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West Coast Train Trip 2008

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Posts

  • dantebkdantebk Registered User new member
    edited March 2008
    I've never been to PAX (or any convention for that matter) and I have to admit I'm tempted after looking through this thread. This whole train thing sounds pretty awesome. Is anyone else going who's never been before? Or is it mostly folks who've met previously and already know they like to hang out together?

    dantebk on
    GameStache!!
    Gaming's not only a hobby... It's a part of my face
  • eelektrikeelektrik Southern CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    edited March 2008
    dantebk wrote: »
    I've never been to PAX (or any convention for that matter) and I have to admit I'm tempted after looking through this thread. This whole train thing sounds pretty awesome. Is anyone else going who's never been before? Or is it mostly folks who've met previously and already know they like to hang out together?

    One does not need to know others on the train to have a good time. Most of the people that went last year had not met prior to the train trip. There was only one person on the train last year that I knew from a previous PAX. Likewise with the roadtrip to PAX I went on in 04, I only knew one person on it as well(Which happened to be someone I knew in high school, and didn't know they were going too).

    eelektrik on
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  • Eco-MonoEco-Mono Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Bringing a Sega Saturn with Shining Force III (all 3 scenarios).

    Bringing a Wii with Super Smash Bros Brawl, Super Smash Bros Melee, and (possibly) Soul Calibur II.

    Possibly bringing a Dreamcast with Power Stone, Marvel vs Capcom II, and Gunbird II (among other games).

    Eco-Mono on
  • sobjwsobjw Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    With all this talk of Dreamcasts on the train, does anyone plan on bringing a copy of Virtua Tennis? I loved that game. If no one has it, I will buy a used copy for $3 and donate it to whoever wants it.

    sobjw on
    I live on a farm.
  • AugustusAugustus Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    dantebk wrote: »
    I've never been to PAX (or any convention for that matter) and I have to admit I'm tempted after looking through this thread. This whole train thing sounds pretty awesome. Is anyone else going who's never been before? Or is it mostly folks who've met previously and already know they like to hang out together?

    I'd say about 20% of people coming this time are first timers. Last year nobody knew each other. Tested by the forge of combat, we formed a bond unbreakable. Now we call new blood to the front. Come with us, and you will be as a comrade in arms.

    By combat I mean getting our ass kicked in Super Smash Bros Melee and Mario Kart DS.

    Besides. This essentially turns PAX from a three day getaway to a week-long party. This will more than double your "PAX Time".

    Augustus on
    I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat. - Will Rogers
  • SlickShughesSlickShughes Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Also want to see if there are still dibs to be had for that 4e game.

    I'd like to get in on the 4e game as well. Also, as I mentioned over in the Gygax thread, I'm thinking about running a pickup wild combat game at PAX, if there's interest I might run it on the train as well.

    SlickShughes on
  • TNTrooperTNTrooper Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    sobjw wrote: »
    With all this talk of Dreamcasts on the train, does anyone plan on bringing a copy of Virtua Tennis? I loved that game. If no one has it, I will buy a used copy for $3 and donate it to whoever wants it.

    Going by the list no but there has been 2 people that said they are bring other games that have not been mentioned for the list cause I am guessing they are not AAA titles and they don't want to make a list of every game they have.

    If not I will trade a beer for a $3 DC game.

    Seriously we got 3 Dreamcast systems and a metric fuck ton of games for it. And I am not even bringing my console so far.

    All those people saying they got a Wii and a copy of Brawl should send me a PM covering what they got including their controller count.

    TNTrooper on
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  • sobjwsobjw Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    TNTrooper wrote: »

    If not I will trade a beer for a $3 DC game.

    Deal!

    sobjw on
    I live on a farm.
  • AugustusAugustus Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    One thing we need to bear in mind is how many television sets or jury-riggable monitors we'll have to actually play consoles. We don't need 5 Wiis if we have 3 TVs. It's not reasonable, and in this hypothetical, we have 2 guys who brought Wiis when they each could have brought a bag of chips (or say, a small portable fan - we need some!). That's why TNTrooper is the fucking man for coordinating our console "munitions".

    Augustus on
    I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat. - Will Rogers
  • TNTrooperTNTrooper Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Confirmed TVs need to be confirmed via a PM for a headcount. Also I got a new idea for movie night or something we could do on top of movie night.

    The Gamers mad-libbing edition

    Main idea is we watch The Gamers with the volume muted. Participating people will each pick a character to act out whenever his/her lips are flapping or in The Gamemasters case when no one else is to keep the story going. We won't be going for trying to act out the movies script line by line we will just be making it up as the movie goes along and saying whatever we think is funny characters and the plot will be rewritten and names will be changed. Going by imdb the cast only has 11 people but 5 of them hardly have any lines. The main cast is only gonna be 5 guys + 1 girl. 1 guy can change his voice for the characters that only appear once then we just need some people to make up some sound effects and the BGM. Add beer and silly voices for win. In summary we (poorly) dub over the movie with our own script that we make up on spot while probably drinking and post the recording online.

    The Gamers seems like the perfect choice due to it's short runtime and small cast, plus a lot of us are familiar with it to the point were some of us pretty much have the script memorized. But I am opening for another movie instead it just needs to be something with a cast we can fill and that we would be familiar to know when we are talking would work just as well.

    Edit: Just hit me but if we are having a scheduled time for events like tournies and movie night a white board + dry erase marks or 2 so we could have something to write in the schedule would help a ton.

    TNTrooper on
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  • sobjwsobjw Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    My buddy who is coming with me has a 15" older LCD tv that he doesn't care about at all. He said that he could bring it if needed (provided he can find it in his messy apartment). Only problem might be that we are getting on in Oregon on Thurs morning, so we won't be on board for Weds night. D:

    sobjw on
    I live on a farm.
  • DStalefishDStalefish Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    I was thinking....what if a bunch of us pitched in for like...a 20" to a 27" TV, and we could use it on the train, and then on the ride home we can have a drawing for who gets to take it home?

    That'd be kinda neat. :P

    DStalefish on
    [E] 09, 10E, 10P, 11E, 11P, 12E
  • Raiden333Raiden333 Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    DStalefish wrote: »
    I was thinking....what if a bunch of us pitched in for like...a 20" to a 27" TV, and we could use it on the train, and then on the ride home we can have a drawing for who gets to take it home?

    That'd be kinda neat. :P

    It's a big assumption that the train would let us bring a bigass TV. A flatscreen monitor is one thing.

    Raiden333 on
    There was a steam sig here. It's gone now.
  • kazuokazuo Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    dantebk: I didn't know ANYONE when I went last year; met a bunch of cool people on the train (and there). I went by myself, too. It's cool as long as you're sociable and don't act like a shithead. Everyone's good folks.

    sobjw: I'm bringing Virtua Tennis :) I actually bought a copy at PAX (well, at Pink Godzilla). YOU better bring extra pads tho... I'm only gonna bring two. :)

    I'm going to try to bring like a 15-20" LCD, but in case I cannot (it's very possible since I'll be taking a different train to the PAX train and I probably won't wanna carry it), does anyone want to volunteer to bring me a TV/computer monitor? I prefer 4:3 of course since it's going to be used with a Dreamcast, and computer monitors (VGA) are fine since I have a VGA box.

    kazuo on
  • dantebkdantebk Registered User new member
    edited March 2008
    Thanks for the encouragement, eelektrik, Augustus, and kazuo! I will definitely try to put some money / vacation days together so I can go, and will post if I buy tickets.

    dantebk on
    GameStache!!
    Gaming's not only a hobby... It's a part of my face
  • TyberiusTyberius Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    dantebk wrote: »
    Thanks for the encouragement, eelektrik, Augustus, and kazuo! I will definitely try to put some money / vacation days together so I can go, and will post if I buy tickets.

    Yeah after looking over this thread I'm going to definitely put some time aside for this train event, though I live down in San Diego and will have to decide on how to go about getting to LAX station. Also I wouldn't mind volunteering to bring my Wii/SSBBrawl and some controllers, but there is of course the TV situation. I'll keep an eye on this thread more often now.

    Tyberius on
  • AugustusAugustus Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    If you're in San Diego and considering HOT PAXTRAIN ACTION, my advice is to hop a ride up to the Fullerton Train Station. That's where my crew and I will be going to - and taking a Metrolink light rail up to LA Union Station.

    Augustus on
    I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat. - Will Rogers
  • RaslinRaslin Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Augustus loves the word gents

    Also, nobody steal my blanket this time

    (you know who you are)

    Raslin on
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  • AugustusAugustus Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    The D&D game I was planning is in flux, by the way, so I'm not taking names yet. If my bud Jason signs up to join in (hasn't done PAX since '04 due to finances), he'll run the game. He's a better DM than I am (I'm not that bad, but better at designing homebrew and playing - in our group, he's the designated hitter for the DM spot).

    EDIT: I just talked to Jason and he is confirming that he is coming, AND running the D&D game. So far I'm up to three in my group. Two are as of yet unconfirmed. Still not taking names yet for the group, he's going to figure out how many people he intends to have.

    Augustus on
    I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat. - Will Rogers
  • EminemilyEminemily Registered User new member
    edited March 2008
    So I'm trying to convince my boyfriend that he'll be able to save up enough money between now and PAX in order to GO to PAX. So for you math inclined people, if 2 people were to go on the WCTT and share a room with the max amount of people, how much would this trip cost us?

    (I'm assuming the train trip costs less than driving up, for the most part)

    [edit] we would be getting on at the LAX stop.

    Eminemily on
  • TNTrooperTNTrooper Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    $364 total for a round trip in coach for 2 people if you want a roomette then your total for a round trip comes to $819. The roomette has everything listed below plus access to the Parlor Car.
    * Meals included
    * Picture window
    * Two reclining seats which convert to a bed; upper berth which folds down from wall
    * Available on both upper and lower levels of the Superliner
    * No in-cabin toilet or shower; restrooms, showers nearby in same train car
    * Electrical outlets
    * Climate control
    * Individual reading lights
    * Garment rack
    * Fold-down table
    * Fresh towels and bed linens
    * Soap and shower amenities
    * Personal service (turn-down, coffee, paper, make-up bed)
    * Bottled water
    * Daily newspaper

    TNTrooper on
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  • EminemilyEminemily Registered User new member
    edited March 2008
    I kinda meant train + hotel room stuffs but that does help me, so thank you!

    Eminemily on
  • DStalefishDStalefish Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Depends on your hotel of choice. A room at the Sheraton filled with 4 people for 4 nights is around $195 per person, and the train is around $180 per person (without a roomette).

    So...$375 right there?

    The train is definitely going to be more expensive AND time consuming than driving, though.

    DStalefish on
    [E] 09, 10E, 10P, 11E, 11P, 12E
  • Moe FwackyMoe Fwacky Right Here, Right Now Drives a BuickModerator mod
    edited March 2008
    Don't forget about food, other expenses and spending money.

    Moe Fwacky on
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  • eelektrikeelektrik Southern CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    edited March 2008
    DStalefish wrote: »
    Depends on your hotel of choice. A room at the Sheraton filled with 4 people for 4 nights is around $195 per person, and the train is around $180 per person (without a roomette).

    So...$375 right there?

    The train is definitely going to be more expensive AND time consuming than driving, though.

    Time consuming yes, more expensive, not really with the way gas prices are going. A not quite exact Mapquest calculation says its 1,137 miles between Los Angeles and Seattle. Double that for the round trip and you've got 2,274. They say gas should hit $4 a gallon by the beginning of summer, by the end of summer who knows how high it will be, but lets just use an even $4 for this.

    On a 2,274 mile trip, if your car averages say 25 miles per gallon, thats 91 tanks of gas, which would run $363.84, split between two people is about the same as taking the train which doesn't have the hassle of driving or the wear on your car. Granted that number fluctuates based on your cars MPG and the price of gas, but considering I was lowballing the gas prices at $4 when it could easily be higher than that by the time for PAX, driving just isn't worth the cost or hassle.

    eelektrik on
    (She/Her)
  • Moe FwackyMoe Fwacky Right Here, Right Now Drives a BuickModerator mod
    edited March 2008
    eelektrik wrote: »
    They say gas should hit $4 a gallon by the beginning of summer, by the end of summer who knows how high it will be, but lets just use an even $4 for this.
    They say that every year. Who is they? Because they are wrong all the time. Why does everybody say this every spring?

    Moe Fwacky on
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  • SlickShughesSlickShughes Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Moe Fwacky wrote: »
    eelektrik wrote: »
    They say gas should hit $4 a gallon by the beginning of summer, by the end of summer who knows how high it will be, but lets just use an even $4 for this.
    They say that every year. Who is they? Because they are wrong all the time. Why does everybody say this every spring?

    I've seen gas in the bay area spike up to $4 already at some places. Average gallon out here is 3.80 now, and it's been climbing steadily. I'd not be shocked to see a climb of 25 to 50 cents more in the next 6 months. Even if there's a premium here (and no doubt there is), that could still mean $4 gallons along the LA-Seattle path.

    SlickShughes on
  • Moe FwackyMoe Fwacky Right Here, Right Now Drives a BuickModerator mod
    edited March 2008
    Oh yeah, I forgot gas in California is like 50 cents higher than most of the rest of the country.

    Moe Fwacky on
    E6LkoFK.png

  • Dee KaeDee Kae Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Us Californians blame California for that.

    Trust us, we don't even want to live here.

    Dee Kae on
  • AugustusAugustus Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    DStalefish wrote: »
    Depends on your hotel of choice. A room at the Sheraton filled with 4 people for 4 nights is around $195 per person, and the train is around $180 per person (without a roomette).

    So...$375 right there?

    The train is definitely going to be more expensive AND time consuming than driving, though.

    Begging your pardon, comrade, but econimists forecast that we're looking at a real possibility of a 4+ dollar gallon by the summer.
    Dee Kae wrote: »
    Us Californians blame California for that.

    Trust us, we don't even want to live here.
    That's right. I've never met someone who liked living in California. Unless they were rich. And even then, they would rather be somewhere else.

    Augustus on
    I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat. - Will Rogers
  • SlickShughesSlickShughes Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Augustus wrote: »
    Dee Kae wrote: »
    Us Californians blame California for that.

    Trust us, we don't even want to live here.
    That's right. I've never met someone who liked living in California. Unless they were rich. And even then, they would rather be somewhere else.

    Hey, I like it here. But I'm new. I'm sure that new state smell will wear off in time.

    SlickShughes on
  • PlotdevelopmentPlotdevelopment Registered User new member
    edited March 2008
    Hmm. I believe I will be able to journey up with the other poor saps who have to get on in Portland. After all, no car means less money spent on parking. Less money spent on parking means more money spent on gaming. Overall, a most fortuitous coincidence.

    So we've got what, ten people now heading up from Portland?

    Plotdevelopment on
  • AugustusAugustus Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Alas, yes. Sucks you can't join us for even a few hours :(

    Augustus on
    I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat. - Will Rogers
  • DStalefishDStalefish Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    The train ticket will probably be comparable to gas for your car, but you have to pay for 35 hours of food and drink on the train, which will no doubt be more expensive than normal. That is unless you bring snack foods on the train with you, but that's hardly healthy. :P

    DStalefish on
    [E] 09, 10E, 10P, 11E, 11P, 12E
  • TNTrooperTNTrooper Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    http://www.trainweb.com/accommod/parlour.html

    This website talks a great deal about the parlour you get access to with the roommette but without a timestamp I can't tell if he is talking about how it was up to 1995 or since Amtrak started using them again.
    There is no charge for any of the wine or champagne being tasted. There is also never a charge for any of the food and non-alcoholic beverages served in the Pacific Parlor Car. However, you can purchase bottles of any of the wines or champagnes being tasted. Bottles purchased will be placed into a special canvas sack with the logo of the Pacific Parlour Car. We found a red Zinfandel that we really liked and purchased a couple of bottles. You can also purchase cocktails, beer and wine in the Pacific Parlour Car. They usually have a fine selection of unique beers from microbreweries.

    If this nice little quote is true then you won't be paying for anything except your booze and with wine except for what you take in during the wine and champagne tasting.

    http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/Dining_Car_Menu.r5.pdf

    This PDF let's you know that dining car meals can be a bit expensive. with about a $450 difference for 2 people to take the roomette you could get quite a bit of that money back in food and snacks.

    Making me wonder if Amtrak cares how much I order or if they actually limit how much free food I can get from the dining car. :D

    Edit: You also got car maintenance to consider in expenses as well. At the end of the week you added in over 2000 miles wear and tear to your tires and other stuff.

    TNTrooper on
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  • Raiden333Raiden333 Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Don't forget parking when considering train vs. car. Haven't heard of parking anywhere near PAX that's not pure robbery.

    Raiden333 on
    There was a steam sig here. It's gone now.
  • Victor15bVictor15b Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    TNTrooper wrote: »

    Making me wonder if Amtrak cares how much I order or if they actually limit how much free food I can get from the dining car. :D

    I was wondering about that myself. If it all comes with the roommette, then lunch for me will be the Angus Steak Burger with a Corona,
    Dinner: 10oz New York Strip Steak and a Corona.
    Then breakfast: Steak and Eggs with coffee.....and a Corona :)

    Victor15b on
  • AugustusAugustus Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    PAXTrain: 420 drink booze every day

    Making a new thread in a few minutes. Complete collection of all existing WCTT data. Just gonna review it first.

    Augustus on
    I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat. - Will Rogers
  • TNTrooperTNTrooper Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    200 side orders of bacon would equal the money difference BTW if they don't limit what you order.

    I am up the challenge of eating all the bacon on the train. Are you?

    TNTrooper on
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  • PlotdevelopmentPlotdevelopment Registered User new member
    edited March 2008
    The train is actually a bit easier on my schedule too, since I can work out something with my relatives up in Seattle that doesn't involve me having to worry about my car. If I was going up without that kind of assurance, I'd take the car simply so that I could guarantee where I'd be at any given time. I'd have control over my own schedule. But seeing as how I have relatives who'd be most happy to provide me with transport for the few times I'd need it, it'd be a shame not to take advantage of their hospitality.

    Besides, all these calculations also don't include a significant factor in my personal attitude: roads. I've lost count of the number of times that bad directions, bad street design, or bad traffic have taken what could have been a leisurely journey and turned it into a nightmare. At least here in Portland the street designers have seen fit to mark most things with appropriate signage, so you at least know where you're lost.

    I'm sad that I can't make it on the official train, but I'm sure that whichever of you I see on the lesser variant will be good to talk to. It's going to be my first year at PAX, and knowing a few people ahead of time would help with the "help, I'm lost and I don't know who to talk to" problem. If everything works out, I'll see a few of you awesome people on the train ride up to Seattle. If not, there's always PAX itself.

    Plotdevelopment on
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