I know we did a big write-up about the train ride last time, so it seems a little silly to go over it again. We rode the train to my parents for a couple of reasons. 1) You never know what the weather is going to be like. If it’s snowy, it’s a no-go for me. This way, someone else is driving. 2) Even though the train is usually late, it’s different from being late on a plane. Airports feel stressful. Train stations? Well, everybody knows the train is probably going to be late. It should be Amtrak’s motto. 3) I like the sleeper cars. It fulfills many ‘tiny house’ requirements for me. Two chairs facing each other that transform into a bunk? Sign me up.
If you ride in a sleeper car, your meals are included. You can eat in the dining car, where they seat you with other people to complete a 4-person table. We ate three meals in the dining car and two in the roomette. The food is pretty good, but would be expensive (and perhaps disappointing?) if you ordered it with ‘real’ money.
(Angus burger with cheese for Lloyd, chicken salad for me. Cheesecake and chocolate mousse for dessert.)
The room is tiny. Very tiny. When the beds are made up, this is the amount of standing room you have. That’s Lloyd’s leg on the left and mine on the right.
Here is Lloyd when we woke up. The ‘ceiling’ is the bottom of my bunk.
The top bunk is very narrow, maybe 22 inches wide? The ceiling is very close. If you lie down and raise your arm above your body with your hand bent back and then bend your elbow a bit, that’s about how much room you have. It’s not a problem while lying down, but it’s a bit of a trick getting into bed.
Lloyd and I both realized that riding the train is like being on a plane when it’s going through some pretty serious turbulence. Sometimes it’s smooth, but sometimes it’s pretty shaky. (Walking between cars when it’s like that is like walking around when you’re drunk.) The nice thing is: it’s not going anywhere. You are pretty much glued to the rails. Plus, the view is pretty.
Beth says
How long is that train ride? And are there stops?
Lauren says
It’s supposed to be about 15-16 hours (midnight -- 4 (3 mountain time)), but it’s quite often delayed. Yes, there are stops. Sometimes little towns for quick on/off (Lincoln is one of those), sometimes longer 10-30 minute stops that they call ‘fresh air/smoke breaks’ (ironic, huh?).
Brad says
It sounds interesting. I bet it would be even more interesting if a bunch of Victorians were riding on the train and one of them got murdered.
Kristi says
So what is it like when the train stops? When you’re on a plane, you most definitely notice the landing. How does a train compare to that?
Mom says
Sounds like a fun trip. Glad you got to take it. Did you bring back the snow?