I was fortunate to be able to take a holiday trip east this year. I spent the Friday of my departure at work and then schlepped my stuff over towards Chicago Union Station. I decided to stop at the Ogilvie food court to grab something to eat, and then I went on my way. It was just after the evening rush, so Union Station had a good amount of people, but it wasn't annoyingly crowded.
I couldn't remember where the Metropolitan Lounge was, so I wandered around a little until I found it. I showed the lady at the desk my e-ticket on my phone, and I think I threw her off her game. I ended up reading my reservation number to her, and she printed out some tickets for me. I decided to use them for the rest of the trip, so I wouldn't have any trouble with people being confused by the phone ticket.
We took our kindergarten walk for the Lake Shore Limited at about 8:40 PM. Not much to report since most of the trip was in darkness. I had scrambled eggs the next morning and arrived in Depew on time.
I'm embarrassed to admit this part, but I so much wanted to add the Maple Leaf to my list of trains taken, that I waited in Depew to get a train to downtown Buffalo. For those of you who don't know, there really isn't much to do at the Depew train station. I went outside to see the Buffalo statue, and I watched freight trains. Finally, the Maple Leaf arrived. On board, the conductor mentioned that it was a short trip. Yes, yes it was.
After I got off the train downtown, I felt like I was in a reasonably safe area, so I walked a few blocks to my hotel. I intentionally picked a hotel close to the station, and I'm glad I did, because there were no cabs at the Amshak.
My main reason for visiting Buffalo was to see the architecture, so I took a self-guided walking tour. (Flickr album here) After not having seen the sun in Chicago for so long, Buffalo's blue sky looked especially beautiful. While in Buffalo, I also had to try Tim Horton's since it's one of my Canadian friend's favorite places. My grilled cheese panini was tasty. I should have tried the frozen hot chocolate.
One of the NFTA buses goes from downtown Buffalo to Niagara Fall State Park, so for $4 round trip, I decided to give it a try. (Flickr album here) The consensus on Trip Advisor seems to be that it's not worth it to just go to the American falls. I completely disagree. The view was beautiful.
Before I knew it, it was time to leave Buffalo. On the morning of my departure on the Empire Service, I walked to the downtown station from my hotel. It was dark, but there were just enough people out and about that I still felt reasonably safe. There is also a bus to the station for people who would prefer not to walk.
There were more people at the station than I expected. Those of us going all the way to Penn Station were told to board in one car while everyone else boarded in another. Thanks to Amtrak Unlimited, I knew to sit on the right side for the best scenery. It was a rainy day, and I enjoyed seeing the mist on the Hudson. I haven't mastered the art of photography from a moving train, so I didn't get any good pictures.
I was going to behave and just eat my snacks, but I couldn't resist going to the cafe car after seeing everyone coming into my coach with goodies. I figured I already knew the answer, but I asked anyhow if there were any vegan burgers. No, there were not. I was perfectly happy with my cheese pizza, but it's annoying to see things on the menu that they don't really have.
We arrived on time, and Penn Station was just as everyone described it. I figured it would be pretty much impossible to get lost in that part of the city as long as I can count, so I followed a bunch of people to an exit. I ended up on Seventh Avenue and made my way to my hotel on Eighth.
My visit to Manhattan was brief. Again I wanted to check out some of the architecture, and I also wanted to get a taste of the city to see if I want to plan a longer visit. I probably do, but there are other cities I want to see first. I went on another self-guided walking tour. (Flickr album here) The weather was great, but the crowd was almost overwhelming. I thought I wanted to go to the top of the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock, but by the time I was done walking, I just wanted to hide in my room. I also wanted to try my first egg cream. Yum!
My trip was coming to an end, and I had to head back to Penn Station. I knew that Club Acela was in a corner, so I made my way through the crowd and eventually found it. I rang the doorbell and was let inside. I hung out there the entire time until we were escorted to the Lake Shore Limited. Other people weaved their ways through the line of us being taken to the train. I'm definitely a midwesterner, because I would have just waited for the fairly short line to pass instead of making a nuisance of myself by shoving through it.
My roomette wasn't on the right side of the train to see the river this time, but it was soon dark anyhow. The trip was uneventful until we got to Albany. We were hooking up with the train from Boston, and we lost power. It didn't go black, but the toilets were out of service. I was in the dining car, and food service had to stop. I'm pretty shy, so sitting with a stranger waiting for things to get back to normal was a little tough for me. He was a big extrovert, and I'm not sure he even noticed he was the only one talking. He told me that Chicago isn't really called the Windy City because of the wind. I just smiled and nodded. I didn't tell him that even we suburbanites all learn that in fifth grade.
Finally we were on the move again. We lost about 90 minutes. The next morning, we were still about 90 minutes behind, but Amtrak's status tracker was insisting we would make up the time. I went for the omelette this time and had another talkative meal partner. It turns out we went to the same college, so that was interesting.
In the end, the status tracker admitted we weren't going to make up the time, and we arrived in Chicago about 90 minutes late. I exited Union Station and was greeted by a gloomy sky and blasts of wind. Chicago isn't called the Windy City because of the wind, though.
I couldn't remember where the Metropolitan Lounge was, so I wandered around a little until I found it. I showed the lady at the desk my e-ticket on my phone, and I think I threw her off her game. I ended up reading my reservation number to her, and she printed out some tickets for me. I decided to use them for the rest of the trip, so I wouldn't have any trouble with people being confused by the phone ticket.
We took our kindergarten walk for the Lake Shore Limited at about 8:40 PM. Not much to report since most of the trip was in darkness. I had scrambled eggs the next morning and arrived in Depew on time.
I'm embarrassed to admit this part, but I so much wanted to add the Maple Leaf to my list of trains taken, that I waited in Depew to get a train to downtown Buffalo. For those of you who don't know, there really isn't much to do at the Depew train station. I went outside to see the Buffalo statue, and I watched freight trains. Finally, the Maple Leaf arrived. On board, the conductor mentioned that it was a short trip. Yes, yes it was.
After I got off the train downtown, I felt like I was in a reasonably safe area, so I walked a few blocks to my hotel. I intentionally picked a hotel close to the station, and I'm glad I did, because there were no cabs at the Amshak.
My main reason for visiting Buffalo was to see the architecture, so I took a self-guided walking tour. (Flickr album here) After not having seen the sun in Chicago for so long, Buffalo's blue sky looked especially beautiful. While in Buffalo, I also had to try Tim Horton's since it's one of my Canadian friend's favorite places. My grilled cheese panini was tasty. I should have tried the frozen hot chocolate.
One of the NFTA buses goes from downtown Buffalo to Niagara Fall State Park, so for $4 round trip, I decided to give it a try. (Flickr album here) The consensus on Trip Advisor seems to be that it's not worth it to just go to the American falls. I completely disagree. The view was beautiful.
Before I knew it, it was time to leave Buffalo. On the morning of my departure on the Empire Service, I walked to the downtown station from my hotel. It was dark, but there were just enough people out and about that I still felt reasonably safe. There is also a bus to the station for people who would prefer not to walk.
There were more people at the station than I expected. Those of us going all the way to Penn Station were told to board in one car while everyone else boarded in another. Thanks to Amtrak Unlimited, I knew to sit on the right side for the best scenery. It was a rainy day, and I enjoyed seeing the mist on the Hudson. I haven't mastered the art of photography from a moving train, so I didn't get any good pictures.
I was going to behave and just eat my snacks, but I couldn't resist going to the cafe car after seeing everyone coming into my coach with goodies. I figured I already knew the answer, but I asked anyhow if there were any vegan burgers. No, there were not. I was perfectly happy with my cheese pizza, but it's annoying to see things on the menu that they don't really have.
We arrived on time, and Penn Station was just as everyone described it. I figured it would be pretty much impossible to get lost in that part of the city as long as I can count, so I followed a bunch of people to an exit. I ended up on Seventh Avenue and made my way to my hotel on Eighth.
My visit to Manhattan was brief. Again I wanted to check out some of the architecture, and I also wanted to get a taste of the city to see if I want to plan a longer visit. I probably do, but there are other cities I want to see first. I went on another self-guided walking tour. (Flickr album here) The weather was great, but the crowd was almost overwhelming. I thought I wanted to go to the top of the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock, but by the time I was done walking, I just wanted to hide in my room. I also wanted to try my first egg cream. Yum!
My trip was coming to an end, and I had to head back to Penn Station. I knew that Club Acela was in a corner, so I made my way through the crowd and eventually found it. I rang the doorbell and was let inside. I hung out there the entire time until we were escorted to the Lake Shore Limited. Other people weaved their ways through the line of us being taken to the train. I'm definitely a midwesterner, because I would have just waited for the fairly short line to pass instead of making a nuisance of myself by shoving through it.
My roomette wasn't on the right side of the train to see the river this time, but it was soon dark anyhow. The trip was uneventful until we got to Albany. We were hooking up with the train from Boston, and we lost power. It didn't go black, but the toilets were out of service. I was in the dining car, and food service had to stop. I'm pretty shy, so sitting with a stranger waiting for things to get back to normal was a little tough for me. He was a big extrovert, and I'm not sure he even noticed he was the only one talking. He told me that Chicago isn't really called the Windy City because of the wind. I just smiled and nodded. I didn't tell him that even we suburbanites all learn that in fifth grade.
Finally we were on the move again. We lost about 90 minutes. The next morning, we were still about 90 minutes behind, but Amtrak's status tracker was insisting we would make up the time. I went for the omelette this time and had another talkative meal partner. It turns out we went to the same college, so that was interesting.
In the end, the status tracker admitted we weren't going to make up the time, and we arrived in Chicago about 90 minutes late. I exited Union Station and was greeted by a gloomy sky and blasts of wind. Chicago isn't called the Windy City because of the wind, though.
