Amtrak Crescent

From the cool jazz of a New York nightspot to the hot Cajun spice of Dixieland in New Orleans' French Quarter, the Crescent sweeps through 12 states, almost 1,400 miles -- with countless vacations waiting to be taken.

To the north, the world-famous theaters of New York's Broadway... the historic sites of Philadelphi's Liberty Park... the harborside attractions of Baltimore... the familiar monuments and museums of Washington, D.C.

South lies the broad sweep of the Blue Ridge -- your train parallels it for hundreds of miles -- home to worldclass resorts of a more relaxed pace.

WIth the 1996 Olympics almost here, Atlanta will be anything but relaxed this year. But somehow this cosmopolitan city has retained the gracious charm of a small southern town.

The Crescent ends its journey in New Orleans, but if you stop in Birmingham, Alabama, you can take Amtrak Thruway Bus service to the Gulf Port of Mobile, Alabama.

SCENIC HIGHLIGHTS:
• North of New Orleans you seem to float across Lake Pontchartrain on a 6-mile causeway
• a 60-ton statue of Vulcan, Roman god of the forge, guards the approach to Birmingham, once the center of the South's steel industry
• the Atlanta skyline seems to climb right out of the Georgia woods
• The Wells Viaduct soars above the trees at the fringe of the Appalachians outside Toccoa, Georgia
• you run along the Blue Ridge Mountains all the way to Charlottesville, Virginia, home of the University of Virginia
• and Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson, passing through the historical battlefields of Manassas.
• You see the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial from the Long Bridge across the Potomac River.

• From the Big Apple through Atlanta and on to the Crescent City, Amtrak's Crescent carves a route of vacation variety.
• In 1861, the first army troops of the Civil War that moved into battle by train were brought here by General "Stonewall" Jackson for the First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run). Amtrak's Crescent takes you to this famous battlefield, as well as other Civil War sites in and around the area.
• Race to Atlanta and beat the crowds for the 1996 Olympics. You'll arrive relaxed and refreshed for the big event. Get off to a running start by purchasing your tickets now.
• Sample ragin' Cajun cookin' that's hot, hot, hot when you take the Crescent to New Orleans, Louisiana.
• Fine regional food starts in Amtrak's kitchen with chefs trained at the Culinary Institute. Enjoy a complete meal in the Dining Car -- the only restaurant with an everchaning view.
• It's an exciting journey north as you leave the mountains and farmlands behind. Watch for the Capitol Dome in Washington, D.C., Baltimore's famous marble stoops, Philadelphia's Schuylkill River Boathouses and New York's spectacular skyline -- gateway to great dining and entertainment.