Part 1. There is something wrong with my copied and pasted format below, I can't figure out what to do with my pictures, but let's get this party started.
A confluence of factors lined up in short order to form this rather impromptu trip to New Orleans on its namesake train. The timing was ideal given various obligations, the fares were low, and the weather was favorable, meaning less likelihood of cancellations. Also, the possibility of canceling was not a discouragement. Hotel rates were also lower (enough days ahead of Mardi Gras) and I had a reservation that could be cancelled with 24 hours notice. After watching train videos for a few weeks, it was time to go! AGR redemption one way and paid ticket on the trip back. I was going to New Orleans for a solo adventure! I wouldn't be there for long, 2 nights and one full day, but that would be enough to do some exploring and just enjoy the change of scenery. Not to mention the fun of boarding a train out of Chicago at night. Now, the menu items on the CONO didn't look particularly promising. In my younger days I wouldn't have batted an eye and happily consumed the cafe offerings, but time marches on and things change. Not really food allergies per se, not going to the hospital or anything, but still have enough of a sensitivity to many of the additives in processed food items, and as a result, generally try to avoid to minimize the reaction. So the night before I prepped carrots, celery, cucumber slices, orange and apple slices, cheese and crackers, and a slice of homemade apple pie, in ziplock bags and placed them in a small softside cooler in the fridge. The next morning I grabbed the cooler along with some napkins and sanitizer, all of which fit in my suitcase.
Having been dropped off at the Ann Arbor station close to departure time, it was chilly but with the bright sun, not unpleasant to wait outside on the platform. Wolverine 352 soon appeared, gleaming in the sunshine. I made a decision to go in BC, after having first booked the segment in coach, then realizing that without one of my kids to help me hoist the rollaboard in the overhead, and not wanting to ask anyone for help, that it was a good idea to have the extra room so the bag could just stay with me. The BC car was half empty, and the cafe attendant told us in greeting that the BC ticket gave us one free nonalcoholic beverage plus unlimited coffee or tea. Yes, some clarification there after mixed messaging last year. I had a cup of coffee, slowly waking up while watching the scenery. A couple of train lurches spilled some on my lap, but, oh well. Jeans are washable. Blotting with napkins and sanitizer seemed to help, at least enough to make it not noticeable as the liquid dried. One cup of the strong coffee, mixed with a little water, was enough to do the job, and I got out the laptop to do some work. Lo and behold! I had no trouble connecting to the Amtrak wifi, and it was remarkably consistent for most of the trip. This might have been due to it being not as full of a train, perhaps. In any case, it was very fortunate. The work that I needed to finish, got done an hour before arriving in Chicago, which meant I could use the layover time to go out in the city instead of working in the lounge, which would have been my backup plan. I packed up the computer and had lunch consisting of the apple pie, some of the carrots, and few of the crackers with cheese, with a Lacroix from the cafe.
Arriving into Chicago, the hallway leading to the Great Hall and the Metropolitan Lounge was divided into 3 corridors by various scaffolding and construction underway. There was also a major project outside on Canal St. It will be interesting to see the results when these are complete! I dropped off my bag at the lounge and set out to explore. First I looked around the station to see what else was new, no changes noticed at the concessions, although there is a Sbarro next to the Chick FilA. Not sure that was there before? Wasn't hungry yet or that would have been tempting. Love their strombolis! They also have a Jersey Mike's ("A sub above") which had a long line, as always. I went back downstairs to the Great Hall to watch a couple of the afternoon LD trains boarding, then headed out of the Clinton street exit. Chicago was also sunny and warmer than average for this time of year, comfortable with just a coat and no hat or gloves. I don't give up on wool socks, though, until later in the year. Unhurried, taking in the sights, I crossed the river and walked around various streets in the Loop. before returning to the lounge for a bottle of water and to use the bathroom. As the afternoon sunlight began its magical descent, I thought about getting dinner, and left the station again. I was walking towards the Ogilvie center and the French market, where there are lots of options, and passed a Five Guys. Well, a burger sounded good, it's not my favorite of the burger chains but it's dependable, and I could see through the storefront it wasn't crowded. Got a seat in the window and had dinner without any need to hurry, finally heading back to the station as it started to get dark and increasingly chilly, with an hour earlier sunset from my home time zone. There was still plenty of time before the CONO boarding for a final email check, family text chat, and to have a Kind bar which was among the available snacks. Boarding was announced at 7:30ish and the agent led us through the station construction maze to the track.
There it was, our Superliner! Got settled into the roomette quickly, and met our Dave, our SCA. Dave is a hardworking, knowledgeable, and unfailingly cheerful individual. Amtrak is lucky to have him. He came around to take everyone's dinner orders, to my surprise, dinner is available on this train even though it doesn't leave until 8 pm. I wasn't hungry but happily accepted the dessert to stow away in my suitcase, and also the free beer. Sleeper car passengers can get one complimentary beer, wine or mixed drink. as well as other complimentary nonalcoholic drinks. Similar to the Capitol Limited. There were 2 water bottles in my room so hydration was well taken care of. Leaving Chicago on a train at night has got its own brand of city magic, and I watched the scenery and just lived in the moment for many miles. It was a breathtaking kind of feeling, not being concerned with the past or future worries.
Well, for a while. Then it was time to annoy poor Dave. On boarding, none of the bathrooms contained soap, which I consider a Chicago cleaning crew failure. The SCAs are busy from the getgo with bringing dinner orders to the sleeping car passengers, which seems to be more and more the process now, although if someone asks to eat in the lounge I'm pretty sure they can. I just wonder if this is more helpful with maximizing the lounge availability so that the coach passengers can get meals too. It's definitely more work for the SCAs, though. I would have been happy to put soap bottles in the restrooms had there been any in evidence, but I ended up having to pester Dave. Note for future, bring emergency soap from home, not something I've ever considered. In any case, he brought the soap bottles for all the restrooms, and Chicago did provide ample paper towels. There were also no bars of soap in the shower, which would have been an issue had I not showered at home. It had been a long day and I was ready to call it a night. I sanitized the bathroom counter, brushed my teeth, and cleaned up some with one of the provided towels and hot water/soap. In that space of time, Dave had made up the roomette for the night, and it was so nice to curl up in bed and watch the nighttime landscape while texting. Woke up periodically to see some of the intermediate station stops, but mostly had a surprisingly good sleep.
I got a chicken quesadilla to go and enjoyed a cold Miller Lite while waiting for it. There were a couple of security guards at the entrance, maybe in anticipation of the night crowd. I got back to the hotel, and after covering 4 miles was a little tired. I had purchased another beer to enjoy with half of the quesadilla while listening to our basketball team surprisingly not lose a game. After that it was time for a shower, and after that, one of the brownies from the train. Stayed awake for a while, text chatting and planning the next day, and finally fell asleep. Like a rock.
