Homeward Bound (part 4 of a 4 part series)
Amtrak provided me with a handy map of downtown Chicago, showing the sights and most importantly where the Amtrak station is located. From the street you can see some of 
the trains going in and out of the station which is neat. I meandered down to Michigan Avenue but it being Memorial Day everything was closed and it was just starting to rain so I headed back rather quickly and stopped at the Sears Tower. The observation deck proved to be a fantastic view even with the rain. The Sears tower is only a few blocks from Union Station so I would recommend it if you have a layover of several hours. When I got back to the Amtrak Metropolitan lounge I learned our boarding time had been pushed back about fifteen minutes.
The Lake Shore Limited was finally called for boarding about 7:30pm. At Union Station they have the passengers line up for the train in the lounge, then take your tickets and lead you to the train as a big group. Everybody boards the train at the same time, which leads to a little confusion and less personalized introduction to your quarters. Richard would be my car attendant on the Lake Shore Limited and as I later learned this was to be his second to last trip before retiring from a thirty four year career with Amtrak. The Lakeshore Limited is a Viewliner which is only one level in contrast to the Superliner’s double decker cars. The roomettes are newer, brighter and include a folding sink and toilet in place of the closet on the
Superliner. The fold down sink I liked, but I wasn’t sure about having the toilet right next to my seat; however the lid seals well and there is enough constant fresh air blowing into the compartment that it worked out OK. Shortly after we boarded Richard came around giving out dinner reservations of which I took the first seating and headed up to the dining car. The Viewliner dining car was also brighter and newer looking than the Superliner but had fewer seats as being only one level the kitchen can’t be put down below and takes up space in the eating area. Like the latter part of the Zephyr trip the Lake Shore Limited is used by people trying to get from Chicago to somewhere else. One of the first things I noticed is the meal service was on very nice plastic instead of china. There’s not a huge difference to the eye, but picking up a paper coffee mug just isn’t the same as drinking from a real cup and saucer. I had the Salisbury steak as my last dinner on Amtrak, I’d heard 
much about the Amtrak sirloin but it was not available at any time during my journey. As we pulled out of Chicago dusk was settling in, the rain was stopped and a rainbow appeared over the city, pretty as a postcard.
One great feature of the Viewliner is the top bunk drops straight down from the ceiling, which allows for a small window to run along the top of the compartment affording light and a view to the top bunk sleeper. As I climbed up there I had my reservations as the Norfolk Southern tracks we were on were not as smooth as the UP had been. There is a harness on the side of the bed to prevent falling out so I figured it was safe. It was fun looking out the window as I lay in my top bunk. The Northeast never really gets pitch black like the nights in Utah and Nebraska, there is always the soft light of civilization. One of the big draws of the Lake Shore Limited is it goes along Lake Erie, however going east it’s night so you’re sleeping and don’t see Lake Erie.
I slept really well, waking up fairly early with the light shining in my window and the excitement of reaching home in my mind. It was nice having the seats below free before the bed is made up. After banging my head on the top bunk however I decided to put the bunk back in place myself rather than calling Richard. At 7:00 I headed to breakfast even though there had been no announcement. We were moving along pretty much on time and reached Rochester at 8:15. We stopped there for quit a bit longer than scheduled and Richard said I could step off for a few minutes, the customs officials were back in the coach cars checking for illegal immigrants. Not something I expected in Upstate New York. And sure enough while I was standing on the platform outside I saw them taking people off the train. Richard said they had kicked five people off the train and would probably deport them. I’m still not sure what went on there, it seems an unlikely place to crack down on illegal immigration.
The lounge on the Viewliner was small, dark and crowded, not a very nice place to sit so I spent the morning in my compartment. The Viewliner compartments sit somewhat high off the ground so the ride there is quite nice. We traveled along the Erie canal for a ways and through the farms of upstate New York. Somehow the rolling hills and small farms of the east look different from the Midwest.
Seeing as it would be a short afternoon I took an early lunch at 11:00, probably the most fortuitous decision I made all trip. I was seated at a table with a middle aged Korean man who spoke little English, a black lady whose father in law had been an original Pullman operator, and a senior Amtrak official who was on board to evaluate the implementation of the change from china to plastic dishes. Of course I had a thousand questions for the Amtrak official, who was extremely nice and took the time to speak with me even after our other lunch companions had left. Amtrak, he told me is a way of life and that’s what he tells every person he interviews. I agree that it is a way of life, every person I met on Amtrak seemed to enjoy it, they was a pleasantness about all the car attendants, dining crew, conductors that I met. Riding the rails back and forth, dealing with the public is not for everyone and the Amtrak people seemed to be happy and excited about being on a train even though they do it every day.
The Lake Shore Limited stops in Albany for about half an hour to deboard passengers
headed to Boston, who have to transfer to a regular coach car train. I’ve read that there is some train detachment and rearrangement at this point but I don’t think that happened on my trip. The remainder of the afternoon passed uneventfully as we traveled down the Hudson, always a beautiful ride. I grew more and more excited as we zipped past familiar landmarks and finally arrived at Croton Harmon where I said good bye to Richard, the Lake Shore Limited and Amtrak – until my next adventure.
Epilogue
My Amtrak adventure started as a whim – an idea planted by my brother many months ago and it far exceeded any of my expectations. In terms of ease of use, comfort, absence of stress and general congeniality rail travel is far superior to any other mode of transport. I arrived at my destination relaxed, well rested, well fed, not jet lagged and in a terrific mood. When I told people I was taking Amtrak the common response was “that sounds like something you would like”. And yes it is not for everyone, I like having time to myself, I’m used to doing things on my own, I had the time to not worry about getting somewhere on schedule, I like being free of the phone and the internet, I don’t get bored staring out a window for eight hours, I don’t need a lot of creature comforts so for me it was perfect. Amtrak is not exactly luxurious, but the sleeper compartments are nice accommodations. If I was traveling in a party of two I think the roomette would have been too small and I would opt for the larger bedroom but for one person the roomette is perfect. The experience of sharing a meal with three strangers in a relaxed atmosphere is singular to Amtrak. There is no pressure to form friendship or impress someone, you have to sit together for a while, you’re having food and so you speak about where you are going and where you have been and learn something about someone who lives a life very different from yours. There is of course also the scenery, which on the California Zephyr is truly breathtaking mile after mile and something no American should miss. Amtrak is important to America because it offers a slice of America that we bypass jumping city to city on airplanes and interstate highways. It made me remember that even though I usually travel coast to coast there’s a whole country in between.
Part I; Part II; Part III
the trains going in and out of the station which is neat. I meandered down to Michigan Avenue but it being Memorial Day everything was closed and it was just starting to rain so I headed back rather quickly and stopped at the Sears Tower. The observation deck proved to be a fantastic view even with the rain. The Sears tower is only a few blocks from Union Station so I would recommend it if you have a layover of several hours. When I got back to the Amtrak Metropolitan lounge I learned our boarding time had been pushed back about fifteen minutes.The Lake Shore Limited was finally called for boarding about 7:30pm. At Union Station they have the passengers line up for the train in the lounge, then take your tickets and lead you to the train as a big group. Everybody boards the train at the same time, which leads to a little confusion and less personalized introduction to your quarters. Richard would be my car attendant on the Lake Shore Limited and as I later learned this was to be his second to last trip before retiring from a thirty four year career with Amtrak. The Lakeshore Limited is a Viewliner which is only one level in contrast to the Superliner’s double decker cars. The roomettes are newer, brighter and include a folding sink and toilet in place of the closet on the
Superliner. The fold down sink I liked, but I wasn’t sure about having the toilet right next to my seat; however the lid seals well and there is enough constant fresh air blowing into the compartment that it worked out OK. Shortly after we boarded Richard came around giving out dinner reservations of which I took the first seating and headed up to the dining car. The Viewliner dining car was also brighter and newer looking than the Superliner but had fewer seats as being only one level the kitchen can’t be put down below and takes up space in the eating area. Like the latter part of the Zephyr trip the Lake Shore Limited is used by people trying to get from Chicago to somewhere else. One of the first things I noticed is the meal service was on very nice plastic instead of china. There’s not a huge difference to the eye, but picking up a paper coffee mug just isn’t the same as drinking from a real cup and saucer. I had the Salisbury steak as my last dinner on Amtrak, I’d heard 
much about the Amtrak sirloin but it was not available at any time during my journey. As we pulled out of Chicago dusk was settling in, the rain was stopped and a rainbow appeared over the city, pretty as a postcard.One great feature of the Viewliner is the top bunk drops straight down from the ceiling, which allows for a small window to run along the top of the compartment affording light and a view to the top bunk sleeper. As I climbed up there I had my reservations as the Norfolk Southern tracks we were on were not as smooth as the UP had been. There is a harness on the side of the bed to prevent falling out so I figured it was safe. It was fun looking out the window as I lay in my top bunk. The Northeast never really gets pitch black like the nights in Utah and Nebraska, there is always the soft light of civilization. One of the big draws of the Lake Shore Limited is it goes along Lake Erie, however going east it’s night so you’re sleeping and don’t see Lake Erie.
I slept really well, waking up fairly early with the light shining in my window and the excitement of reaching home in my mind. It was nice having the seats below free before the bed is made up. After banging my head on the top bunk however I decided to put the bunk back in place myself rather than calling Richard. At 7:00 I headed to breakfast even though there had been no announcement. We were moving along pretty much on time and reached Rochester at 8:15. We stopped there for quit a bit longer than scheduled and Richard said I could step off for a few minutes, the customs officials were back in the coach cars checking for illegal immigrants. Not something I expected in Upstate New York. And sure enough while I was standing on the platform outside I saw them taking people off the train. Richard said they had kicked five people off the train and would probably deport them. I’m still not sure what went on there, it seems an unlikely place to crack down on illegal immigration.
The lounge on the Viewliner was small, dark and crowded, not a very nice place to sit so I spent the morning in my compartment. The Viewliner compartments sit somewhat high off the ground so the ride there is quite nice. We traveled along the Erie canal for a ways and through the farms of upstate New York. Somehow the rolling hills and small farms of the east look different from the Midwest.
Seeing as it would be a short afternoon I took an early lunch at 11:00, probably the most fortuitous decision I made all trip. I was seated at a table with a middle aged Korean man who spoke little English, a black lady whose father in law had been an original Pullman operator, and a senior Amtrak official who was on board to evaluate the implementation of the change from china to plastic dishes. Of course I had a thousand questions for the Amtrak official, who was extremely nice and took the time to speak with me even after our other lunch companions had left. Amtrak, he told me is a way of life and that’s what he tells every person he interviews. I agree that it is a way of life, every person I met on Amtrak seemed to enjoy it, they was a pleasantness about all the car attendants, dining crew, conductors that I met. Riding the rails back and forth, dealing with the public is not for everyone and the Amtrak people seemed to be happy and excited about being on a train even though they do it every day.
The Lake Shore Limited stops in Albany for about half an hour to deboard passengers
headed to Boston, who have to transfer to a regular coach car train. I’ve read that there is some train detachment and rearrangement at this point but I don’t think that happened on my trip. The remainder of the afternoon passed uneventfully as we traveled down the Hudson, always a beautiful ride. I grew more and more excited as we zipped past familiar landmarks and finally arrived at Croton Harmon where I said good bye to Richard, the Lake Shore Limited and Amtrak – until my next adventure.Epilogue
My Amtrak adventure started as a whim – an idea planted by my brother many months ago and it far exceeded any of my expectations. In terms of ease of use, comfort, absence of stress and general congeniality rail travel is far superior to any other mode of transport. I arrived at my destination relaxed, well rested, well fed, not jet lagged and in a terrific mood. When I told people I was taking Amtrak the common response was “that sounds like something you would like”. And yes it is not for everyone, I like having time to myself, I’m used to doing things on my own, I had the time to not worry about getting somewhere on schedule, I like being free of the phone and the internet, I don’t get bored staring out a window for eight hours, I don’t need a lot of creature comforts so for me it was perfect. Amtrak is not exactly luxurious, but the sleeper compartments are nice accommodations. If I was traveling in a party of two I think the roomette would have been too small and I would opt for the larger bedroom but for one person the roomette is perfect. The experience of sharing a meal with three strangers in a relaxed atmosphere is singular to Amtrak. There is no pressure to form friendship or impress someone, you have to sit together for a while, you’re having food and so you speak about where you are going and where you have been and learn something about someone who lives a life very different from yours. There is of course also the scenery, which on the California Zephyr is truly breathtaking mile after mile and something no American should miss. Amtrak is important to America because it offers a slice of America that we bypass jumping city to city on airplanes and interstate highways. It made me remember that even though I usually travel coast to coast there’s a whole country in between.Part I; Part II; Part III
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