For the first time since I was a child, I took an Amtrak train rather than drive or fly to another city. I'm currently in Chicago, and the Amtrak ride was a rather uneventful five hours, with many laughing and talking individuals sitting around me… luckily, I had my iPhone and headphones, so I could drown out a lot of that noise!
The train ride was pretty nice, I would say—there were few stops, the ride was extremely quiet (besides some track noise, and the occasional train horn), and besides some side-to-side jolting (which doesn't feel as frightening as rough turbulence, the ride was very pleasant. The price was nice, too: $23 one-way to Chicago (for the 4:30 a.m. Lincoln Express).
The train cars themselves are about equivalent to a charter bus, with a little more legroom, and one amenity that was extremely awesome: every seat had two 120V electrical outlets! I could keep my work-provided power-hungry 15" MacBook Pro quite happy the whole way to Chicago :-)
The train also included a snack car and dining car, both of which were restful until about the time we hit Springfield, IL (and then half the train filled in just a few minutes!). For about half an hour, I had a guy across the way talking loudly and very obnoxiously on his phone... but I drowned him out by watching some of the John Adams documentary film (which is excellent, bye the way).
I'll definitely consider the train again in the future… it costs less, is relaxing, and has some very nice travel amenities you can't find many other places.
Comments
Thanks for this info, Jeff. I am probably of taking the train to Chicago in early February and was wondering what was in store. One way, like you, it's a good deal! BTW, loved your "Engaging Story."
Thanks, Evann! I hope you like the train, too. Just try to sit somewhere away from strange people. Some conversations were never meant to be heard.