Travel across the US via Amtrak.

My fiance and I are going to take the Capitol Limited from Washington, DC to Chicago in May. It’s only 17 and change hours but I’m still really excited!

Starting back east this afternoon.

The next time I do a cross-country/continent journey like this, I shall have someone to share it with.

My trip was postponed, but it’s happening next week!

Three days there, three days back, and very nearly a whole month in Seattle in between!

happy traveller’s dance

So excited!

Traveling by train is my favorite method of travel. I’ve been on Amtrak more than two dozen times, Via Rail here in Canada, various trains in Europe and Japan… My favorite time of year to travel is in the winter. Hardly anyone is on the train, and you really get to know your fellow traveling companions. I usually sit in coach and ALWAYS take my own food. There is no need to pay extra for a sleeper unless you are really fussy. It is worth the extra hassel to take a nice soft fluffy pillow. If you decide to ride in coach over multiple days, think of it like camping in the backcountry, the only difference is that the scenory is constantly changing, it is a little bumpy and you are actually going somewhere. Oh, yeah, after being on a train for 3 nights, you won’t be able to walk straight. The will kind of spins for the first couple hours after hitting solid ground.

i’ve done this. In ‘93 I went from Topeka, Kansas to Chicago to Philladelpia to D.C. to Orlando. And then up through Mississippi and Arkansas back to Kansas.

Then in 2002 we went from Portland OR. to L.A. to New Mexico then up to Kansas.

It was fun as a kid because you weren’t stuck in a car and couldn’t move. And the observation deck is awesome. But it does take a bit of getting used to. The motion of the train and what not.

Planning an Amtrak journey from NY to Seattle in January, to visit a friend.