Amtrak/Spirit of New Orleans






For the first time ever, Jeff and I took a train a primary part of our vacation transportation.  Sure, we've taken commuter trains on the east coast and the Bart in San Francisco, as well Milwaukee to Chicago.  I love the Metra in DC, and long ago I reveled in taking the Tube in London. 

But a train trip, overnight, like the olden days?  Sign us up!  Actually, credit goes to my co-worker Michelle, who mentioned she had flown down for JazzFest in New Orleans, and taken the train back. "Back to where?"  I asked.  "To Chicago," she replied.  Hmm...that got me thinking.  After looking at logistics of either end of our plans, we decided to take the train down, out of Milwaukee, and then fly back one-way on different days - I had to be back earlier.





So, waiting at the General Mitchell Airport Amtrak station, we had fun snapping pictures and waiting for the first leg into Chicago's Union Station.




Fun with filters
 
Union Station was a bit of a zoo.  Really determined commuters whizzed by us and it was getting stressful, so we found a locker to put our luggage into and went out to explore Chicago - we had a few hours before our overnight train left.  However, there was a major storm that rolled in just as we walked outside.  For the first time ever I heard the weird, eerie sound of tornado sirens in a city - it echoed off all the buildings.  Instead of walking and exploring, we ducked into a sandwich shop and watched more determined commuters stumble by dealing with wayward umbrellas:


When the rain abated we went back to Union Station:

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Then we discovered there was a special lounge for sleeper car ticket holders!


 
There was a television set, plus plenty of couches, soda and chips, as well as someone who will watch your luggage if you need that.  It was sparse but nice enough, and we eventually met a group of travelers from New Zealand (and one Aussie) who told us about their travels.  They had been riding Amtrak all over the US, including up the West Coast, and then over to the Midwest.  They were waiting for their train to Buffalo, where they were going to visit Niagara Falls.  Then to New York, and eventually they too were going to be in St. Louis.

One thing we already knew, and they confirmed, is if you are traveling on Amtrak, you have to be, well, flexible on time.  Which is why we decided to take the train there - it didn't matter when we got there, but I had to be back in Madison in time to pick up John from his DC trip (here's hoping I can share a guest post for you from him).  They told us about lightning strikes, tornadoes, and a 500 mile detour because of a tunnel closing.  They were good humored about it, but we told them we were starting to be glad they weren't going to be on our train.  As it turned out, because of the storm it took a while for the water to subside on the tracks and we left 1.5 hours later than scheduled.

Next post:  sleepin' car, dining car, observation car, and one angry dude.

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