Trying out the Brightline

Before leaving Florida I really wanted to ride the Brightline. The train’s construction took almost the entirety of my collegiate career, it felt like a fitting conclusion.

When I saw a 50% discount on trips between Orlando and West Palm Beach, I took the opportunity and booked a trip to see my friend who lives down there. My ticket for the 170-mile trip was $89 round-trip with the 50% off sale. I previously discussed my disdain for the high price tag, but $90 was much more manageable.

The inclusion of Brightline was a desperate need for Orlando. The city actually has pretty ambitious plans to expand public rail service that would connect the airport/Brightline with International Drive and Disney. Personally I believe that directing tourists to use public transit would make the roads safer and less busy.

Anyway, back to my trip. Unfortunately, as mentioned above, the Brightline chose the airport as its point of departure.

Parking at Orlando Airport was a nightmare and I spent a good 20 minutes looking for a spot. The only open spots were in a grass lot.

So fantastic, especially with the price increase to $14/day.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long for a shuttle to whisk me away to the gorgeous Terminal C. There isn’t a lot MCO does well, but the new terminal is an exception.

It’s the headquarters for almost all the airport’s international traffic and randomly jetBlue.

Walking through the terminal to the train station was really easy.

The station had a portal-like entrance to the trains.

You have to scan your ticket and go through a quick security before entering the waiting area. The security isn’t as extensive as the TSA, you just need to send your bags through an x-ray machine and walk through a large metal detector. Like the security at Disney, you can keep everything inside your pockets and bags.

Post security, I was honestly surprised by the size of the waiting area. There was a bar and a whole separate area for seating. They had plenty of places to sit and a ton of electrical outlets. I sat down and was able to do about 20 minutes of work before they called us for boarding.

We were supposed to depart at 1:54 p.m., but was concerned at 1:45 p.m. when we still hadn’t started boarding and the train wasn’t even here. Little did I know, everyone was on the platform just a few minutes later with our bright yellow train.

The Brightline was decked in an advertisement to visit the Palm Beaches. Ironic, I know!

Boarding was an easy process as all seats were assigned beforehand. Amtrak should really take note of this, it alleviated so much stress and chaos at boarding. There are only five stops between Orlando and Miami with the immediate next being West Palm Beach.

I chose a window seat but the Palm Beaches advertising wrap significantly inhibited the entire view.

Pretty soon after boarding we started barreling toward the coast along 528. We were behind schedule a few minutes, but were assured that the time would be made up. On the way out of the airport I saw an alligator in the water of a retention pond!

The train was SO smooth.

Overall it was a really nice trip! The drive between the two metro areas is daunting, but the train trip made it relaxing. Disregarding the distortion, the scenery wasn’t as gorgeous as I was expecting.

The train had a cart with snacks and drinks for sale that came by twice.

Perhaps the most surprising thing was the bathroom.

The mechanical door sleekly slid open at the press of a button. It also automatically locked when it was in use.

The train had free wi-fi, but I feel like I spent more time fighting for it to work than I did actually doing work.

It worked better on the way home so it might have just been my company’s VPN playing games.

We were pulling into West Palm Beach about two hours and twenty minutes later.

My friend was still at work so I walked over to Pura Vida Miami and got a smoothie as I finished off my workday.

As always, I fell in love with the vine-draped building across the street

I clocked out at five and diverted my attention to journal while I finsihed my sm

The trek back to her house took us through rush hour traffic, but we got home in time to take her dogs for a walk. Her neighborhood was in the process of decorating their palm trees with Christmas lights, which I absolutely loved.

We spent a few minutes looking for somewhere to grab dinner before deciding on this Mexican place. We drove halfway across town to find a line out the door. Depressed and with no other option, we accepted our defeat and just got Chick-Fil-A.

It’s not my proudest travel moment, but we were overwhelmed!

We took the food home and planned a spontaneous trip to California before driving back into downtown West Palm Beach and going to a few of her favorite bars.

Here’s me on one Long Island:

And two:

I wish I could share more glamorous photos from the night out, but I fell asleep in the car and didn’t wake up until the next morning.

I was greeted by my friend’s majestic dog and honestly wouldn’t rather any way.

We spared no time in getting on the road to wake ourselves up.

I saw an iguana!

My friend said she sees them a lot, but they don’t like in Orlando. Honestly, they’re kind of creepy, especially when they run.

For breakfast we stopped at Bagels & and then went over to my friend’s parents to swim in their pool.

Unfortunately the water was cold so we cut our pool day short. Laying in the sun was a fantastic alternative.

After some hours of tanning we went to Two George’s, a tropically-inspired restaurant that sits on the water.

It had a STUNNING view and we even got to see the drawbridge in action.

By the entrance these fish were feasting on dropped crumbs.

Being so close to the beach, the Pisces water energy in both of us pulled us over the Intercoastal, but not before seeing some of the largest mansions ever.

Finding parking at the beach is always excruciating, but my friend knew all the hidden spots.

As always in South Florida, the water was beautiful.

We sat for a while and watched crystal clear waves slowly caress the shoreline before driving back to my friend’s house.

Sadly, it was already time for me to head back north to Orlando. We drove back to the Brightline station in West Palm Beach and poked around some of the local shops until it was time to head to the station.

Unlike an airport, I felt comfortable pulling up only 15 minutes before departure.

As soon as I arrived, I checked with the woman at the front desk to see if I could switch seats to a forward-facing one. I’m shocked they don’t let you do so in the app, but she was very nice and prompt.

The West Palm Beach station was just as nice as the Orlando one. They had another outpost of Mary Mary, Brightline’s iconic bar, and even had a little gift/snack shop.

We were corraled onto the tracks right on-time as the train approached.

The ride home was so much better than the ride down. For starters, the train didn’t have an advertisement wrap, so the window view was perfectly clear.

I was also facing forward and in a seat adjacent to this little table thing.

It was really easy to spread out and get some work done.

We pulled away from the skyscrapers of West Palm Beach and moved along the Atlantic Coast north toward Orlando.

Perhaps the prettiest part of the trip was around Jupiter, passing along the inlet.

The train literally goes right over the water!

The secluded journey through Jonathan (ha) Dickinson State Park right after is equally as pretty.

It got dark before we passed Port St. Lucie.

With the interior lights on, viewing anything outside was near impossible. I got some school work done and took advantage of the water bottle I had purchased from Publix.

Once we were back along SR-528, it was fun to watch the train race the cars. The fact we were breezing past many of them was insane, especially considering the speed I’ve seen people go on that road.

After pulling into the airport station right on time, I made my way back through Terminal C and down to the Economy Lot shuttle pick-up area.

Like always, it was a quick ride back to my car, but was very embarrassing to tell the guy I was parked in the grass.

It had rained while I was down in South Florida, so I was met with a large puddle to wade through to my car. Once past, I had to sludge through the mud just to unlock my door.

Even though I was barely gone for 24 hours, the cost to park my car was $28. I was pissed.

Coupled with the terrible fight to find parking, hindsight will never have me parking at MCO again, it’s what nightmares are made of!

Back in Orlando, my friend and I almost immediately made our way to Mathers Social Gathering. While not technically related to the source material, it’s a cool bar!

To my delight, it was decorated for Christmas!

Overall, the Brightline was a great way to travel between Orlando and South Florida. Much like I could have predicted, I would recommend it anytime… as long as you’re not paying the exorbitant prices.