On April 26, I started my first Amtrak journey from Kansas City, MO to Washington D.C. and back. Overall it was a great experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I arrived at Kansas City Union Station at 6:45 AM, I was informed via text message and automated phone message that Amtrak 4 Southwest Chief would be delayed. I had planned for it and was mostly worried making my connection in Chicago. I finally boarded at around 9:45.
When I was ready to board and occupy my roommette, the SCA was apologetic that the room wasn't ready for me and kindly asked me if I could wait in the Sightseer Lounge. This was no big deal for me as I was glad to be on board. About 5 minutes after we left Kansas City, the room was ready. We didn't waste no time once we were moving and were going 90 MPH. I had lunch at 12:15 and orded the Angus Steak Burger which was delicious. This was about the time we arrived in La Plata, MO and lost electrical power. It was quickly fixed and we were on our way. The rest of the way was uneventful and we arrived in Chicago around 5:30.
Once I was in Chicago Union Station I found the Metropolitan Lounge and checked in. It's a nice place and quite relaxing to just sit back. I boarded the Capitol Limited around 6:15 and we left on time. That evening I ordered the Signature Steak which so delicious and prepared very well. Everything went fine until about bed time. I had forgotten where the time zone changed and so I had trouble sleeping in my roommette. I left the curtains open on the window and kept looking out of the window seeing what I was missing. I was finally able to catch some shut eye and woke up somewhere in Pennsylvania and ordered the scrambled eggs for breakfast. We arrived in Washingon D.C. about 15 minutes early.
My folks decided to drive from Kansas to Washington D.C. and they were stressed from driving all that way. They met me in Union Station and we caught the shuttle bus to the hotel. We toured about half of the Smithsonian museums, the national monuments, Ford's Theatre, and other sites.
On May 2, we boarded the Northeast Regional to take a day trip to Philadelphia to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. We headed back to 30th Street Station and waited for the Northeast Regional to return back to Washington. I liked the 30th Street Station and found it very relaxing. We had a nice trip back and the only problem was I kept falling asleep. Last Tuesday, we were kind of shaken up upon learning about the derailment, but it put my mind at ease knowing that we got off before that train went through that curve.
I left Washington D.C. on May 8 on the Capitol Limited. I ordered the Salmon dinner that night and it was delicious. I slept better that night and enjoyed it. We arrived into Chicago around 10:30. I left my bag in the Metropolitan lounge and attended the Amtrak Train days. I also enjoyed a great lunch at the Metro Deli. The Amtrak exhibit train was worth going though. I headed back to Metropolitan Lounge and waited to board the Southwest Chief. I arrived in Kansas City on time and checked into my hotel.
While this was my first Amtrak trip, it definitely won't be my last.
When I was ready to board and occupy my roommette, the SCA was apologetic that the room wasn't ready for me and kindly asked me if I could wait in the Sightseer Lounge. This was no big deal for me as I was glad to be on board. About 5 minutes after we left Kansas City, the room was ready. We didn't waste no time once we were moving and were going 90 MPH. I had lunch at 12:15 and orded the Angus Steak Burger which was delicious. This was about the time we arrived in La Plata, MO and lost electrical power. It was quickly fixed and we were on our way. The rest of the way was uneventful and we arrived in Chicago around 5:30.
Once I was in Chicago Union Station I found the Metropolitan Lounge and checked in. It's a nice place and quite relaxing to just sit back. I boarded the Capitol Limited around 6:15 and we left on time. That evening I ordered the Signature Steak which so delicious and prepared very well. Everything went fine until about bed time. I had forgotten where the time zone changed and so I had trouble sleeping in my roommette. I left the curtains open on the window and kept looking out of the window seeing what I was missing. I was finally able to catch some shut eye and woke up somewhere in Pennsylvania and ordered the scrambled eggs for breakfast. We arrived in Washingon D.C. about 15 minutes early.
My folks decided to drive from Kansas to Washington D.C. and they were stressed from driving all that way. They met me in Union Station and we caught the shuttle bus to the hotel. We toured about half of the Smithsonian museums, the national monuments, Ford's Theatre, and other sites.
On May 2, we boarded the Northeast Regional to take a day trip to Philadelphia to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. We headed back to 30th Street Station and waited for the Northeast Regional to return back to Washington. I liked the 30th Street Station and found it very relaxing. We had a nice trip back and the only problem was I kept falling asleep. Last Tuesday, we were kind of shaken up upon learning about the derailment, but it put my mind at ease knowing that we got off before that train went through that curve.
I left Washington D.C. on May 8 on the Capitol Limited. I ordered the Salmon dinner that night and it was delicious. I slept better that night and enjoyed it. We arrived into Chicago around 10:30. I left my bag in the Metropolitan lounge and attended the Amtrak Train days. I also enjoyed a great lunch at the Metro Deli. The Amtrak exhibit train was worth going though. I headed back to Metropolitan Lounge and waited to board the Southwest Chief. I arrived in Kansas City on time and checked into my hotel.
While this was my first Amtrak trip, it definitely won't be my last.
