges.

Other Airlines that fly to New York

Continental Airlines
www.continental.ie

Delta Air Ways
www.delta.com

US Airways
www.usairways.com

Amtrak Rail
15 day (8 journey) USA rail pass from $389 per adult, travelling in coach class.
www.amtrak.com

Hampton Inn (Must be included)
Rooms from $119
www.hamptoninn.com

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
Admission: Adults $22, Children over 9 years of age cost $13, and under 8's are free with an adult.
www.rockhall.com

Tourist Boards

Philadelphia Tourist Board
www.gophilia.com

Cleveland Tourist Board
www.positivelycleveland.com

Chicago Tourist Board
www.choosechicago.com

Colorado Tourist Board
www.frasercolorado.com

Reno Tourist Board
www.visitrenotahoe.com

San Francisco Tourist Board
www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com