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WizardBill

WizardBill

Joined
Jul 21, 2023
Messages
14
Location
Mattoon, IL
Hi, I am Bill. My wife and I decided that, rather than drive everywhere, and worry about parking, etc, that it might just be quite a bit better and easier to take the Amtrak to see the beautiful countryside. So, I drive a semi, and I decided to take a trip with her to Seattle from Chicago. So, I bought us tickets on the Empire Builder and we leave tomorrow.

Very looking forward to the trip. We have never traveled Amtrak, and we are using this journey to determine if it is a viable option for our vacations/travel vs. driving. I drive about 120,000 miles a year and the last thing I want to do on my vacation is more driving. Also, I just want to go places we have never seen. I have been to 47 of 50 states, and she has been to 40. This will put me at 48 and her at 45.

Anyway, we are in our 50's now, with grown kids and are looking forward to a long time traveling the rails.
 
Welcome to Amtrak Unlimited. I hope you enjoy your trip on the Empire Builder.
 
WizardBill said:
Hi, I am Bill. My wife and I decided that, rather than drive everywhere, and worry about parking, etc, that it might just be quite a bit better and easier to take the Amtrak to see the beautiful countryside. So, I drive a semi, and I decided to take a trip with her to Seattle from Chicago. So, I bought us tickets on the Empire Builder and we leave tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Hope you have a great trip. Please let us know how it goes.
 
WizardBill said:
Hi, I am Bill. My wife and I decided that, rather than drive everywhere, and worry about parking, etc, that it might just be quite a bit better and easier to take the Amtrak to see the beautiful countryside. So, I drive a semi, and I decided to take a trip with her to Seattle from Chicago. So, I bought us tickets on the Empire Builder and we leave tomorrow.

Very looking forward to the trip. We have never traveled Amtrak, and we are using this journey to determine if it is a viable option for our vacations/travel vs. driving. I drive about 120,000 miles a year and the last thing I want to do on my vacation is more driving. Also, I just want to go places we have never seen. I have been to 47 of 50 states, and she has been to 40. This will put me at 48 and her at 45.

Anyway, we are in our 50's now, with grown kids and are looking forward to a long time traveling the rails.
Click to expand...
My driving (and enjoying it) days are over. I enjoy long-distance train travel so much, I'll take an Amtrak thruway bus (limited to passengers continuing to their destination by train), from Palm Springs, CA Airport, to Fullerton, and continue to Los Angeles Union Station on the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner. Depending on how much time I have, I'll do some nearby exploring, spend some time in the Metropolitan Lounge (limited to sleeping car passengers), and board my train relaxed and ready to see the country. Next to enjoying my train trip, a close second is NOT driving.
 
WizardBill said:
Hi, I am Bill. My wife and I decided that, rather than drive everywhere, and worry about parking, etc, that it might just be quite a bit better and easier to take the Amtrak to see the beautiful countryside. So, I drive a semi, and I decided to take a trip with her to Seattle from Chicago. So, I bought us tickets on the Empire Builder and we leave tomorrow....Very looking forward to the trip. We have never traveled Amtrak, and we are using this journey to determine if it is a viable option for our vacations/travel vs. driving. I drive about 120,000 miles a year and the last thing I want to do on my vacation is more driving.
Click to expand...
Welcome, Bill and wife, to AU! I confess to never having heard of Mattoon, but it's surprisingly well-served by no fewer than three Amtrak routes: Illini, Saluki, and CONO. About 3.5 hours to Chicago. So you can truly chuck the car keys for this trip. A nice neighbor will probably drive you to the station which looks like a gem. (From WIkipedia: "The Mattoon station is housed in the former Illinois Central Railroad Depot. The depot was completed in 1918 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. At its height, the building housed a power plant, mail room, luggage room, and restaurant, in addition to the main hall where passengers waited to board trains. As many as ten trains a day departed the depot in the 1950s." It is an unstaffed station and I admit to reading nervously that "the doors unlock and lock automatically before and after the arrival and departure of trains," but, y'know, if that was glitchy, we would probably have heard about it here on AU, and a search comes up blank.)

Have a wonderful trip. Returning on the Builder?
 
Trollopian said:
Welcome, Bill and wife, to AU! I confess to never having heard of Mattoon, but it's surprisingly well-served by no fewer than three Amtrak routes: Illini, Saluki, and CONO. About 3.5 hours to Chicago. So you can truly chuck the car keys for this trip. A nice neighbor will probably drive you to the station which looks like a gem. (From WIkipedia: "The Mattoon station is housed in the former Illinois Central Railroad Depot. The depot was completed in 1918 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. At its height, the building housed a power plant, mail room, luggage room, and restaurant, in addition to the main hall where passengers waited to board trains. As many as ten trains a day departed the depot in the 1950s." It is an unstaffed station and I admit to reading nervously that "the doors unlock and lock automatically before and after the arrival and departure of trains," but, y'know, if that was glitchy, we would probably have heard about it here on AU, and a search comes up blank.)

Have a wonderful trip. Returning on the Builder?
Click to expand...
We are! Our first trip and we are taking it both directions.

I should state, “Wife is Adrienne.”

Now that we have that cleared up, I should take some photos of the Mattoon station, but I missed my opportunity this trip.

We will be doing that on the next one.

Rookie mistakes, you know…
 
WizardBill said:
Made it out of Chicago!

Made the first stop, Glenview.

Now going S-L-O-W because a broken signal.

Left on time, but now going slow.
Click to expand...

Glenview is such a great station. I love railfanning from there when I'm in the area.

I've observed that Glenview is a heavily trafficked Empire Builder destination as well. I'm assuming to avoid the congestion of CUS.

Hoping you enjoy your trip on the EB!
 
JayPea said:
The train splits in Spokane, with part going to Seattle and part going to Portland. I'm going on the Portland half so won't be joining you this time around.
Click to expand...
Change of plans. I will be joining you. I was going to go to Portland out of Spokane, then up to Seattle. However, it's beginning to look like it will be a tight connection in Portland given how late the train is now. So I canceled the Spokane-Portland and Portland-Seattle portions of the trip and am just going to go Spokane-Seattle instead. The only connection I make in Seattle is the connection between my head and the pillow at the hotel.🤣
 

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