Train.
No, I don't mean she wants you to train for Irish Fest by staying up late drinking Boulevard beer and listening to Irish music. (Which incidentally Mary Alice doesn't call "training." She calls that "Thursday.") No, she means train as in choo choo. As in Amtrak.
Taking the train to Kansas City will deposit you right across the street from Irish Fest in Kansas City's historic Union Station, across the street from the Westin and just around the corner from the Hyatt. And depending on where you're coming from and how bad your car's gas mileage is, you could save some serious beer money by riding the rails. For example, round trip fares to Kansas City over Irish Fest weekend:
- St. Louis: $50
- Omaha: $207
- Denver $230
- Tulsa: $120
- Dallas: $223
- Chicago: $154
- Lincoln: $213
You can do better than that if you're old, or a AAA member, or a baby, or a student, or active or retired military. If you're a AAA baby in the army who's going to night school, you're golden. Plus on the train, unless something goes horribly wrong, you don't have to drive, leaving you free to do that other kind of training in the bar car. (Babies, this does not apply to you. I don't care if you are in the army.)
If I wasn't lucky enough to live here in the greatest city in America, I'd be all over this. So be smart like me and Mary Alice. Check out the train and see how much you can save.
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4 comments:
I thought this was a really good idea and I really like taking the train! So I did some checking and to get to KC from Nebraska you have to first go to Illinois. Galesburg to be exact which is where my mom lives. But the whole trip would take about 15 hours. That might save beer money but not drinking time at the fest.
That and I don't think I would make it in time to play on Saturday!
Aaron
It's a terrific idea, really, and the best way to go for some folks, I suppose, but I'm in the same boat as Aaron.
You have to go to China to get anywhere.
From Little Rock, we'd end up in Galesburg, Illinois as well and the total travel time would be 22+ hours.
Yikes
Already did that research and here's the breakdown ( for me, anyway ) TRAIN versus CAR..
* BY TRAIN
AMTRACK
Little Rock, AR to Kansas City, MO
$144
TRAIN - Little Rock, AR, to Springfield, IL ( 11 hours rail time )
2 hour wait in Springfield
BUS from Springfield to Galesburg, IL ( 2.5 hours ROAD time )
3.5 hour wait in Galesburg, IL
TRAIN - Galesburg, IL to Kansas City, MO ( 4.5 hours rail time )
Total time for trip: 23.5 hours
They have another route which doesn't involve
taking a BUS in-between trains and it's even
a little cheaper but but it takes even LONGER
to get there, total travel time.
It involves taking a train to St. Louis but
then there's a TWELVE HOUR layover there before
being able to catch another train to KC.
* BY CAR
Little Rock, AR to Kansas City, MO
One-way distance: 400 miles
One-way travel time: 7 hours
Round-trip distance: 800 miles
Round-trip travel time: 14 hours
Miles per gallon costs for an 800 mile round-trip...
At 30 MPG - 26.6 gallons @ $4.00 per gallon = $107
At 25 MPG - 32.0 gallons @ $4.00 per gallon = $128
At 20 MPG - 40.0 gallons @ $4.00 per gallon = $160
If gas reaches $5.00 per gallon by August ( predicted )
then the breadown is...
At 30 MPG - 26.6 gallons @ $4.00 per gallon = $133
At 25 MPG - 32.0 gallons @ $4.00 per gallon = $160
At 20 MPG - 40.0 gallons @ $4.00 per gallon = $200
No chance of renting a hybrid vehicle.
There aren't enough around in this part of the country
and even if you can schedule one they are charging
a fortune just for the rentals so that negates
any savings on the gas.
Boy you guys have a lot more time than me to figure these things out!
I was curious why NE was so much higher than STL.
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