The summer has flown by, and my amazing Great Cross-Country Train Adventure was everything I had hoped it would be. I was able to combine a business trip (annual convention) with visiting stenofriends in CA and CO, and I was also able to explore new places and travel in a new way.
Traveling by train is different than driving or flying. Driving, you’re in charge of your routes and when you stop. Flying is faster, but there is added time and inconvenience in getting to the airport and through security and, occasionally, delays. With the train, you are just along for the ride, as it were, and at the mercy of the train schedules and track busy-ness. There are unforeseen delays (we had TWO “trespass” incidents on my travels) which can lead to missed connections. The train getting into Chicago was over four hours late. The people making the connection to the Southwest Chief (the train I would take the next day) had about 30 minutes to detrain and then board their connecting train. The California Zephyr from Truckee to Glenwood Springs suffered a delay of over 7 hours due to a freight train that broke down and had to be repaired. My time in Glenwood Springs was curtailed but the people taking the train to Denver didn’t arrive till almost 2 in the morning!
The coach experience versus the sleeper (“first class”) experience was also vastly different. In coach, when I slept overnight — more like dozed, to be honest — I was easily awakened by people snoring, getting off the train, or just in general not being courteous. The chair was comfy, but if you’re sit-sleeping next to someone you don’t know, well, you’re not going to relax as well for fear of leaning into your seatmate. I would suggest getting a roomette for overnights going forward. It’s not just that you get to lay flat on a fairly comfortable “bed,” but that you also get your meals included.
Dining for the sleeper cabin travelers is part of the experience. It is “communal” seating, whereby if you’re a party of less than four, you get a chance to really talk to people you’d never meet otherwise. The food is tasty too. I especially like the flank steak for dinner (and the chocolate cake?? Yum!) and the patty melt for lunch, with honorable mention to the grilled chicken Caesar salad. Breakfasts for me were my least favorite, but I did enjoy the eggs. Coach was pack-your-own or hit the café car, which was more like a snack bar and not a true dining experience. I was able to pick up bagels before I left my station in Virginia and delicious donuts from the Willis Tower food court before leaving Chicago.
By far and away, the views were the best part of the trip. From the farms and prairies of the central US to the Pacific Coast on the Coast Starlight and on through Glenwood Canyon in Colorado, you never got bored looking out the window, whether in coach, sleeper, or Sightseer car.
Yes, train travel takes longer, but it is a gift you can give yourself. Unplug (no Wi-Fi on many transcontinental services) and enjoy the down time. Read, relax, chat with new friends, maybe join in a game at the tables in the Sightseer Lounge. Don’t forget to get out at the fresh air stops to look around in places many people never see, whether it’s a chance to shop local vendors at the Albuquerque stop or take photos of the bougainvillea in Santa Barbara.
Invest in a train trip and free yourself from the responsibility of managing your travel. Let Amtrak do that. Instead, you can concentrate on doing nothing if it pleases you. No stress, no hassle. Just be.
(My best tips: Always stay overnight in Chicago if you’re changing trains. Do not count on the trains to be on time; they share the tracks with the freight companies, and the freight trains take precedence. Don’t make appointments/plans for the same day you arrive because you may miss them due to a delay.)
I didn’t work at all while I was on my trip and I instead spent quality time with my colleagues, friends, and myself. I came back relaxed (though needing a massage) and looking forward to the next time I can make a train trip.