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Beth Lindsey
Guest
I'm a grad student in Seattle. My family lives in Pennsylvania. Normally, for the holidays, I head home from around Dec. 18th - Jan 2nd. This year, for a variety of reasons, we're having our Christmas celebration in Milwaukee, where my sister is currently living. Because of her work schedule, it doesn't make sense for me to arrive in Milwaukee earlier than the 23rd or 24th. This leaves me with some extra time at the beginning of my break, which led me to think, "Why not take Amtrak to Milwaukee instead of flying?" (I'd still fly back to Seattle at the end of the trip).
I have some concerns, though. I've never taken a long train trip in the US. Also, this train would be through the mountains at a time when there's snow. This leads me to some of my questions:
Does the Empire Builder get snowed in frequently? What are its delays typically like at that time of year? (Is there a website with that type of information that I can access somewhere? A quick search didn't turn one up for me, but I might be using the wrong terms.) Does anyone have any strong impressions of what the Empire Builder is like in general at the immediately-pre-christmas time of year?
Do you advise for or against taking a trip of this length (43 hours, supposedly) by myself? I'd be in a seat, can't really afford to get a sleeper by myself. (My boyfriend thinks I should wait a couple years, until we can take a long trip together at some point.) My main reason for thinking of doing this now is that I've got the time.
Thanks in advance for your input,
Beth
I have some concerns, though. I've never taken a long train trip in the US. Also, this train would be through the mountains at a time when there's snow. This leads me to some of my questions:
Does the Empire Builder get snowed in frequently? What are its delays typically like at that time of year? (Is there a website with that type of information that I can access somewhere? A quick search didn't turn one up for me, but I might be using the wrong terms.) Does anyone have any strong impressions of what the Empire Builder is like in general at the immediately-pre-christmas time of year?
Do you advise for or against taking a trip of this length (43 hours, supposedly) by myself? I'd be in a seat, can't really afford to get a sleeper by myself. (My boyfriend thinks I should wait a couple years, until we can take a long trip together at some point.) My main reason for thinking of doing this now is that I've got the time.
Thanks in advance for your input,
Beth