Ask any professional advertising or marketing person what is the single most effective and least expensive form of advertising and I’ll bet the answer will be, “Word of Mouth.” Take...

When it comes to the decision to take the Pacific Parlour Cars out of service, it’s pretty clear that the decision-makers at Amtrak have what they believe to be valid...

I have heard from a couple of readers who had been told that the powers-that-be at Amtrak had changed their minds and the Pacific Parlour Cars had been granted a...

I continue to get emails and comments from people expressing anger and frustration over Amtrak’s announcement that the Pacific Parlour Cars will be permanently removed from service during the first...

It’s official. In a cold one-sentence statement, Amtrak says that in two weeks the Pacific Parlour Cars will no longer be part of the Coast Starlight experience.   Yes, I’m...

PORTLAND–The last of my eight train rides–Seattle to Portland today–was to be the frosting on the cake: a relaxing five-hour ride in the Coast Starlight’s parlor car. Alas, it was...

We’ve just left Grand Junction, Colorado, and Glenwood Springs is about two hours up ahead. The first part of this great ride was yesterday–crossing the Sierra Nevada range by way...

A chill ran up my spine when this email from Amtrak was forwarded to me:   “We are contacting you today to inform you that starting January 6 through March...

OK, I will concede that you may be tired of reading about the Pacific Parlour Cars on Amtrak’s Coast Starlight. I suppose part of the reason I write about them...

SEATTLE–Well, first there was the disappointment of not having a parlor car on the Coast Starlight coming up from Oakland. Now there is the disappointment of realizing that Assaggio’s, my...