SUTTONK11
Train Attendant
Having been fortunate enough to have taken the CZ to Disneyland when I was 12 (1958), I have always had a longing to return to the rails, especially after 33 years of air travel all over the world. Well, I started planning our trip in November of 2007 and we departed from Richmond, VA. on May 28th of 2008.
The regional to Washington was 45 minutes late having been sidetracked several times by freight trains. We were told that because of high oil prices this is becoming more and more frequent due to the increase in demand for coal up and down the east coast. The scenery on this short leg of our trip was okay but nothing special to us as we were still in our own backyard. We arrived in D.C. and went directly to the Acela Lounge which was very attractive and comfortable but in bad need of new carpets and upholstry. In stark contrast to the lounge was Washington's Union Station which is magnificent and an absolute must see for anyone in the area - it holds its own with any building or monument in our capital.
After a realatively brief layover, my wife and I boarded the Capitol Limited bound for Chicago. Once a little ways out of DC the scenery was very nice and we enjoyed it from both our bedroom and the somewhat crowded Observation Car until it was time for dinner. Dinner was pleasant as far as the company and atmosphere but only okay with regard to the food and the service which was very polite but slow. Our first night on the train we did not sleep very well but wrote it off to not yet being use to the bed and/or movement which proved correct the next night. The bedroom was very comfortable during the day but fairly cramped at night with the beds down.
NOTE: Always try to wash and brush your teeth before having the beds put down because there is no space to use the sink once they are down.
The next morning we had a great breakfast ( I highly reccommend the Railroad French Toast ), returned to our room, relaxed and enjoyed a cup of coffee,the scenery and the newspaper while anticipating 6 hours of sightseeing in Chicago and lunch at Giordano's.
We arrived about 1 hour late in Chicago's Union Station which is the antithesis D.C.'s Union Station (I believe any city of over 100,000 population has a Union Station ) in that it is a virtual labarinth of poorly marked halls, stairs, escalators, elavators and doors leading to who knows where. We deposited our luggage in the Metro Lounge and headed for the Art Institute to see the exhibition of Thorne's miniatures which were remarkable but somewhat sterile and very poorly lighted. From there we walked to Millenium Park which is very difficult to discribe but definitly worth a visit - an amazing place and an the way to Giordano's. Finally we arrived at that famous resaurant so much revered and ballyhooed on the internet and by word of mouth and WHAT A TREAT IT WAS! Absolutely the best stuffed pizza I have ever tasted coupled with good, polite service and a great atmosphere make this a must when in Chicago. We then hotfooted it back to the station and waited for boarding of the Empire Builder standing in the very overcrowded Metro Lounge.
STAY TUNED - EMPIRE BUILDER SEGMENT COMING SOON
NOTE: Always plan as far ahead as possible. With Amtraks liberal cancellation policy there is no reason not to take advantage of the bucket system Amtrak uses in pricing tickets - I saved over 30% on our tickets.
The regional to Washington was 45 minutes late having been sidetracked several times by freight trains. We were told that because of high oil prices this is becoming more and more frequent due to the increase in demand for coal up and down the east coast. The scenery on this short leg of our trip was okay but nothing special to us as we were still in our own backyard. We arrived in D.C. and went directly to the Acela Lounge which was very attractive and comfortable but in bad need of new carpets and upholstry. In stark contrast to the lounge was Washington's Union Station which is magnificent and an absolute must see for anyone in the area - it holds its own with any building or monument in our capital.
After a realatively brief layover, my wife and I boarded the Capitol Limited bound for Chicago. Once a little ways out of DC the scenery was very nice and we enjoyed it from both our bedroom and the somewhat crowded Observation Car until it was time for dinner. Dinner was pleasant as far as the company and atmosphere but only okay with regard to the food and the service which was very polite but slow. Our first night on the train we did not sleep very well but wrote it off to not yet being use to the bed and/or movement which proved correct the next night. The bedroom was very comfortable during the day but fairly cramped at night with the beds down.
NOTE: Always try to wash and brush your teeth before having the beds put down because there is no space to use the sink once they are down.
The next morning we had a great breakfast ( I highly reccommend the Railroad French Toast ), returned to our room, relaxed and enjoyed a cup of coffee,the scenery and the newspaper while anticipating 6 hours of sightseeing in Chicago and lunch at Giordano's.
We arrived about 1 hour late in Chicago's Union Station which is the antithesis D.C.'s Union Station (I believe any city of over 100,000 population has a Union Station ) in that it is a virtual labarinth of poorly marked halls, stairs, escalators, elavators and doors leading to who knows where. We deposited our luggage in the Metro Lounge and headed for the Art Institute to see the exhibition of Thorne's miniatures which were remarkable but somewhat sterile and very poorly lighted. From there we walked to Millenium Park which is very difficult to discribe but definitly worth a visit - an amazing place and an the way to Giordano's. Finally we arrived at that famous resaurant so much revered and ballyhooed on the internet and by word of mouth and WHAT A TREAT IT WAS! Absolutely the best stuffed pizza I have ever tasted coupled with good, polite service and a great atmosphere make this a must when in Chicago. We then hotfooted it back to the station and waited for boarding of the Empire Builder standing in the very overcrowded Metro Lounge.
STAY TUNED - EMPIRE BUILDER SEGMENT COMING SOON
