GREEN MOUNTAIN EXPRESS WITH LIVINGSTON TAYLOR, SUSAN WERNER, AND PETER MULVEY
Grafton, VT – Burlington, VT and return, November 7 – 11, 2018.

Join us for a voyage deep into the heart of Vermont this fall. Explore the hidden valleys, quaint villages, craggy mountains and vibrant towns with your host Livingston Taylor and friends Susan Werner and Peter Mulvey. Travel on our own exclusive private train - vintage rail cars, with live music onboard each day, delicious, locally-sourced food and beverages and a backyard view of everything that makes Vermont truly a state apart.

We will be starting and ending our journey at the Grafton Inn, an extraordinary hostelry in one of New England's most postcard-perfect little villages, then the next day we'll launch this unforgettable rail journey from Bellows Falls to Burlington on our own rolling listening room featuring some of the finest voices in music today. We'll have the perfect soundtrack, live, right in front of us as we travel from Bellows Falls to Burlington, then we'll 2 nights in Burlington in our hotel overlooking the Lake, with restaurants, galleries, and other attractions steps outside the door. a full day to explore Burlington follows, with tours of some iconic Vermont landmarks, then a concert in one of Burlington's premier listening venues. And then we do it all in reverse, returning to a final dinner and overnight at the Grafton Inn. If you're a musician, bring your instrument and join in at the Open Mic or one of the spontaneously erupting song circles!

This trip offers the best Vermont has to offer – picture-perfect tiny villages, rolling farmland, the majestic Connecticut River, spectacular Lake Champlain, and the eclectic and artsy small city of Burlington, and cows…. We can pretty much guarantee there will be some cows.

Comfortable vintage rail cars make up our home on the rails - with plenty of seating for 60 voyagers. The Performance Car with a small stage area at one end and audience seating the length of the car; a lounge car with fresh, locally-sourced delicacies throughout the day; a table-and-chair car where you can stow your gear and stretch out. These three cars date from the late 1930’s, when they were among the first streamliner cars built for the Santa Fe Railway. The MacIntyre, a turn-of-the-century business car, brings up the rear - complete with open-end observation platform, brass fixtures, formal parlor and dining room.

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THE ITINERARY:

Wednesday, November 7: We invite you to make your way to Grafton, Vermont (3 hours from Boston, 4 hours from New York, a straight shot up I-91, or via Amtrak from Washington, Philadelphia and the Big Apple – just let us know you're taking the Vermonter up to Bellows Falls, Vermont, and we’ll pick you up at the station!). Our home for the night is the lovely and historic Grafton Inn, the hub of one of New England’s most charming and picturesque villages. Dinner can be procured at either of the Inn’s restaurants, or if you’ve driven yourself, you’re welcome to explore the dining options in nearby Bellows Falls and Saxtons River. We’ll be hosting an evening social hour in which you can meet your fellow travelers and artists.

Thursday, November 8: A morning shuttle bus arrives to take us to the charming village of Bellows Falls where our chartered train awaits. This day-long, music-filled journey over rare, freight-only mileage cuts a diagonal across the state - from the historic Connecticut River Valley, up the Black River to the ski town of Ludlow; over the spine of the Green Mountains, through the marble-mining areas surrounding Rutland to the lush farmland of Addison County -home to Middlebury College- and the beauty of Lake Champlain and the Queen City of Burlington. Late afternoon arrival gives us time to check into our hotel, and head out on the town to explore. Burlington is a largely undiscovered gem of a New England City, with great restaurants, brew pubs, and other attractions – all within walking distance of our hotel, overlooking the lake.

Friday, November 9: The day is yours to structure as you please, or you can join us for a tour of some of the region's great attractions – a guided tour of the extensive grounds and gardens of the Shelburne Museum, lunch at the museum café, a tour of the legendary Ben and Jerry’s factory (free samples!) and Flavor Graveyard, a visit to a local cider mill – all in time to return you to Burlington for a group dinner and an evening concert at the Higher Ground. A second night at our Burlington hotel follows.

Saturday, November 10: We again board our chartered train, and re-trace our journey to Bellows Falls. Passing through Cavendish, we will pass over the spot where Phineas Gage made medical history. Upon our return, our shuttle collects at the station and whisks us back to the Grafton Inn for a farewell dinner and informal music in the pub.

Sunday, November 11: Following our final breakfast at the Inn, we bid you all a fond farewell as you head home. Shuttle service to the Bellows Falls station is provided for any who are taking the train southward.

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THE ARTISTS:

LIVINGSTON TAYLOR: Legendary singer/songwriter Livingston Taylor picked up his first guitar at the age of 13, which began a 50-year career that has encompassed performance, songwriting, and teaching. Born in Boston and raised in North Carolina, Livingston is the fourth child in a very musical family that includes Alex, James, Kate, and Hugh. Livingston recorded his first record at the age of 18 and has continued to create well crafted, introspective, and original songs that have earned him listeners worldwide. Livingston was recently celebrated by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker for his fiftieth year of making music with a day named in his honor.

SUSAN WERNER: Originally schooled in the world of opera, Susan Werner was re-directed toward writing and performing her own music by a fortuitous experience at a Nanci Griffith concert that forged her musical path. Widely regarded as one of the most creative, compassionate, and witty songwriters around, Susan continues to reinvent herself with new music that draws upon the great traditions of jazz, folk, gospel and even pop music of the 60s and 70s. She's written music and lyrics for a musical based on the film Bull Durham, had a song covered by the great Tom Jones, and continues to expand her creativity. None other than the New Yorker has said “Susan Werner, a clever songwriter and an engaging performer, brings literacy and wit back to popular song.”

PETER MULVEY: Peter began his career on the streets of Dublin, Ireland, as a busker, and from there moved on to
performing in the subways and streets of Boston. This led to his first record deal and a leap to full-time national and international touring, beginning in the early Nineties. Ever the iconoclast, he has made seventeen records,
spanning rock and roll, folk, Jazz, spoken word, and Americana. A long-standing gig at the National Youth Science Camp led to a spoken word piece, “Vlad the Astrophysicist”, which became a TEDx talk, and then an illustrated book. Peter tours extensively throughout the US (often by bicycle!) and Europe, collaborates extensively with other artists such as Ani DeFranco, Anais Mitchell, Keb' Mo and teaches songwriting and guitar technique at the annual Swannanoa Gathering and other folk festivals.

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PACKAGES & TICKETS:

PAYMENT OPTIONS

• Your best option for maximum savings is to buy your tickets in one transaction -- a 3% savings off regular prices
• Alternately, you can make a $300 per person deposit, then pay the full balance or set up an interest-free monthly payment schedule within 14 days.

FULL PAYMENT DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

GREEN MOUNTAIN EXPRESS FULL PACKAGE: $1999.00 per person. Includes four nights hotel (double occupancy; solo travelers will be paired with another same-gender patron). Wednesday: hotel, reception. Thursday: shuttle, train, on-board food, music, Burlington hotel. Friday: tour of local attractions (lunch included), dinner, evening concert, Burlington hotel. Saturday: train, on-board food, music, shuttle, dinner and hotel. SAVE 3% BY PAYING ALL AT ONCE: click here to purchase.

GREEN MOUNTAIN EXPRESS NO HOTELS PACKAGE: $1729 per person. Full package, but you take care of your own lodging each night. Wednesday: Welcome reception. Thursday: shuttle, train, on-board food, music. Friday: tour of local attractions (lunch included), dinner, evening concert. Saturday: train, on-board food, music, shuttle, Grafton dinner. SAVE 3% BY PAYING ALL AT ONCE: click here to purchase.

DEPOSIT PLUS BALANCE PAYMENT OPTIONS:

GREEN MOUNTAIN EXPRESS DEPOSIT ONLY: $300 per person: Click here to purchase. Balance payment or payment schedule set up must occur within 14 days of deposit.

BALANCE PAYMENTS
Once you have paid deposits and chosen which option best meets your needs, within 14 days, you can pay the balance due here:

• FULL PACKAGE (INCLUDES HOTEL EACH NIGHT): click here to purchase.
• NO-HOTELS PACKAGE click here to purchase.
• INTEREST-FREE MONTHLY PAYMENT SCHEDULE: Please e-mail or call us to set up your payment schedule: 802-258-1397 or trains@sover.net

FULL PACKAGE SINGLE-OCCUPANCY SUPPLEMENT: For solo travelers wishing their own hotel room all four nights (Wed. 11/7, Thurs. 11/8, Fri. 11/9, Sat. 11/10). $350 per person: click here to purchase. Otherwise, solo travelers will be paired with another same-gender patron.

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TRAVEL INSURANCE

We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance for your trip. By purchasing through this link to Squaremouth (an aggregator where various insurance company policies can be compared at no additional cost to you), we receive a small commission (about five percent). This helps us keep our trips as affordable as possible. On virtually every trip we have someone who needs to cancel at the last minute due to injury or illness, family emergency, or any number of unexpected circumstances. Those who had purchased the trip insurance were disappointed to be missing the trip, but very relieved that they were not losing all the funds they had paid us, the airlines, hotels, and others. Those who did not purchase the trip insurance were really, really, sad to lose a train trip and a bunch of money too. We'd hate to see you be one of those people, which is why we stress the importance of trip insurance. Really, truly, we think it is worth it.

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THE FINE PRINT:

Cancellation policy: Deposits are non-refundable, though can be applied to a future trip with us. Outside of deposit and credit card fees, full refund will be given up until 90 days prior to start of trip. 50% refund 60-90 days. No refund less than 60 days prior to start of trip. Reservations are fully transferrable to another person.

The payment of a deposit or any part or full payment for a reservation shall constitute consent to all the provisions contained herein. Flying Under Radar, LLC shall not be held responsible for property loss or damage and/or any damages resulting from illness, personal injuries or death which may be sustained by reason of, or while engaged on, any trip or tour whether due to the ownership, maintenance, use, operation or control of any vehicle, hotel, common carrier or any other conveyance used in carrying out these tours. We can assume no liability due to any cause whatsoever whether caused by failure or delay or other irregularity, acts or omissions occurring during a tour under which the means of transportation or other service thereby is offered or supplied by owners, operators or public carriers for whom Flying Under Radar, LLC acts only as agent. Flying Under Radar, LLC reserves the right (at its discretion) to alter or omit any part of the itinerary, or change any reservation, feature and/or means of conveyance without notice or for any reason whatsoever and without allowance or refund and with extra costs, if any, resulting therefrom paid by the passengers. Although all artists are contracted to appear, lineup is potentially subject to change due to illness or force majeure. We reserve the right to cancel any tour prior to departure, in which case payment will be refunded without further obligation on our part. Flying Under Radar, LLC shall not be responsible for any injury to person (whether or not resulting in death) or damage to property. Flying Under Radar, LLC strongly urges individual passengers to obtain appropriate insurance coverage. Baggage is at the owner's risk entirely. The transportation companies concerned are not to be held responsible for any act, omission or event during the time passengers are not aboard their carriers or conveyances. The passenger contract in use by the carriers concerned (when issued) shall constitute the sole contract between the transportation companies and the purchaser of these tours and/or passage. By accepting the ticket the passenger also agrees to its terms and conditions. By forwarding of deposit, the passenger certifies that he/she does not have any mental, physical or other condition or disability that would create a hazard for him/herself or other passengers. Flying Under Radar, LLC reserves the right to cancel or withdraw any person as a member of the tour at any time. Flying Under Radar, LLC and Roots on the Rails management reserve the right to refuse service to anyone whom it considers incompatible with the best interests of its services or its guests.