A little history…
Train trips are nothing new to Nigel and me. We used to catch the Amtrak train to Chicago out of either Nappanee or Waterloo. I think it was about a four hour ride. Luckily, we found out about the South Shore commuter train. Now, we drive to Dune Park (one of the stations on the line) and catch the South Shore to get to Chicago. We’ve also ridden trains several times in the UK but just for short jaunts. This post is a long one with lots of words and photos! So, grab a beverage, settle into your favorite cozy place, and come along with me!
Amtrak…
In April, 2018, Nigel and I set off on an adventure. For years, we had talked about taking a long train trip. Several years before, we’d taken Amtrak to Washington, DC. Not knowing any better, we rode Coach. The seats on Amtrak trains are larger than on a bus. But, we spent over 24 hours on trains, got lost trying to make our connection in Philadelphia, and finally made it to our hotel! We were exhausted.
A few years later, we started researching trips and found the perfect one for us. We started in Chicago, traveled to Seattle, down the coast to Los Angeles, over to New Orleans, and back to Chicago! We had a blast! The first train was the Empire Builder. The second was the Coast Starlight. Next was the Sunset Limited. And, finally, the one Nigel was most thrilled to ride was the City of New Orleans.
Room types…
We booked the Southern Rail Experience through Amtrak Vacations which is a separate entity from Amtrak, I think. With Amtrak Vacations, our hotel accommodations as well as several excursions/experiences were included in our trip. We studied the different kinds of rooms to figure out which would work best for us. There are five types of rooms including accessible rooms. You can read about the different rooms, amenities, and sizes here. We watched a lot of YouTube videos showing the different rooms. I thought I wanted a Bedroom until I saw the toilet was in the shower…which…no, nope, no way, not gonna happen! As you know, I’m not a big person nor is Nigel. We actually got out a tape measure and duct tape and laid out the size of a Roomette. It’s not big…not at all. But, it is cozy! Ultimately, we did decide on a Roomette for a couple of reasons with the biggest one being the price. The other was we didn’t intend to spend a lot of time in it. There is an observation car as well as a cafe so you can easily escape find another place to be. Just a note…your rooms lock from the inside but not the outside. We kept all valuables (like iPads and such) with us. I had a Vera Bradley bag that was perfect for that.
Perks of a room…
With the rooms, you are allowed to enter the Lounge at the train stations. Some of them have a very nice selection of munchies and drinks. Others just have packaged treats. Room status also allows you early boarding though that’s not such a great thing as your room is reserved. You also get access to showers and toilets on your car. You also have a place to store your luggage as well as a dedicated car attendant. The biggest perk is the food is free in the dining car. And, the food, my friends, is delicious! When we’d gone to Washington years before, the dining was basically those frozen meals heated up. That is not what you get on the western routes. Your food is cooked to order with a few items pre-made (like desserts). Nigel ordered a steak almost every night. I usually tried something new, but you can only do that so many times because the menu is the same for all western train routes. The desserts were tasty but nothing to write home about. Oh, and alcohol was not free.
You are probably far wiser than I am! I thought everyone on the train was doing the same thing as we were. In reality, they were all going from Point A to Point B with some or even lots of stops in between. It took me until we got to Seattle to figure that one out! We did meet a fellow, George, who was doing the same thing as us except he wasn’t going back to Chicago from New Orleans. He was going on to Washington, DC then to Chicago.
The Empire Builder…
The Empire Builder crosses the northern US, stopping in cities like Milwaukee, Fargo, Minot, East Glacier Park, Spokane, Portland, and terminates in Seattle. We were on the Empire Builder for a two nights and most of three days, if I’m remembering correctly. We left Chicago on a snowy afternoon on April 9, 2018. As we traveled west, the landscape changed form urban to rural. One thing you need to know…trains do not, as a rule, go through the nicest parts of town. The conductor or car attendant would announce how long stops were because there was absolutely no smoking on the train. In fact, during one stop, a passenger was disembarked for smoking. Nigel almost always got up and went out. I did, depending on the weather. I had packed a lightweight winter jacket so I wasn’t really very keen getting out when it was really cold.
At night, the car attendant would make up the beds for you. Most nights, we just did it ourselves after watching because those attendants are busy. The two chairs facing each other slide down into position and create a not quite twin bed. The bunk drops down from the top of the roomette. The first time I tried to get into it, I got stuck. You don’t climb up, sit up, and get arranged. You have to kind of slither into place. Once you’re in for the night, a netting is clipped into place to ensure you don’t roll out. If you notice where my carryon is in the photo…that’s where the step was to hoist myself up! I was really worried about being claustrophobic up there, but I found it really roomy and easy to get situated. I had no problems getting down in the middle of the night for biology breaks.
We passed through fields that were still snow covered and saw old telephone poles with the glass insulators. The only wildlife we saw was human. I really wish we had seen some moose or even deer. As it was April, it got dark rather early. Unfortunately, that was the case as we went through Glacier National Park. The little bit of landscape I saw before darkness fell was amazing!
In the morning of the the third day, we reached Seattle. I’d already learned the one thing Amtrak Vacations didn’t cover was transportation from train stations to hotels and vice versa. We quickly learned how to Uber! Unfortunately, our Uber driver had difficulty finding our hotel. Honestly, I would have, too, because it didn’t seem to really have a front entrance. We got lucky and were upgraded to a Hyatt House. Our suite was probably bigger than many apartments in large cities and was located at the base of the Space Needle.
We walked to Pike Place Market, missed the fish throwing, saw amazing produce, flowers and crafts, went on a boat trip around the city, and ate lunch somewhere (this was five years ago, folks). A guardian angel probably walked along with us because we just walked to and from our hotel a couple of times. I’m sure there were some streets/alleys we probably shouldn’t have gone! The next day, we went to the Chihuly Gardens and loved every minute of it (well, I did), went up in the Space Needle (which was being renovated so the restaurant was closed), and spent too short a time at MoPOP, the Museum of Pop Culture. If you’re a Star Trek fan, this is the place to be! Luckily, all of these places were right across the street from our hotel!
When we returned to the King Street Station after spending a day and half in Seattle, I was able to really look at the station. It is gorgeous! There is a compass rose made from marble tiles in the center of the Compass room. Marble abounds in this room. It was here we met Herb Eiseman. He regaled us with tales of his life. I was entranced. You can read more about that visit here. Oh, and his wife just happens to be Leatrice Eiseman, one of the people who decide the Pantone Color of the Year!
Coast Starlight…
We were both very excited about this portion of our trip. The train, the Coast Starlight, is purported to take you past ocean views you can’t see anywhere but from the train. I think we missed those! The scenery was beautiful, and the food was delicious, though we only ate lunch on this part. At one of the train stops, a historian or docent of some kind may get on and tell you a little about the history of what you’re going past. We were lucky enough to have a wonderfully interesting and intelligent man get on our train. He was born in China, emigrated to the US when he was 15 (all alone), attended a prestigious university, and majored (I think) in engineering. How do I know this guy was intelligent? He had eidetic memory aka photographic memory. He was too poor to buy books so he’d borrow them from friends or the library, read or scan through them, and et voilà , he had the book in his head. He told us many interesting things as we traveled down the coast, but that’s the one that stuck with me!
Los Angeles…
I have been in my fair share of large cities, but Los Angeles totally intimidates me. We were only there for one evening and part of a day. Our excursion called for a double decker bus ride around the city. I loved that part because I didn’t have to worry about navigating. I loved seeing old theaters, landmarks from old movies, the Hollywood sign, and snapping photos of stars’ stars! I couldn’t believe, though, how small the La Brea Tar Pits were. In all fairness, we only saw them from the top of a bus and were past them in a blink of an eye. Union Station is another gorgeous train station. It is a bit like a mini mall with stores and eateries around. We were running a bit late so we made for the Lounge where we grabbed some bottles of water and granola bars. This time, we rode on golf carts to our train car!
Sunset Limited…
OK, this train may be an ok train, but it goes through lots and lots and lots and lots of desert. We were on that train for eleventy million miles, and I swear they all looked the same! I have a friend who lives in Houston and always talks about how hot it is. Guess what? She’s not kidding! It was really hot…like sweat running down the back of my body hot! And, just a few short days before, we’d been wearing multiple layers to stay warm! We were only there for a bit, but it was long enough for me to pick up a couple of pairs of earrings from a vendor at the station. Food and room were the same as on the Empire Builder.
Now might be a good time to talk about the dining car on these trains. You select a time you want to eat for lunch and dinner. Breakfast is come during serving hours. When your time is called (and only when your time is called), you make your way to the dining car and wait at the entrance for the server to lead you to your seat. These are 2 x 2 bench seat combos like in an old time cafeteria. You and your traveling companion are seated side by side so that another couple can sit across from you. You are, basically, forced to make conversation or be extremely rude. I have to tell you that was one of the high points to the trip. We met some of the most amazing people on this trip. We ate with a minister’s wife and her son, two different couples from the UK (including one on their honeymoon), and one extremely fascinating young man. I think we ever only met one man with whom we didn’t enjoy talking.
The fascinating young man…
One morning, this young guy was seated across from us. We placed our orders and then proceeded with the small talk. Eventually, he told us his story. He had been riding his motorcycle when someone hit him and took off. Luckily, he was found, but he spent the next several weeks in a coma. At one point, he actually died. When he woke up and looked at the little whiteboards they put in hospital rooms now, it read a year later than it actually was. Someone had goofed, and this poor guy thought he’d been in a coma for over a year! He decided, when he got out of the hospital, to save up some money and then see the country before settling back down into whatever life he chose. Those are the kinds of people you might meet on a train!
The Big Easy…
I couldn’t wait to get to New Orleans! I was so excited to see this city. My parents had gone there on one of their few vacations alone. For many years, Mom had a hurricane glass from Pat O’Brien’s. We never did find it, but we did discover beignets! Oh, my goodness!!! They are delicious. The thought is making my mouth water! We spent lots of time wandering around the waterfront before our tour started. Again, this was included in our package.
You can’t go to New Orleans without visiting a cemetery or two! We stopped for a moment at one, but the one we spent the most time in was the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. We actually had a tour guide for this one. As we wound our way through the cemetery, she pointed out where some of the walls had buckled, the different types of tombs, and the tombs of the famous and infamous. You can read more here. Nigel was thrilled to see the grave of Marie Laveau. I’ve included a YouTube video of the song that made her famous to him. You’ll notice on some of the graves XXX. The tour guide said this was to mark her possible grave, but she said the actual one is the one Nigel is standing in front of. Another tomb I’m including is not presently occupied. It belongs to Nicolas Cage. Notice all the lipstick on it! It’s also engraved with the words, “Omnia Ab Uno” which mean “Everything from One.” Our tour was cut short for some reason, and we had to leave as they were closing the cemetery.
As part of that same tour, we went to the New Orleans City Park. This place is amazing! There’s a cute cafe where we probably ate beignets and drank Diet Coke! We also posed for a selfie under the McDonogh Oak. You can read more here. As we made our way back to the waterfront, we passed through lots of neighborhoods that had been devastated by Hurricane Katrina. It was remarkable to see so little damage, but there were occasional homes still marked with those Xs on the door. I loved seeing the architecture including the shotgun houses and the vibrant colors of both homes and landscaping. After a long day in the heat, we sat by the water people watching before walking back to our hotel.
The City of New Orleans…
Nigel was thrilled to finally get to this point of the trip. He was going to ride the City of New Orleans…I can’t tell you how many times he sang that song to me before, during, and after the trip! In the video I’ve shared below, you can see a good shot of the dining car as well as scenery similar to what we saw as we left New Orleans. We didn’t change cars in Memphis, though. Oh, and that scene where the car attendant is helping the woman up the ladder into her bed…that must be very old! We spent one night on that train. Let me tell you something about sleeping on a train. I found it to be very relaxing…the slight swaying and the clickety clack of the rails. I loved it! We arrived in Chicago the next day in the afternoon, walked to the South Shore station, and headed home.
Packing…
I knew we would be experiencing a couple of different kinds of weather on this trip so I tried to pack accordingly. Although you have access to your luggage on the train, it’s a pain to get into it. So, I tried to pack strategically. I packed in layers. In other words, I packed what I was going to wear on the last day at the bottom of the bag and moved up to what I would be wearing first. Each night we were in a hotel, I would rearrange the layers. I also wrote out what I was taking and how to mix and match the items to cut down on how much I would need to pack. Some would call that a capsule wardrobe, I guess. I don’t think there was anything I didn’t wear so that was a big win for me! Skincare and makeup were in my carryon which stayed in the roomette with us.
Wrap it up, Marsha!
You know, if I got paid by the word on my blog (if I got paid period), this one post would pay for a month of groceries! I apologize for the length, but believe me when I tell you I edited it to make it shorter! I love train trips. In fact, we went back to New Orleans and over to San Antonio later that year in November. Those trips we booked ourselves through the Amtrak site. By doing that, we had to arrange our own hotels as well as any sightseeing trips. Since we’d been to New Orleans and Nigel had been to San Antonio, we felt comfortable in doing that. A year or so later, we went to the Grand Canyon and again booked through Amtrak Vacations which would be the only way I would do that because of connections and such. So, can we talk? Are you a fan of riding the rails? Have you met fascinating people on your trips (train or otherwise)? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise I do respond as quickly as possible.
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What others are saying…
Leslie says, “The only traveling I am going to be doing is among the blogs of my Tell Us About buddies reading about the traveling they are enjoying. Stop by my blog for a power nap. I’ll join you!!” Debbie writes “Debbie’s family motto is ‘To Travel is to Live’ and her blog is all about Midlife- travel, fun and adventure, and yet she had a lot of trouble with this prompt. Go back to the beginning to read how her family got the travel bug!” Gail tells us, “In theory Gail from Is This Mutton is well travelled but she hasn’t seen very much. Find out why.” Suzy says, “Having moved from England to Portugal when she was a child, Suzy got the travel bug quite early on. Read about some of the wonderful places she’s visited.” Penny pens, “At first Penny thought she had nothing to write about as she felt her travelling days were over and then, on reflection, she’d had many adventures when traveling as a young woman. In fact she had so much to say Travel has been split into two parts! The second part you’ll get shortly.” MK reports, “MK finally gets to write about her favorite hobby and reflects on some of the fun times she’s had on trips over the years.”
And, now, it’s your turn!
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Oh wow, Marsha – what a blog! And I can’t believe I’ve met an American who loves train travel!!! I too love train travel and have travelled on the Silver Service train from Palm Springs to Philly, breaking the trip in two places. More details to come in part 2 of my travel experiences!! I absolutely loved reading all about your train trips and yes, it’s the people you meet on the trains along with seeing a country from the ground so to speak instead of the air that makes it so special. Fabulouso post 🙂
Thanks so much, Penny! I truly adore riding on trains! There is just something about the rhythm of life on the train and the sounds that are so soothing. My dream is to go to Europe, get a pass and ride the trains all over the continent. I would love that! Palm Springs to Philly would be a long ride, and I can’t wait to read about it in Part 2!
Marsha, I LOVED reading all about you US train trips! They sounded amazing…and they’ve made me want to try it out. We’ve never done much train travelling. Only the metro in New York, Montreal, London and Lisbon! And a little twenty minute train jaunt between two local towns here in the Algarve. I would, however, love to do something like the Orient Express! Wouldn’t that be sweet? I’ve wanted to visit New Orleans for so long (I adore watching movies, TV shows and reading books that are all spooky and set in that part of the world!), so a train journey to / from there sounds wonderful!
Hugs
Suzy xxx
Thanks, Suzy! You should totally come over and we could go together! Have you watched any YouTube videos of people traveling on the Orient Express? Those rooms are amazing, but you could probably buy a small car for the price! New Orleans is really cool, but my husband is not a night person so we weren’t out and about during the evening. At one point, I thought being there for Mardi Gras would be cool, but I don’t think so now. Bourbon Street is pretty wild any time…can’t imagine it during that time!
Marsha, that would be EPIC! I would love to come over and go with you guys. I know my husband would love it too. We’re not really night people either to be honest. I think I would probably freak out being out at night in New Orleans lol. I’ve seen too many creepy movies!!! Oh, and I totally understand about not being there for Mardi Gras…I can’t be doing with crowds. I much prefer to visit places in the low seasons when it’s quiet! I know I miss some things doing that (some attractions might close for example) but that’s fine with me!!
As for the Orient Express…I know, right?! I’d have to win the lottery first lol!!
Let’s hope that one of these days, we might get the chance to travel together. Seriously…I would LOVE that!
Big hugs
Suzy xx
I have never traveled by train; though we have taken a few sight-seeing train trips that were only a couple of hours each. It sounds like a fascinating trip.
Thanks, Joanne! This trip was really such a good one. We didn’t know if we would ever do it again so we opted for a long trip. We’ve gone on two more since. I’m hoping to go again either in the fall or the spring.
I think traveling by train is amazing. Or seems amazing as I never done it. But wouldn’t it be fantastic to go on the Trans Sibarian Express!
Oh, that would be a fun one! You should look on YouTube to see people who travel on that as well as the Orient Express. The rooms are amazing! Of course, there is a huge price with both!!
Thanks, Nancy!
What a wonderful trip! I have been telling hubby I would like to take a long train trip like that. We just came home from Ireland. We did a coach trip taking Country Roads from Insight Tours. Our tour guide was terrific as was our bus driver. Amanda knew more history and folk lore than anyone I have ever met. It was amazing. It was hard on our pup though. We left her with our daughter’s family, whose she knows very well, but it still took her a good week to settle back in at home. She was terrified every time we walked out the door. So it may be a while before I get my train tour.
Oh, Eileen, your poor dog! Jack has always dealt with us leaving him quite well. But, we didn’t have him when we took this trip. Your trip to Ireland sounds wonderful! I love taking tours with really good guides. It’s amazing what you find out. I’ve always wanted to go to Ireland as well as Scotland and Wales. I don’t know if I can talk my husband into doing that now. He dreads those long plane rides. But, I do hope you get to take a train trip some day!
Thanks, Eileen!
Gosh, what an experience. I would only want to have a room if we were traveling overnight by train. We have looked into it before, but when you’re working, it’s hard to spend that extra time traveling. And then once you’re retired, it’s no cheaper than the plane. But I can see that it’s quite the way to go.
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Oh, I forgot to mention in my post…the trains are rarely on time. The freight systems in the US actually own the tracks and have right of way so there were times we had to just sit and wait for them to pass. But, we also considered the journey as part of the trip if that makes sense. And, for the most part, it’s less expensive to go by plane and much quicker. But, I absolutely adore train travel!
Thanks, Jodie!
A toilet in the shower? Just, NO. What a fun trip and so glad you were finally able to do it. Oh, I went to New Orleans when I was a teen and I have never gotten back there. I would love to go again. What a memorable trip!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Thanks, Carrie! Yep, as soon as I saw the toilet in the shower, I was ok with the roomette! We had such a wonderful time. We hope to take another trip sometime soon!
This was so much fun Marsha! I’ve only been to Disneyland in LA and Hawaii so have no knowledge of places, trains or directions but even so, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your stories. I learnt a lot and it all sounds like a hoot :). Thanks for telling us about it.
Thanks, Debbie! I’m not going to say it was the trip of a lifetime, but it was pretty amazing! Thanks for inviting me to join this group!!
Sounds like wonderful journeys by train. I love train travel and we’re planning a special day out on one of the steam trains, where you have luxury dining on board and spend a few hours at the destination.
Oh, that sounds like so much fun, Gail!
You are making me think…we want to go to the Grand Canyon, maybe a train is the way to go! Ha! Pun intended.
How fun to see your travels, so many memories.
We are going to Greece this year in November and then to Italy in March and I am so very excited!!!
xo,
Kellyann
Thanks, Kellyann! We took the train to the Grand Canyon, and that’s the only way I’d go again. Oh, your trips sound fabulous! I would love to go both places. I can’t wait to see your photos!
This was a great post! I’ve never been on a long train ride like that but traveled in trains in France especially. I love how you are able to enjoy the scenery and not worry about traffic. I would love to do something like this but I am not sure if it is my husband’s idea of fun!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Thanks, Mireille! This was actually my husband’s idea, and I was a little leery. But, now, I love traveling by train and would love to go all over Europe if I could!
I love this post so much!! We have been talking a little bit about taking a short train ride with Wyatt. He is fascinated with trains and I think it looks like such a fun way to travel. My brother actually out of the blue told me he would like to do some train travel as well, so we are talking about taking a trip via train “someday” – hopefully sooner than later. The toilet situation concerns me a little though. Lol.
New Orleans is one of my favorite cities in the whole U.S.! I have been there so many times, and it never gets old to me. It’s been far too long since we have gone and I miss it!
Thanks, Erin! We love train travel, and I’m pretty sure you could figure out some kind of train trip with Wyatt. You could look on the website and see where the train stops. You could get off for a bit then head back home. I think he would love it!
I’ve only been to New Orleans twice and would love to go again with someone who really knew their way around. It’s just such a fascinating place!
Parts of this travelogue brought back lots of memories! My family often traveled by train in Canada when I was growing up, and since my dad is a train buff, he and Mom have done almost all of the Amtrak routes you described. I’ve only done Amtrak between Washington or Philly and Grand Forks or so, But my husband and I have talked about doing the southern US routes at some point. Such an adventure!
Thanks, Kym! We love taking the train. It’s such a neat way to see the country and meet people. The southern routes we’ve taken weren’t as scenic as the northern, but it depends on where you want to end up, too!
We once talked about taking the train across Canada, and then we realized how many days that takes. We decided not to do that!