•Left Longview TX station 21 May on Texas Eagle overnight to Chicago. Had good SCA for our bedroom. Enjoyed first day and night immensely.
•Stayed overnight at The Palmer House, very beautiful and oldest operating hotel in the US but otherwise I considered it a severe waste of my money. Chicago Union Station quite impressive even with the construction. Very large and a bit overwhelming to an old country boy born, raised and still living in the sticks and deer trails of northeast Louisiana but enjoyed wandering around and through it as well as the Metropolitan Lounge.. great place to grab a drink, lite eat and visit. Gotta say the young Red Cap driver from train to Lounge very exciting. Felt more like the rollercoaster ride at the state fair with the fast speed, constant honking of the horn, dodging people and columns. Gave him a few dollars tip.. more for the excitement of the ride than a lift to the Metropolitan.
• 23 May - Empire Builder from Chicago overnight to Havre, MT. Very busy train. Lotsa people but handled well by the staff. I found out what an outstanding SCA can do to enhance your stay on the train. Her name was Suzanne from Seattle and working Amtrak for 5 years. Energetic, conversational, and seemed to be always close at hand. Told me I kept the neatest and tidy bedroom ever. Lots of cudos from the travelers. She should be the study for Amtrak SCA's. Thank you Suzanne!
•24 May - Departed at Havre, MT Station and Tara from Budget Rentals waiting in the lot for me with rental car.. nice service. Drove to great Falls for the night, wonderful meal and live music at the Celtic Cowboy Pub and Restaurant and in bed early before driving to Livingston for week with wife's family and a day at Yellowstone then driving back to Havre to catch Empire builder again to Seattle. Have the exact same car number and bedroom and praying Suzanne the SCA again.
•Gotta say that overall I love the train so far. Surprised the sleeper beds fairly comfortable and the motion of the train seemed like a sleeping pill. Bedrooms fairly small but layed out well for me and I have owned 5th wheels for more than 15 years so my room shower/toilet wasn't a problem to use. Food good.. not great but better than a lot of restaurants I've been to including The Palmer House Hilton.
•And by the way.. Thank You to the many people on this forum that has helped me learn and understand so much about Amtrak and Guest Rewards to make planning and enjoying not only this trip but how to best accumulate and use points for future travel.
•Stayed overnight at The Palmer House, very beautiful and oldest operating hotel in the US but otherwise I considered it a severe waste of my money. Chicago Union Station quite impressive even with the construction. Very large and a bit overwhelming to an old country boy born, raised and still living in the sticks and deer trails of northeast Louisiana but enjoyed wandering around and through it as well as the Metropolitan Lounge.. great place to grab a drink, lite eat and visit. Gotta say the young Red Cap driver from train to Lounge very exciting. Felt more like the rollercoaster ride at the state fair with the fast speed, constant honking of the horn, dodging people and columns. Gave him a few dollars tip.. more for the excitement of the ride than a lift to the Metropolitan.
• 23 May - Empire Builder from Chicago overnight to Havre, MT. Very busy train. Lotsa people but handled well by the staff. I found out what an outstanding SCA can do to enhance your stay on the train. Her name was Suzanne from Seattle and working Amtrak for 5 years. Energetic, conversational, and seemed to be always close at hand. Told me I kept the neatest and tidy bedroom ever. Lots of cudos from the travelers. She should be the study for Amtrak SCA's. Thank you Suzanne!
•24 May - Departed at Havre, MT Station and Tara from Budget Rentals waiting in the lot for me with rental car.. nice service. Drove to great Falls for the night, wonderful meal and live music at the Celtic Cowboy Pub and Restaurant and in bed early before driving to Livingston for week with wife's family and a day at Yellowstone then driving back to Havre to catch Empire builder again to Seattle. Have the exact same car number and bedroom and praying Suzanne the SCA again.
•Gotta say that overall I love the train so far. Surprised the sleeper beds fairly comfortable and the motion of the train seemed like a sleeping pill. Bedrooms fairly small but layed out well for me and I have owned 5th wheels for more than 15 years so my room shower/toilet wasn't a problem to use. Food good.. not great but better than a lot of restaurants I've been to including The Palmer House Hilton.
•And by the way.. Thank You to the many people on this forum that has helped me learn and understand so much about Amtrak and Guest Rewards to make planning and enjoying not only this trip but how to best accumulate and use points for future travel.