districtRich
Service Attendant
[SIZE=14.6667px]I decided to book a weekend trip to Chicago and make my first overnight train trip. After looking at the times and fares I booked train 29 on Friday the 25th leaving DC and arriving in Chicago on Saturday morning. The return train ended up being a special train 930 (the normal 30 train was listed as canceled) which was scheduled to leave Chicago on the 26th at 10pm. A special group booked the entire coach portion of the train and worked with Amtrak to change the departure time until 10pm. The only fares for normal sale were sleeper fares. Thankfully, this later departure time would allow me to spend the entire day in Chicago![/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]I arrived at Washington Union Station around 2:30pm on Friday and had my usual Manhattan at the bar in the middle of the main hall. After that I went to the Club Acela to wait to board the Capitol Limited which was scheduled to leave at 4:05pm. The lounge was full and the folks inside seemed to consist of people waiting to board long distance sleepers and business people heading back to NYC. It was interesting to see quite a few Amish passengers in the lounge waiting to board. I later discovered that it’s common for Amish to use the trains instead of planes when traveling.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]The attendant called train 29 and led us out onto the platform and we boarded the train. My attendant introduced himself and explained the features of my bedroom. I had planned to book a roomette both was, but the bedroom was cheaper on the way there! I made dinner reservations for 8pm and then I went to the Sightseer Lounge to enjoy the view of the city as we left the station. It took a while for the lounge to fill up, and the view was great leaving the city and the suburbs.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]They called the 8pm group and I went to the dining portion of the combo diner/cafe. I was sweated with another solo diner next to me and two, I believe Japanese, men across the table. It was very quiet at first as everyone ordered and ate dinner. I had the steak which was delicious and then the strawberry cheesecake. Only when dessert came did I finally say something and begin talking to the man next to me. We had a nice conversation and then I went to the lounge to sit and finish the half bottle of wine I bought for dinner. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]When I got back to my bedroom around 10 I sat for a bit and then the attendant came by to the seats into my bed. I finally tried to go to sleep around 11, but it took me a while to fall asleep. I think I only managed to get a couple hours of sleep before I woke up around 6:20am to get ready for breakfast. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]I went to the diner around 6:45am for breakfast and was seated with another solo gentleman and an Amish woman who was eating by herself but traveling with a group. The man was returning to Denver after taking Amtrak to Cumberland and then biking the C&O canal to DC. I thought I heard the Amish woman tell the other man that she was going to Mexico, but it was tough to hear across the table as she was speaking. I had the scrambled eggs and potatoes and some OJ and then went back to my bedroom to shower and get ready for arrival into Chicago.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]We arrived to Chicago Union Station a bit after 9am Central time, and after finding my way out onto the street I walked over to the El and took the Orange line over to Millenium Station to take the Metra Electric line down to the Museum of Science & Industry. I spent the morning walking around the museum to see the exhibits before I took the train back up to the museum campus to go to the Field Museum. What a great museum! I spent a good four hours walking around and acutally reading as many of the exhibit explanations as I could. Being from DC, I’m used to going to the museums, but I don’t always spend a lot of time reading in depth about all the exhibits because I’m usually taking friends or family from out of town around, and we’re trying to do as much as we can in a short amount of time.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]After te Field Museum I walked along the lakefront and then over to Michigan Avenue to walk up to the John Hancock building. I stopped in some shops along the way but after spending a lot to get into the museums I decided not to buy anything. I then bought the ticket to go to the top of the John Hancock building. It was just before sunset so the line was a bit long and it was fairly crowded when I got to the top, but it was still a great view of the city. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]At this point it was 6:30pm and my next plan was to walk over to Lou Malnati’s on the way to Union Station and stop for some deep dish! However, when I turned onto Wells Street there was a line out the door for Lou’s. I decided I would just go back to Union Station and grab some food and sit in the lounge. I went up to the food court and had some McDonald’s which turned out to be a bad idea because when I went down to the Metropolitan Lounge, as soon as I walked in around 7:45 they were saying they were going to board train 930 early so people could eat in the diner even though we weren’t leaving until 10pm! If I had known they were planning to feed us before departure I would have gotten another steak. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Anyway, she took us out onto the platform and the sleeper passengers boarded the train. I ended up with the same attendant as I had on the way to Chicago! This time I was in a roomette though instead of a bedroom. Since I had just eaten I decided to skip dinner in the lounge and take a shower since I had been walking around all day. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]So now here I sit, and it’s just after 9pm. We’re waiting for the special group to get here. I think it’s the Howard University marching band if I deduced correctly. I asked in the lounge who booked and she said it was for the Chicago Football Classic. I Googled that and it was a football game of Howard versus Morgan State. After boarding just now, the attendant said it was a marching band that had booked the coaches, so I assume it’s Howard going back to DC.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Since we don’t leave until 10pm, I think I’ll be turning in by 11 and that way I can get up for breakfast and hopefully enjoy the lounge and ths scenery as we enter Pennsylvania. It’ll be nice to roll into Pittsburgh in daylight! [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]I’ll update the rest of the train ride home once I get back home to DC.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]I arrived at Washington Union Station around 2:30pm on Friday and had my usual Manhattan at the bar in the middle of the main hall. After that I went to the Club Acela to wait to board the Capitol Limited which was scheduled to leave at 4:05pm. The lounge was full and the folks inside seemed to consist of people waiting to board long distance sleepers and business people heading back to NYC. It was interesting to see quite a few Amish passengers in the lounge waiting to board. I later discovered that it’s common for Amish to use the trains instead of planes when traveling.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]The attendant called train 29 and led us out onto the platform and we boarded the train. My attendant introduced himself and explained the features of my bedroom. I had planned to book a roomette both was, but the bedroom was cheaper on the way there! I made dinner reservations for 8pm and then I went to the Sightseer Lounge to enjoy the view of the city as we left the station. It took a while for the lounge to fill up, and the view was great leaving the city and the suburbs.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]They called the 8pm group and I went to the dining portion of the combo diner/cafe. I was sweated with another solo diner next to me and two, I believe Japanese, men across the table. It was very quiet at first as everyone ordered and ate dinner. I had the steak which was delicious and then the strawberry cheesecake. Only when dessert came did I finally say something and begin talking to the man next to me. We had a nice conversation and then I went to the lounge to sit and finish the half bottle of wine I bought for dinner. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]When I got back to my bedroom around 10 I sat for a bit and then the attendant came by to the seats into my bed. I finally tried to go to sleep around 11, but it took me a while to fall asleep. I think I only managed to get a couple hours of sleep before I woke up around 6:20am to get ready for breakfast. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]I went to the diner around 6:45am for breakfast and was seated with another solo gentleman and an Amish woman who was eating by herself but traveling with a group. The man was returning to Denver after taking Amtrak to Cumberland and then biking the C&O canal to DC. I thought I heard the Amish woman tell the other man that she was going to Mexico, but it was tough to hear across the table as she was speaking. I had the scrambled eggs and potatoes and some OJ and then went back to my bedroom to shower and get ready for arrival into Chicago.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]We arrived to Chicago Union Station a bit after 9am Central time, and after finding my way out onto the street I walked over to the El and took the Orange line over to Millenium Station to take the Metra Electric line down to the Museum of Science & Industry. I spent the morning walking around the museum to see the exhibits before I took the train back up to the museum campus to go to the Field Museum. What a great museum! I spent a good four hours walking around and acutally reading as many of the exhibit explanations as I could. Being from DC, I’m used to going to the museums, but I don’t always spend a lot of time reading in depth about all the exhibits because I’m usually taking friends or family from out of town around, and we’re trying to do as much as we can in a short amount of time.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]After te Field Museum I walked along the lakefront and then over to Michigan Avenue to walk up to the John Hancock building. I stopped in some shops along the way but after spending a lot to get into the museums I decided not to buy anything. I then bought the ticket to go to the top of the John Hancock building. It was just before sunset so the line was a bit long and it was fairly crowded when I got to the top, but it was still a great view of the city. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]At this point it was 6:30pm and my next plan was to walk over to Lou Malnati’s on the way to Union Station and stop for some deep dish! However, when I turned onto Wells Street there was a line out the door for Lou’s. I decided I would just go back to Union Station and grab some food and sit in the lounge. I went up to the food court and had some McDonald’s which turned out to be a bad idea because when I went down to the Metropolitan Lounge, as soon as I walked in around 7:45 they were saying they were going to board train 930 early so people could eat in the diner even though we weren’t leaving until 10pm! If I had known they were planning to feed us before departure I would have gotten another steak. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Anyway, she took us out onto the platform and the sleeper passengers boarded the train. I ended up with the same attendant as I had on the way to Chicago! This time I was in a roomette though instead of a bedroom. Since I had just eaten I decided to skip dinner in the lounge and take a shower since I had been walking around all day. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]So now here I sit, and it’s just after 9pm. We’re waiting for the special group to get here. I think it’s the Howard University marching band if I deduced correctly. I asked in the lounge who booked and she said it was for the Chicago Football Classic. I Googled that and it was a football game of Howard versus Morgan State. After boarding just now, the attendant said it was a marching band that had booked the coaches, so I assume it’s Howard going back to DC.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]Since we don’t leave until 10pm, I think I’ll be turning in by 11 and that way I can get up for breakfast and hopefully enjoy the lounge and ths scenery as we enter Pennsylvania. It’ll be nice to roll into Pittsburgh in daylight! [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]I’ll update the rest of the train ride home once I get back home to DC.[/SIZE]
