- Joined
- Feb 7, 2008
- Messages
- 6
Hi,
I'm new here and I haven't been on a train other than subways and commuters since the 1960's, so please bear with me.
My wife and I have been pondering what to do for our 10th anniversary. She's already out of vacation time, so a long weekend is the best we're going to be able to do. One of the things we're thinking about doing to celebrate is taking the train to Chicago for a weekend.
Here's what I think I know, maybe one of you can tell me where I'm mistaken. We can catch the Blue Water in East Lansing, MI at 7:45 a.m. and get off at Union Station in Chicago at 11:15 a.m. We can bring our own food and eat it in our seats, but we can't do the same with alcohol. The train has a snack bar. The trip theoretically takes 4 1/2 hours each way, but it wouldn't be newsworthy if we were an hour or two late arriving in Chicago. We can upgrade from coach to business class for $8.00 a seat each way.
Now for the pesky new guy asking a lot of questions part...
What's the snack bar on this train like? Is the food any good? Do they have alcohol? Any idea on prices for food and drinks? What's the neighborhood around Union Station like these days? Would we be fools to walk to the nearest subway station? Besides $8.00, what's the difference between coach and business class on a train like this?
I know it would be quicker and cheaper for us to drive to Chicago than to take the train, but not having to deal with downtown Chicago traffic and parking and the long drive in general would make it worth it, right?
Thanks in advance for all your help.
I'm new here and I haven't been on a train other than subways and commuters since the 1960's, so please bear with me.
My wife and I have been pondering what to do for our 10th anniversary. She's already out of vacation time, so a long weekend is the best we're going to be able to do. One of the things we're thinking about doing to celebrate is taking the train to Chicago for a weekend.
Here's what I think I know, maybe one of you can tell me where I'm mistaken. We can catch the Blue Water in East Lansing, MI at 7:45 a.m. and get off at Union Station in Chicago at 11:15 a.m. We can bring our own food and eat it in our seats, but we can't do the same with alcohol. The train has a snack bar. The trip theoretically takes 4 1/2 hours each way, but it wouldn't be newsworthy if we were an hour or two late arriving in Chicago. We can upgrade from coach to business class for $8.00 a seat each way.
Now for the pesky new guy asking a lot of questions part...
What's the snack bar on this train like? Is the food any good? Do they have alcohol? Any idea on prices for food and drinks? What's the neighborhood around Union Station like these days? Would we be fools to walk to the nearest subway station? Besides $8.00, what's the difference between coach and business class on a train like this?
I know it would be quicker and cheaper for us to drive to Chicago than to take the train, but not having to deal with downtown Chicago traffic and parking and the long drive in general would make it worth it, right?
Thanks in advance for all your help.
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