Across the US by Rail!

To think this was the way people used to travel the world is an afterthought now, especially in the age of globalization, and affordable jetsetting. Three nights in an Amtrak roomette may sound like some people’s worse nightmare. Amtrak of course is about the least glamorous way to travel, and a far cry from New York Central’s 20th Century Limited, run by the same company who invented and popularized the red carpet.

Of course, to those who enjoy a slower pace of travel, and all things trains like I do, this was a magical three days.

Lake Shore Limited:
Amtrak 449, the Lake Shore Limited, left on time, and we had a roomette booked until Syracuse; we had a bedroom for the rest of the journey. I found the bedroom to be a fundamentally problematic design. It is really nice to have a big bed, but getting in and out of the room is near impossible when it is in sleeper mode. Somehow, I wonder if there isn’t a better design for a room with a sizable bed.

We got café credit aboard 449, which is to hold you over until Albany. After we got our diner in Albany, we tried some flex dining. The meals are noticeably better than before (June 2021 aboard the Silver Meteor). In fact, I enjoyed my flex enchiladas more than the traditional dining tortellini the following evening.

Unfortunately, about two hours outside of Chicago, the Late Shore Limited struck again. A freight train got in front of us, and subsequently broke down, causing us to arrive two and a half hours late into Chicago. Our dreams of getting some real deep dish were quickly squashed.

The Chicago lounge is very nice. It was quite full, but we were able to find a few chairs to sit down and chill out. The station itself is spectacular in many ways, though certainly is beginning to show its age.

Empire Builder:
As usual, when boarding our western train, there were many Amish folks boarding with us. Unfortunately, we were in the dorm car which was a nonrefurbished all roomette superliner. The car was really showing its age, and there was an odd smell that lingered from the time we boarded until the time we exited. That said, I never get tired of boarding Superliners at the beginning of any given trip. They are truly spectacular.

Amtrak long distance trips are so different with traditional dining. Even ignoring the food itself, having a quasi-restaurant experience aboard a train makes a difference, and just feels so much nicer. My wife and I genuinely enjoyed going to the dining car each time, and were excited to be served real food.

At the beginning of the trip, I made a special request to put aside some vegetarian options, and the dining car attendant assured me they had enough of everything. Of course, they did not. My favorite dish, the chili, ran out. I will say however, they made an admirable effort to make up for it at the final dinner.
In terms of dishes, my wife and I got to try a few different things. She covered the meat stuff, I covered the veggie stuff. I’ll give a small rundown:

Tortellini – I was very underwhelmed, and won't get it again. It was clearly poor-quality pasta, and I didn’t feel it was any better than flex dining.
Chicken – It was dry, but decently cooked with minimal seasoning, with a mediocre risotto to accompany it.
Vegan Chili – Fantastic, even for a moving train. I really loved it, but was VERY disappointed when they ran out of it. The baked potato it came with was a really nice addition.
Burger – A decent diner-level burger with fresh ingredients. The slaw on the side was good.
Flat-iron steak – cooked exactly as asked, decently juicy, maintained flavor, with very nice cheddar polenta and veggies.
Tamale – Another personal favorite of mine. The taste was great, but the presentation was poor at best, and the portion was slightly too small. It should be served alongside something else, if not just some type of garnish.
French Toast – Pretty bad in my opinion. Too hard, and an odd taste at best.
Three Egg Omlette – Could I make a better omlette? Yes. Could I do it on a moving train again and again? No. The veggies were fresh, and it was mostly cooked. Came with a run of the mill biscuit that went well with grits.
Scrambled Eggs – Decent. Fresh cheese and veggies. Came with a biscuit or a bad croissant.
Grits – Just your typical diner grits, which was perfectly fine with me.
Home Fries - Really nicely done! The portions were really inconsistent. The final morning, I only recieved 5 potatoes.
Cheesecake – again, quite a disappointment. Glaze tasted too sweet, and overly processed.
Chocolate torte – Not bad at all! Definitely would get again.

Because they ran out of the vegan chili on the final dinner, the kitchen staff did a makeshift meal of sides and a larger salad. This actually ended up being a highlight of the trip for me. I loved the polenta, veggies and salad.
Here are some pictures we took of all of the food we tried, minus the cheesecake and tamale.

The views on the westbound Empire Builder are not as good as the eastbound. The first day or so was pretty at times, but overall underwhelming. In the final 6 hours however, we had a spectacular snowy morning filled with breathtaking views, possible in part because we were two hours late, and had more daylight to view them. This made our delay certainly more bearable.

One aspect about the EB that I appreciate is seeing the small rural communities it serves, such as Minot ND. My line of work would never bring me there, and I have no other reason to do so; it was really cool to see some of these places.

Seattle King Street Station, for me, is one of the most spectacular stations in the country. Its in great condition and working order, easy to navigate, and its spectacularly pretty. The station staff were friendly. I bonded with a particular clerk who also played the violin. He got a real kick out of my instrument, and couldn’t believe his eyes when I took it out and showed him the date (1751 Napoli). After leaving the station, we headed over to Pike Place and enjoyed Seattle Dumpling House.

I found the $10 fee to store bags odd. I was hoping that Select Plus/Executive would have a perk where this fee would be waved, but that was not the case.

Overall, I really enjoyed the trip. My wife and I agreed however, that 3 nights aboard a train is definitely the upper end for us. I think a two night maximum would be in our interest, at least with Amtrak level accommodations. Unfortunately, our fellow passengers were slobs, and seemed incapable of cleaning up after themselves. Wow, everything got dirty.

Because of this trip, I managed to get Select Executive. Cheers!