Saturday, April 2, 2011

763 Power Spot

The Surfliner Cafe car has 4 tables and seats  11. One of these tables is by far the superior position for the following reasons:
1. Is a single seat with its own table.
2. Has an AC power outlet - the only one available.
3. Good viewing angle  on the coast side of the train.

Like elementary school there is a defacto seating chart on the 763. The power spot goes to a regular with seniority in terms of most miles/year. If that regular is "working from home" on a given day the next senior person  takes it.

One thing that can completely hose this up are non-regulars that get on early in downtown San Diego. Most of us get on in Solana Beach or later. We seldom have the heart to kick out the tourists. Generally speaking they eventually move on their own out of discomfort.

In case you might forget where you are sitting, Amtrak has thoughtfully numbered the 4 tables. And of course the power spot is table # 1. Please respect the seating chart the next time you ride.















 

5 comments:

  1. Now that the info is out there I hope we don't see an influx of people trying to take the seat!

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  2. The down side is that the person sitting in the prime spot has to keep an eye out for the pile of stuff we put in that corner, so that ______ (put conductor name here) won't give us any grief.

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  3. This person that typically travels alone and would be in tourist country while riding a Surfliner would be willing to put up with keeping an eye on the pile of stuff in exchange for getting in everyone else's way less, if she should chance upon the prime spot being open when she boards.

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  4. Thanks for stopping by Harhuis. Table #1 is a whole different story on the trip home via 582 or 784. It loses its importance and simply becomes the spot closes to the ADA restroom loaded up with roller bags, backpacks etc.

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  5. Interesting....the culture is quite different in the superliner where I spend my time. In the morning we have our favorite seats but frequently they are taken by people sleeping. The superliner is the Quiet Car by tradition, and everyone glares at kids with loud iPods or movies.

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