Trip suggestions using an Amtrak voucher?

i am working on my amtrak voucher that is about to expire...thinking of doing a cross country trip starting and ending in chicago.
#1 would be a trip to the grand canyon...can anyone help with how this works from the amtrak station...where to get off and how to get to the grand canyon.
# 2 i will go to los Angeles to see my son and then on to san antonio...any thoughts?/
# 3 i think new orleans would be a fun stop, again anyone have any pointers?
#4 finally, a stop at washington dc. i have been to the station, but never had time to do much more.
and then end back at chicago
please post any thoughts or instructions!

Others will have better, more recent info on #1 so I will pass.
#2--The nearest hotel to Union Station in LA is the Metro Plaza Hotel about a block and a half away. Seen better days, but it is clean and safe and as inexpensive as you can get in Downtown. Being near the station also is convenient for public transit within LA, too. I've only been to San Antonio for conferences, but walking the Riverwalk is fun, and the extensions to the Riverwalk beyond the area of souvenir shops and restaurants is well worth exploring.
#3 New Orleans is indeed a great place to visit, with history and architecture that are unique. And it may well be the best eating town in the whole country. Check out the Eater's New Orleans website for descriptions of many of the eateries there as well as the most up to date listings. And be sure to take a ride on the St Charles streetcar while you're there--it's a classic.
#4 You know the sites from childhood--the Capitol, the White House, the Washington Monument--all familiar but still they thrill being seen in person. The many museums of the Smithsonian offer something for everyone; and they are all free!

Just a few quick thoughts; I'm sure others will chime in with ideas and details.

The Southwest Chief will get you to LA. From there take the Sunset Limited to San Antonio,explore and get back on to New Orleans. From there take the City of New Orleans back to Chicago.

If you have the time and want to see The Grand Canyon,Flagstaff could be a good stop on the Southwest Chief. You will need a car to get to the Grand Canyon. Is that excursion train still running?

From New Orleans to Washington, you have to take the Crescent. That's a bit of a bummer, as the schedule isn't as convenient, they're only serving flex meals to sleeper passengers, and it's possible you can't even eat in the cafe car and will be stuck in your room the whole trip. From Washington, you can ride back to Chicago on either the Capitol Limited (daily) or the Cardinal (3x a week). The Capitol is a Superliner train, the Cardinal has Amfleet coaches and Viewliner sleepers. Both are serving flex meals. The Cardinal is probably the more scenic route, at least on the westbound trip.

In Washington, there's more to see than the museums on the Mall. The Smithsonian has the National Portrait Gallery and Museum of American art by 7th and F Sts. NW, near the Gallery Place Metro stop. There's also the Postal Museum, right by Union Station. Then, there's the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where they make money, The Holocaust Museum, the Museum of the Bible, etc. I'm not sure whether the Capitol has reopened for visitors. You could contact your Representative or Senator and see if Congress is in session and you can get tickets to observe the proceedings. I'll admit that watching Congressional proceedings is a little like watching paint dry, but the setting is spectacular, and you never know, something exciting might happen. I'd also recommend an excursion to Georgetown, you can get there directly from Union Station on the Circulator bus (takes about 40 minutes). A completely different part of the city, it used to be the commercial and industrial center served by the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. Now it's all restored old buildings and trendy shops, restaurants and bars. There's a wonderful waterfront promenade along the Potomac River, and you can start hiking as far as you want along the C&O Canal Towpath, which actually goes all the way out to Cumberland, MD, and then connects to a rail trail (former Western Maryland Rwy) that continues on to Pittsburgh.

For the Grand Canyon there used to be a shuttle that ran to Williams where you can get the excursion train to the south rim. Would require an overnight either in Flagstaff or Williams as the Southwest Chief gets into Flagstaff late in the evening. There are several hotels within walking distance of the Flagstaff station. There are also hotels in Williams including the one right at the station for the GC train although I was not that impressed with it and thought the Fred Harvey restaurant overpriced for what is basically a high school cafeteria. When we went we rented a car from Enterprise who picked us up at the hotel so we did not use the shuttle.

AmtrakMaineiac said:

For the Grand Canyon there used to be a shuttle that ran to Williams where you can get the excursion train to the south rim. Would require an overnight either in Flagstaff or Williams as the Southwest Chief gets into Flagstaff late in the evening. There are several hotels within walking distance of the Flagstaff station. There are also hotels in Williams including the one right at the station for the GC train although I was not that impressed with it and thought the Fred Harvey restaurant overpriced for what is basically a high school cafeteria. When we went we rented a car from Enterprise who picked us up at the hotel so we did not use the shuttle.

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so no shuttle from amtrak to williams? when you do the route on amtrak tickets, you and list williams as your destination depot it says two segments, one being a shuttle...if you rented a car, did you drive to the canyon, or go on the grand canyon train?

My information is old, but IIRC the Grand Canyon train is wonderful (get a dome seat) but doesn't coordinate well at all with the Southwest Chief. You'd probably be better off just getting off at Flagstaff and renting a car. BTW, Grand Canyon hotel reservations are very difficult, you might end up staying in Tusayan, which is some distance from the Park.

MARC Rider said:

I'm not sure whether the Capitol has reopened for visitors. You could contact your Representative or Senator and see if Congress is in session and you can get tickets to observe the proceedings. I'll admit that watching Congressional proceedings is a little like watching paint dry, but the setting is spectacular, and you never know, something exciting might happen.

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The Capitol has been open for building tours for quite a while (which don't include the House & Senate floors.) No contact with a legislator is required, but reservations do need to made online in advance. I'm not sure whether the galleries overlooking the House & Senate floors have reopened.

Across the street from the Capitol is the Library of Congress, which as of a few months ago was open for self-guided tours. I think they also required advance reservations. IMO, the interior of the LOC building is among the most beautiful and elaborate interiors I've seen. Wandering docents can relate fascinating backstories about some of the features and their significance.

quilttours said:

so no shuttle from Amtrak to Williams? when you do the route on Amtrak tickets, you and list Williams as your destination depot it says two segments, one being a shuttle...if you rented a car, did you drive to the canyon, or go on the grand canyon train?

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We took the Grand Canyon train, which is well worth it in my estimation. It drops you at the old Santa Fe station which is right near the South Rim and the hotel there, forget the name. If you drive you end up in one of the remoter parking lots, although there is good shuttle bus service all around the park.

Just fwiw, I put in Los Angeles -> Grand Canyon Village (Mazwik Lodge, short walk to the rim) and it showed a ticketable connection of sorts. I have no idea how the "Groome" shuttle works. Three and a half hours is a long time to walk around Flagstaff but at least it gives you some time if the train is late. Being a ticketed connection, I wonder if they would hold the van for you. Would be convenient to be dropped off right in the Canyon village.

A long time ago I was at the Grand Canyon, and Fred Harvey (the real one, which shows how long ago that was) ran an early morning van down to Williams so you could ride the tourist train north. Got up very early in the morning, and I was the only passenger. The tourist train is really set up for round trips from Williams, so not very convenient if you are already at the Canyon.

I have a lot of (old) experience at the Canyon. If you get serious about visiting there, let us know your rough itinerary and we can make better suggestions.

If you must stay in Flagstaff for a day or so, visit the Observatory and walk around downtown. Stay at the Little America Inn.

I love the National Gallery in DC, on the Mall. Dali's Last Supper is a favorite of mine and the last time I was there it hung above a stairwell. Strange placement, but still impressive. I am of an age that I lost five HS and college friends in 'Nam, so I visit the Wall. The WH tour is without access to a bathroom, so pee first.

AmtrakMaineiac said:

. It drops you at the old Santa Fe station which is right near the South Rim and the hotel there, forget the name

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El Tovar

MarkInAustin said:

The WH tour is without access to a bathroom, so pee first.

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The White House tour must be requested thru an individual's Senator or Congressperson, and must be requested 2-3 months in advance. And of course, any WH tour is subject to last minute cancellation if something's going on there.

Another point of interest is the Old Post Office tower, located above the Waldorf-Astoria, formerly the Trump International Hotel. Though only half the height of the Washington Monument, it offers excellent views of the Washington DC area through large windows, as opposed to the rather small ones in the Monument. IIRC, the windows are open, with no glass blocking the view. It's free, requires no advance reservation, and when I went a few years ago, there was no wait at all.

AmtrakMaineiac said:

We took the Grand Canyon train, which is well worth it in my estimation. It drops you at the old Santa Fe station which is right near the South Rim and the hotel there, forget the name. If you drive you end up in one of the remoter parking lots, although there is good shuttle bus service all around the park.

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did you go to williams or flagstaff via amtrak? and then did you stay at that hotel at the santa fe station? did you rent a car?

Amtrak still offers through ticketing to the Grand Canyon GCRy station (GCN) with a shuttle van Thruway 8953 from Flagstaff to Williams and a codeshare arrangement on GCRy from WIlliams to South Rim. You'd be responsible for your own accommodations in Williams overnight. I don't know whether or not that van is held at Flagstaff for a late arrival, but my guess is it would be.

quilttours said:

did you go to williams or flagstaff via amtrak? and then did you stay at that hotel at the Santa fe station? did you rent a car?

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We used the Southwest Chief to get to Flagstaff and stayed overnight at the Residence Inn which is 2 blocks from the station. Rented a car the next day, spent some time in the Flagstaff area before driving on to Williams. where we stayed at the GCR's hotel before boarding the train the following day. One of the reasons for renting the car is we planned to drive to Colorado to ride the Durango and Silverton, then onto Grand Junction where we got on the CZ to return to Chicago.

For more details check out my trip report here.

If you aren’t taking the excursion train to the Grand Canyon, I would recommend parking in Tusayan and taking the purple shuttle run by the NPS. You will need to purchase your park admission ahead of time (We had the national park pass so this wasn’t an issue). There are vending machines at the shuttle stops in Tusayan to do this.

The reason for this is (depending on when you go), the entrance gate can get very crowded. Waits of 1-2 hours are not unheard of. The shuttle bypasses the gate on Ann-public accessible road, so you can skip the entrance line. It drops you off near the visitor center at the south rim, and right at the area where all the other park shuttles are so you can easily transfer.

If you take the GC train, park admission is included with your ticket.