Penn Station is large and busy, and New Years Day was probably busier than usual. We managed to check our bags through all the way to Flagstaff (hoping they would find their way off the Lakeshore Limited at Chicago onto the Southwest Chief to Flagstaff). After having brunch at a Roy Rogers western-style fast food joint and then sitting around on the floor with everyone else we discovered that being first class we could relax in the Metropolitan Lounge, which was like Shangri La by comparison. It is not unlike the first class airport lounges, with coffee and snacks on tap, comfy chairs and tv. There are guys wandering around there and in the main part of the terminal called "Red Caps" - yes, you guessed it, because they wear red caps - who look after disabled and elderly passengers. So we did not have to worry about finding the platform or the train because we were taken by them in the lift, and our hand luggage was put on a trolley, which made things much easier. We had to make sure we had enough clothes etc for three days on the train, but not too much as the cabins, although we were sleeping in them, did not have a lot of room, especially Chelsea's and mine. Neil and Richie had a disabled one with a shower, which was quite good, but the kids both ended up in that one on the last night for some reason.
The first train, the Lakeshore Limited, left at 3.50pm and went via Boston, Albany, Syracuse, Erie, Cleveland and Toledo to Chicago, where it arrived at 9.30am the next day. As it was winter, the sun went down around 5pm and rose around 7am so we didn't see much, unfortunately. What we did see was really pretty, especially the houses. As we paid for a sleeper, we had all meals included, and they were really good with a menu and full table service. You had to book a time and they pushed you through from 5pm onwards. You never knew who you would end up sitting with, which was quite a scary thought, but the people we met were really interesting. Richie could not access the dining car as it was upstairs, so he had all his meals delivered to his room. He was happy with that as he could still see out and had plenty of books to read.
As far as sleeping is concerned, the beds in the Viewliner Roomettes were quite comfy, but I couldn't fully relax, unlike the others who snored on through the night. The second and third nights I kept hearing the horn going, like in the old westerns, and was aware of the creaks and groans and changes in speed. Apparently the tracks are used by so many freight trains they are not as smooth as the ones in Oz. It was still pretty good though, and on the last night going to Flagstaff I spent a lot of time upstairs in the viewing area, which was much smoother for some reason and had nice soft chairs.
After we arrived in Chicago we made straight for the Metropolitan Lounge like seasoned travellers, and left our bags there while we explored the city for a few hours between trains.
Our first and lasting impression of the city was the impressive and modern buildings around the downtown/river area and the beautiful (huge) Lake Michigan. I was trying to picture Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves there, not finding each other in The Lakehouse. It was the middle of winter and around five degrees fahrenheit, but we had our winter woolies purchased in Europe. There was no wind,, so it was quite pleasant. A week or two after we left, we heard the city was at a standstill because of blizzard conditions, so we were lucky.
We had intended doing a tour but chose instead just to walk. Had lunch at McDonalds where we came across one of many vagrants trying to get free stuff. It was much more obvious here than in New York.
All too soon it was time to make our way back to Union Station and continue our trip westward to Flagstaff. Once again we were escorted to the train by a red cap, our bags carried for us. Nice.
No comments:
Post a Comment