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SUNSET LIMITED

64 MAY 2017

MAKE IT HAPPEN

STEP BY STEP

1

A great base in New Orleans is The Old No

77 (pictured below), a former chandlery and

warehouse that has original features, such as

exposed-brick walls, cast-iron pillars, wooden

floors and vintage signs. There’s also an excellent

restaurant and an in-house art gallery (from

US$140; old77hotel.com).

2

It’s only a short walk from here to the

French Quarter, the city’s oldest

neighbourhood and home to its most beautiful

buildings. Stroll around Jackson Square and

visit the St Louis Cathedral, and look out for

the colourful shotgun houses – so called

because the rooms are arranged behind each

other, and it is said that, if all the doors were

open, a shotgun blast fired into the house from

the front door will fly cleanly through the house

and out of the back door. Royal Street and

Dauphine Street have some lovely examples.

ESSENTIALS

FLIGHTS

There are no direct flights to New Orleans

from Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, but return

flights with multiple stopovers can be booked

on American Airlines, with stopovers in Narita,

Tokyo, or London Heathrow and Dallas, Texas

from either city (from US$1,043; aa.com).

HOW TO BOOK

The Sunset Limited runs on Monday,

Wednesday and Saturday from New

Orleans and on Wednesday, Friday and

Sunday from Los Angeles. For bookings, see

the Amtrak website (amtrak.com/sunset-

limited-train). A one-way fare for the entire

48-hour journey costs from US$125 for a

regular coach seat, US$400 for a Superliner

Roomette (with two fold-down beds,

shower facilities shared with other

passengers, and meals included) or from

US$1,145 for a Superliner Bedroom (with

two berths, private bathroom and meals).

The Sightseer Lounge, which has the best

views, has open seating. Getting off at

stations in between NOLA and LA means

you’ll be charged single fares between each

stop and will need to factor in two-day

stopovers because of the train’s thrice-

weekly timetable. Prices vary and it pays to

book well in advance.

FURTHER READING

Timetables and other info can

be downloaded from the

Amtrak website. Download a

podcast to listen to onboard at

amtrakrailguide.com. For

more on the US, head to the

official tourist board site visittheusa.com, and

pick up Lonely Planet’s USA (US$29.99).

New Orleans

Houston

San Antonio

Alpine

El Paso

Tucson

Maricopa

Palm Springs

Los Angeles

STOPS ON THE SUNSET LIMITED

64 MAY 2017