(NYC > Chicago > SF) Foods to bring?

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sodium

sodium

Train Attendant
Joined
Feb 15, 2016
Messages
18
Location
SF Bay Area
Hi gang!

I'm a first time rail rider and I'll be doing the Lake Shore Limited from New York (NYP) and CA Zephyr (CHI) back to back next week. I'm heading home to the SF Bay Area. I will have a sleeper car with included meals but I would like to bring along some foods from NY and Chicago while I'm there as snacks. I don't want to stink up the room and would like to find something that is ok to be left out at room temp for a day or two. First time in NYC and Chicago. Chicago only being a 4 hour layover.

Lake Shore Limited: Viewliner Roomette |19 Hours | Car 4911 - Room 005 | Departs 3:40 pm | Arrives 9:45 am

California Zephyr: Superliner Roomette | 52 Hours | Car 0531 - Room 013 | Departs 2:00 pm

NY: Bagels, Pizza slice, some sort of dessert

CHI: Deep dish pizza, some sort of dessert

Also, will I be able to see anything with the Lake Shore Limited departing at 3:40pm? Looks like the sunset time for the NY area will be 5:38pm on that evening.
 
As you have meals included, I don't think you will need much else? For myself I miss fresh items, so I like to bring fruit or a bag of salad, the salad won't last so gets eaten first. Carrot sticks, anything fresh!

When in coach I bring a gallon water bottle, and also some "instant" porridge sachets, and I get an extra cup of hot water with my morning coffee to make them up.

You can bring a small cooler bag or box, so that may increase the scope and length of time food will stay edible.

Ed. :cool:
 
I'm a big proponent of hummus and sundry items to spread it on. Wine (Champagne and orange juice is nice if you're into mimosas), small amounts of fresh fruits and veggies is good since fresh produce onboard is scarce. Oh, and prosciutto. And some more wine. I've been known to remove food from my cooler if the wine won't fit.
 
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Philly Amtrak Fan said:
crabby_appleton1950 said:
Summer sausage and a block of cheese.
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Doesn't cheese need refrigeration?
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Depends on the cheese. Hard, aged cheeses like Parmigiano Reggiano and Gouda require none. Softer cheeses like Limburger and Brie need to be eaten quickly. Plus, you'd probably get booted off the train for eating Limburger. I'm with caravanman...I pretty much eat all I need in the dining car and don't mess with snacks. A lot of sedentary time and I don't need extra calories.
 
Bagels, crackers, cheese, sausage, Doritos, carrot sticks, and THREE bottles of wine. (The whole trip runs three days, you know.)

Also, get off at every service/smoking stop, then Fitbit up and down the length of the train. (Fitbit has become both a noun and a verb at our house. "I'm going out for a Fitbit," she says. "I was Fitbitting on Central Park Avenue when . . .")
 
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caravanman said:
As you have meals included, I don't think you will need much else? For myself I miss fresh items, so I like to bring fruit or a bag of salad, the salad won't last so gets eaten first. Carrot sticks, anything fresh!

When in coach I bring a gallon water bottle, and also some "instant" porridge sachets, and I get an extra cup of hot water with my morning coffee to make them up.

You can bring a small cooler bag or box, so that may increase the scope and length of time food will stay edible.

Ed. :cool:
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Good advice here, especially about missing fresh food. This time of year, I'd suggest a bag of mandarin oranges/clementines.

Something I brought along on our multiday trip last week for my dad, who has a serious sweet tooth: A tube of caramel sauce, which went very well on the plain vanilla ice cream you'll be seeing (again and again) on the dessert menu. Nice for sharing with tablemates.

You might want to look online at the menu before you leave. You'll have exactly the same menu coast-to-coast, with the possible exception of one "special" at each meal. The "specials" on my cross-country trip were the same on all trains, sometimes alternating between two. (For example, the dinner "specials" on ALL the trains were either salisbury steak or the BBQ pork shanks from the lunch menu.) If you think that over 3 days you'll want more variety than what's on the menu, pack accordingly.
 
Since you have a few hours in Chicago and there is a Walmart Neighborhood Market a couple blocks northwest of the station, you don't need to pile on everything in NYC. That helps keep the volume and weight of your carry ons manageable.
 
In Chicago, the above mentioned Walgreens is 1 block away. (Exit the Jackson Street exit, cross the bridge and it,s 1 block on your left.) Or there's also a CVS that is 1/2 block away from the station. (Exit the Clinton Street exit, turn right to the corner, and the CVS is on the opposite corner.)

At both of these, you can get supplies, including ready made sandwiches and snacks, soda, beer and wine. But I find with the (included) meals, I do not need any more to eat.
 
If the cheese you bring happens to develop some colored spots, just remove them - it's probably just penicillin mold anyway (so my Father the physician once told me).
 
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Ok got it, fresh fruits, carrot sticks, cheese, crackers and a box wine to share with everyone ^_^
 
I never leave on a trip without a bag or two on Oberto Peppered Beef Jerky. (It's a pioneer thing for me.)

peppered-beef-jerky.jpg
 
"Nuts on Clark", located on the upper level of Chicago Union Station, makes the most awesome caramel corn you'll ever experience. I found it pairs well with Chardonnay. Of course, I think most anything pairs well with Chardonnay!
 
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