Our family has had nothing but good experiences with Amtrak and our bikes.

We've used Amtrak to check bikes through to upstate New York and to the west coast from the midwest. The bike boxes are huge and easy to use, and the fee for checking a bike is only $5. Often they don't charge for the box either. Yes, I wish that more Amtrak stations had checked baggage service, but from New York City, there are a lot of options. Take the train to Buffalo and ride back to NYC. Take the train to La Crosse, WI, and ride the great roads and enjoy the trails in southwestern Wisconsin. Take the train to Charlottesville or one of the many cities in North Carolina that have checked baggage service. Ride the train to Chicago or somewhere in downstate Illinois and enjoy the many quiet roads in Illinois. Take the train to Jackson, MS and ride the Natchez Trace. Take the train to Glacier Park and ride east or west from there. And yes, you can check your bike through from New York to Boston on trains 66 and 67. And that's just a few ideas for trips to places that have checked baggage service.

Also, we've used Amtrak to carry our bikes for those trains that have "roll on" service (don't need checked baggage service), here's an account of our recent trip in Illinois that used Amtrak and local commuter trains with our bikes: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?..._id=10337&v=83

Roll on service trains include many trains in Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, California, Oregon, and Washington (and also the Boston-Portland train).

Finally, we've always found it fun to ride on the train, usually the scenery is interesting and lots of folks to meet and enjoy along the way.