Chicago to New York City

[SarahZ]

Be sure to tell us about your trip. We also will be taking the SWC to Albuquerque in March, but will be leaving from Grand Rapids to Chicago first.

You mean my SWC trip, I assume, or both? I write travel journals and take pictures during every trip I take, so I'll be sure to post both of them. (Which reminds me - I'm overdue in posting my last SWC trip.)

If you have any questions about the SWC, I'd be happy to answer them. You should probably create a new thread, though; otherwise, this one will end up sort of jumbled and hard to follow. It will also enable more people to give tips and input.

 

[jis]

Right now, I'm leaning toward taking the Capitol to Washington DC and then transferring to the late-night Acela or Northeast Regional. That would give us some time to walk around DC (provided the Cap isn't delayed several hours). I didn't even think about that when plugging in routes, so thanks for the heads-up.

I'm not sure if we're getting a sleeper yet or not, so the Viewliner/Superliner difference isn't super important to me. I'm pushing for a sleeper, but BF hates paying for a sleeper when the trip is only one night.

Can someone more familiar with the LSL tell me if dinner is served with a 9:40 departure then again with the 6:45 arrival the next evening? If not, two meals more on the Cardinal.

Dinner is not served after Chicago departure on the LSL. The Sleeper passengers get a Wine and Cheese thing in the Diner immediately after boarding and even before the trains departs.

 

[Rail Freak]

Right now, I'm leaning toward taking the Capitol to Washington DC and then transferring to the late-night Acela or Northeast Regional. That would give us some time to walk around DC (provided the Cap isn't delayed several hours). I didn't even think about that when plugging in routes, so thanks for the heads-up.

I'm not sure if we're getting a sleeper yet or not, so the Viewliner/Superliner difference isn't super important to me. I'm pushing for a sleeper, but BF hates paying for a sleeper when the trip is only one night.

I agree with your leaning.

#1 Sleeper includes meals

#2 " " shower

#3 " " horizontal sleeping!!!!!

#4 CL has Sightseer Lounge Car

#5 WAS Union Station is awesome

#6 The CL has great scenery

While in Washington, I recommend the Old Town Trolley to play tourist!

Have Fun

 

[Big Iron]

For spectacular mountain scenery I'd go with the Cardinal. For spectacular river valley scenery I'd go with the LSL, and if Horseshoe Curve is of interest, one would choose CL/Penssylvanian, .

another aspect that makes Pennsylvanian interesting (to me at least) is Pennsylvania Dutch Country and occasionally catching glimpses of the Amish tilling the fieds or goind about their fascinating life.

Ditto this, I rode the Broadway in October and saw the Amish tilling thier fields after the harvest. There were many 7-8 horse teams pulling plows up and down the fields. It literally made time stand still, could have been behind the famous K-4 Pacific's that hauled the Broadway back in it heyday.

 

[jis]

When the Broadway was running it used to be my train of choice. If the through cars from the Pennsylvanian to the Cap happens, that will become my train of choice.

 

[afigg]

And walking around the WAS Union station is fun - the architecture is beautiful and there are lots of shops and cafes (including a Godiva store). There is the Postal Museum, across a little alley from the station, you can spend a warm hour or two in there while waiting for your next train. Or you could walk outside and up the hill to see the Capitol.

Wonderful. I love architecture and history, so I was hoping the station was somewhat near the Capitol and other landmarks. That's good to know.

There is much to see in DC Union Station and within walking distance of the station. Bunch of stores and places to eat in the station itself. Capitol Hill and the Supreme Court are only a few blocks to the south of the station. The National Mall and the Smithsonian museums are within walking distance for those willing to walk a distance. The DC Metro has a stop there which can be used to access the DC core, Arlington, Alexandria, and other places.

There is a net currently hanging above the floor in the front hall because of falling debris from damage suffered in the earthquake in August. But the ceiling should be repaired well before next October.

Wiki page on DC Union Station with photos.

If you are into architecture, the National Building Museum is one stop away on the Red Line at Judiciary Square from Union Station. Interesting place, if not a lesser known museum, in a town full of museums. But you may not have enough time to take it in on short overlay stop.

 

[SarahZ]

Wiki page on DC Union Station with photos.

Gorgeous! And I see Daniel Burnham designed it. He's one of my favorite architects.

Now I'm tempted to spend a night in DC so we can see as much as possible. I may make that a separate trip, though. The Smithsonian alone will take a couple of days or more. BF and I have both been to DC, but my family simply drove by all of the landmarks without stopping, as we were on our way to Virginia and Dad wanted to beat rush hour traffic. :giggle: I haven't seen any of the monuments at a pace slower than 35 mph.

 

[NY Penn]

I, personally, would recommend going one way on the LSL (since you've already decided that) and the other on the NER -> Capitol Ltd. The Cardinal has pretty bad amenities aboard (it doesn't even have a diner, only one sleeper which sells out quickly, etc.) and it is also very prone to delays. The other two trains, surprisingly, have had relatively good OTP lately.

PS You may find the link in my signature useful.

 

[SarahZ]

PS You may find the link in my signature useful.

Wow. Thank you. That is helpful. We're trying to figure out what we want to see and how we can do it in a little less than a week. We have some high-priority items and some "if we have time" items, knowing we won't be able to see everything.

We haven't even started on restaurants yet, but that's because we're the type of people who like to grab a slice or a hot dog from a street vendor. I'm excited to have genuine New York pizza.

 

[Ryan]

Since you have never done a viewliner train, I would do the cardinal or the LSL. Can you take the Cardinal eastbound and the LSL westbound? That way you can experience both

Great suggestion!

This is what I would do. The Cap is efficient, but almost all in the dark.

I would definitely stay a night in DC, plenty to do/see.

 

[Chi_Train_Fan]

I'm a little late to this party, but I asked myself this very question last year on my blog: Which route should I take from Chicago to New York?

Cheers,

David

 

[FunNut]

Wow David, what a comprehensive analysis. Very interesting.

 

[TCRT]

Wow David, what a comprehensive analysis. Very interesting.

Seconded. I stumbled across it a while ago and it was a lot of help.

 

[AlanB]

In my opinion, for scenery in order of best to worst:

1. Cardinal
   
2. Lake Shore Limited
   
3. Capitol Limited
   

 

[AlanB]

Can someone more familiar with the LSL tell me if dinner is served with a 9:40 departure then again with the 6:45 arrival the next evening? If not, two meals more on the Cardinal.

The eastbound Lake Shore serves NO dinners at all. Just a wine & cheese tasting out of Chicago as noted by Jishnu and a quasi snack bar out of Albany. The only way to get a dinner on the LSL is to ride westbound.

By the way, one can get other non-alcoholic drinks at the wine & cheese. I've not tried it, too busy sipping my wine, but others say that the non-alco cider that they serve is very good.