I was able to use one of my free upgrade to upgrade to Acela First Class. I’ve ridden Acela First Class once before, last year and it’s actually pretty nice. Those who’ve ridden the Acela train know that the entire train is business class, and very nice. The advantage of First Class is (a) a free meal and (b) free alcohol. The seats are a little nicer and there are single seats in parts of the first class car which have a little more room. The ride is just under 3 hours and I plan on watching episodes of The Office, and perhaps doing a little reading.

The First Class lounge is nice because you can board the train first, there are comfortable places to sit, free, wireless Internet, and of course, free soft drinks and snacks. It’s also well-air conditioned, which is nice considering it’s close to 90 here today.