# Trip Report - Capitol Limited/Southwest Chief/Pacific Surfliner



## ATXEagle (Aug 26, 2009)

I just got back from my first long-distance train trip in years and my very first trip in sleeper accommodations. I had one of the best times of my life on the train - I met the most interesting people, and the Amtrak staff were wonderful. I can't wait to go another train journey!

 

 I have wanted to try out the sleeper accommodations for a long time, so when I saw a good deal for a roomette I booked it right away. Thanks to Amtrak's customer-friendly cancellation policy (unlike the airlines) I was able to book on impulse, knowing that I could cancel later if I needed to.

 

 My trip began late at night on Monday, August 17th. My partner drove me the five minutes from our apartment to the Amtrak station in Pittsburgh. 

 

 When we arrived at the Station, we were hit up by a guy trying to con us into giving him some money to buy gas. He said he had a credit card, but the guy at the gas station wouldn't take credit cards from anyone with out-of-state drivers licenses. That seemed like a total scam, but I told him where several other gas stations were located. The guy got kind of belligerent and we had to walk away from him. After that bit of unpleasantness things could only get better.

 

 The station in Pittsburgh was filled with people. There had to be 100 folks waiting to board the train. I had no idea that this many people would be getting on. There were older couples, families with young children, hikers with backpacks, college students, and a few Mennonite or Amish families. As we ascended the stairs to the boarding level, many people saw the Pennsylvanian train waiting for its early morning departure to Philadelphia and thought that our train had arrived. I told those around me that our train would be much larger. Sure enough, a ripple of excitement went through the crowd when the massive Superliner equipment came into view.

 

 My sleeping car attendant (I think her name was Carla) welcomed me onboard by saying "You look like a man who knows where he's going!" She was terrific and showed me how to use everything in the roomette before she took off to get some rest. I had thought the roomette would feel cramped, but there was plenty of space for me. I'm a tall guy - 6'3", 170 lbs. and I had plenty of room to stretch out in the comfy bed. 

 

 For my ride on the Capitol Limited I was in the upper level, roomette 9 of car 2900.

 

 After checking out the location of the restroom I settled in to get some sleep. I slept surprisingly well for being so excited.

 

 I woke up early, around 6:15, before my alarm went off. After grabbing a quick cup of coffee (I'm a total coffee addict, so I loved the fact that good coffee was always available in the sleeper car), I headed downstairs to experience my first shower on a moving train. It was so cool! There was plenty of hot water and the small dressing area was just enough space. Now that I had cleaned up, it was off to breakfast!

 

 Breakfast was served in a cafe-type car and not a full Dining Car. 

 

 I was seated with a delightful woman traveling from Washington to Chicago, then connecting on to the Texas Eagle. There was another lady traveling from Savannah to Chicago.

 

 I'd heard many good things about the Railroad French Toast, but I decided I was in the mood for an omelet. I ordered a cheddar cheese omelet with sides of grits and hashbrowns. It was pretty good for "traveling food" and I was completely satisfied. The service was friendly and I had a great time talking with my new friends.

 

 When I returned to my roomette I was thrilled to discover that my breakfast companion from Washington was in the roomette across the hall from me!

 

 Then it was time to check out the Observation Lounge. Awesome!

 

 I hung out there for a while before I decided I needed to hurry up and get ready since it was almost 8:30 and we would be arriving soon. I placed a quick call to my mom down in Florida to let her know I'd almost arrived. That's when I got some great news - she reminded my about the time change. I realized I had another hour on the train, since we were entering Central time. I went back for some more coffee and my complimentary newspaper and enjoyed the rest of my time on the Capitol Limited.

 

 One of the best things about my trip was the long connection in Chicago. I absolutely loved having the chance to visit the Sears (Willis) Tower for the first time in many years, to eat lunch at Giardano's, to shop, to visit Millenium and Grant Parks again, and to walk along the lakefront. It was truly a perfect day - great weather and a great city to visit! I forgot to mention how helpful it was that I could store my suitcase with the friendly folks in the Metropolitan Lounge at Union Station. Everyone there was so helpful to me and answered every one of my many questions.

 

 An hour before my 3:15 departure on the Southwest Chief, I returned to the Metropolitan Lounge and reclaimed my suitcase. Another cool thing about the lounge is that they serve free soft drinks. I relaxed in total comfort, read my book, and waited for our boarding call.

 

 Right on time the sleeping car passengers were escorted to the boarding area and I met Julio, my sleeping car attendant on the Chief. I was in the lower level, roomette 14 in car 0330. I've read that some don't like the lower level, but I thought it was nice and quiet down there, and the proximity to most of the restrooms and the shower was a plus.

 

 Once we were underway, someone from the Dining Car came by to get dinner reservations. I asked for a late seating, since I'd had pizza for lunch.

 

 Since I hadn't shaved that morning, I stopped by the restroom to attempt shaving on a moving train. To my surprise it went fine. For future reference, the Gillette Fusion Power is a good razor for the train, not a single nick the three times I used it on the Chief.

 

 Since Chicago had been on the warm side and I'd done lots of walking, I took another shower. This shower was even nicer - rather than pushing a button to get water, I could just turn a knob like at home. It also had a shower curtain that snapped into place (the Capitol Limited shower had a door). The curtain actually seemed to do a better job of keeping in the water.

 

 Later on, I visited the lounge to get a glass of wine before dinner. The configuration of the car was a little different than I'd expected. The attendant working there explained that there'd been a last-minute equipment change because of a problem with the car we'd normally use. He was a great guy, and did a great job managing the crowds in the lounge, especially after we took on eighty Boyscouts in Raton, NM.

 

 After having a drink, I returned to my cabin briefly as we passed through Galesburg, IL.

 

 I thought to myself - "this is the life!" It was a perfect evening and the view was lovely.

 

 I was seated with nice people at dinner. Since I'm vegetarian, I had the pasta for dinner. I thought it was pretty good, the vegetable blend was well-cooked, and the dessert (a chocolate/peanut butter creation) was decadent. We passed through Fort Madison, IA while I was eating.

 

 The rest of the evening seemed to go by very quickly. There was some kind of minor incident in the lounge when an underage youth got an older passenger to purchase liquor for him. They shut down alcohol sales for the rest of the evening after that.

 

 Once darkness fell, I returned to my roomette and read for a while. I turned in pretty early for me (10:30) so that I could wake before the sun was up to enjoy all I could of daylight travel on Wednesday.

 

 I slept amazingly soundly, and once again woke before my alarm went off. After enjoying some coffee in my roomette watching the sun come out, I shaved, showered, and made my way to the Dining Car.

 

 This time I chose the Railroad French Toast for breakfast. It was as good as everyone says! I was joined for dinner by a grandmother who'd just taken her kids on a train journey. After dropping them off somewhere along the Chief's route, she was continuing on to her home further down the line. She rides the Chief often and didn't quite get why I was so excited about everything.

 

 We made an extended stop in La Junta, CO, and were able to get off the train for a while. The weather was perfect - cool and crisp. The town seemed to be the quintessential Western rail town of my imagination!

 

 Later in the morning we had to slow down and even stop several times. There had been severe storms and tornadoes the night before. As a result, signals had gone out and they had to call in to the railroad frequently for clearance to move on. The conductor did a very nice job of keeping us informed of what was happening.

 

 By lunch time, we were up to speed again. Lunch on Wednesday the 19th was the best meal of the trip for me. I was seated next to a hilarious guy about my age from Los Angeles. Across from us were two of the most delightful people I've ever met. An elderly mother and her middle-age daughter who were traveling from PA to Durango, CO. They told such funny stories that I could barely eat I was laughing so hard. Several times the wait staff came by and joked that no table was allowed to have so much fun. I wish I could have been at that table for every meal. Who knows, maybe I'll see them on another train trip sometime? I ate the veggie burger and chips. I thought it was surprisingly good. I chose to skip dessert for this meal since I'd been doing nothing but eating and sitting for so long!

 

 After lunch, I spent most of the afternoon in the lounge watching the scenery go by. I found the most beautiful station stop to be Raton, NM.

 

 Once the Boyscouts were loaded on (and they were extremely well-behaved, by the way), we continued on to another lengthy station stop in Albuquerque. This was a really nice station that they said had been renovated recently. It was nice to have some time to look around and explore. 

 

 The scenery continued to be beautiful, especially for someone from the Eastern US, unused to the spawling desert and rock formations. As I ate dinner, the sun was gleaming off some large rock plateaus (mesas?) and I wished the daylight would last forever.

 

 For dinner I was seated with some folks who weren't as enamored of the train as I. One of my dinner companions brought a paperback to dinner and read throughout the meal. (This kind of put a damper on the conversation.) Another gentleman hurried through his meal and began dessert while the rest of us were still beginning our entrees. Maybe he had to get off the train soon and needed to eat quickly? Whatever the reason, he wasn't in a friendly mood. That left me to speak with a very pleasant man from Chicago on his way to Las Vegas, NV to visit his daughter. He was interesting to talk with. Perhaps since he'd ridden the Chief many times, he wasn't as fascinated by the scenery and the experience of the train as I was. I had the pasta again (it would be nice if the vegetarian selection would rotate some). I tried the raspberry-chocolate cheesecake for dessert. It was the best!

 

 After dinner I watched the sunset from my roomette and then went to the lounge car for a drink. Over the course of the day I'd met some very nice people in the lounge and some of them were back there for the evening. There was a man from Ohio who used to live in Pittsburgh, a visitor from France who was traveling all over the US by train and plane, and a young lady who travels on the Chief often and planned to sleep in the Lounge Car most of the night.

 

 We were allowed off the train for a short time in Flagstaff, AZ. Since it was dark, I couldn't see much.

 

 Once again, I went to sleep pretty early because I didn't want to miss any of the last morning on the train. They announced that breakfast would be served very early, from 5:00-6:00 AM Pacific Time. I set my alarm for 5:15 fell asleep quickly. I woke in the night because my ears were popping and, although I couldn't see anything through the window, I knew we must be in the mountains.

 

 In the morning I risked offending the other Dining Car patrons by not showering or shaving before breakfast (it was just too early). Everyone in the Dining Car was pretty sleepy, but I still enjoyed my meal. I met two people from Chicago on their way to a business meeting of some sort in LA. I also met a man returning home from a high school reunion. He owns a magic shop and had been entertaining the Boyscouts in the Lounge Car with magic tricks the day before. I had the scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, and a biscuit. After breakfast, I took the time to thank the Dining Car staff who had been so friendly and helped to make my trip so awesome.

 

 After this early breakfast I returned to my sleeping car to shave, shower, and get dressed for the day. 

 

 I was soon excited to get glimpses of Los Angeles from the train.

 

 When we arrived (early!) at Union Station on Thursday the 20th I thanked Julio and disembarked. 

 

 I had booked my return flight to Pittsburgh for 6:47 that evening (just in case the Chief was running late). Since I had some time to kill, I decided to take a short hop on the Pacific Surfliner. I had read in these forums that you could store a bag for $3 at Union Station. I asked some security officers where to do that and they said there was no bag storage at the station. Undaunted, I continued to look around until I saw a sign for "Parcel Check." The Amtrak employee checked my train ticket to make sure I'd come in on a train that day and then stored my suitcase for me. I found a QuikTrak machine and booked a roundtrip ticket on the Surfliner to Oceanside.

 

 The ride to Oceanside was very nice. The Surfliner was an attractive, modern train. I had a mid-morning snack in the Seaview Cafe located in the lower level of one of the coach cars. The seats were very comfortable and the views were great.

 

 I had an hour in Oceanside to look around and enjoy being at the coast. The station in Oceanside is literally steps away from the beach.

 

 I took an 11:39 AM return trip to Los Angeles. On board, I enjoyed a veggie burger, pretzels, and a beer in the Seaview Cafe. About two hours later I was back in Union Station. Since there was still time to spare before I needed to take the FLYAway bus to the airport, I decided to ride the Red Line subway over to Hollywood.

 

 I got off at the Hollywood/Highland Station and walked around the legendary walk of fame and was able to see the iconic Hollywood sign and enjoy some of the shopping.

 

 After exploring for a bit, I took the subway back to Union Station. The subway was very nice, it operates on the honor system, meaning that you pay for your ride, but there is no machine or person to actually collect your ticket. I'm not sure how well that works out for them... seems like a bad idea to me.

 

 Upon returning to Union Station I picked up my suitcase and made my way to the shuttle bus area. The Los Angeles airport operates a terrific service called the FLYAway bus that takes you nonstop from Union Station to LAX for just $7. The shuttle operates every half hour during the day and at reduced frequency overnight. The shuttle came right as scheduled and we reached the airport in no time.

 

 I noticed that the famous "Theme Building" at LAX appears to be under renovation.

 

 In order to save some money, I'd booked a two-stop red-eye routing from LAX to Las Vegas, from Las Vegas to Charlotte, and from Charlotte to Pittsburgh.

 

 The Las Vegas airport is one of my favorites to connect at - gotta love those slot machines in the airport!

 

 I had a free pass for a US Airways Club that I'd received this year, so I put it to good use in Charlotte. This allowed my to change clothes and freshen up the private restroom and to get free coffee and a light breakfast.

 

 The early morning flight back to Pittsburgh was right on time. Since my partner was at work I caught the Airport Flyer, Pittsburgh's public transportation bus from the airport. For $2.60 you can ride the bus into downtown, and for a few cents more I could transfer to one of the inclines (a steep "train" up the side of Mt. Washington) to take me home. Like everything else on this trip, the public transportation worked perfectly.

 

 I had an amazing trip and still miss the train! I can't wait to be back on board as soon as possible in another sleeper car on another long-distance Amtrak ride. Thanks to all the Amtrak employees that made my vacation so much fun!


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## MrEd (Aug 26, 2009)

Thanks for the nice trip report.


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## JayPea (Aug 26, 2009)

I loved your report. I took a nice long trip--Champaign, IL-New Orleans-Washington DC-Chicago (on which I also took the Capitol Limited)-Portland, OR-Los Angeles---early this month and am now in the process of planning many more future train trips! I love the bus that connects LA Union Station to LAX. I'm from near the Spokane, WA area and have used it a couple of times now.


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## Shanghai (Aug 26, 2009)

Very interesting report. Thanks.


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## Bob Dylan (Aug 27, 2009)

Really good trip and report!Hope youre an AGR member and perhaps have the AGR MC!(show me the points!)Its always good when first timers have wonderful experiences,nothing ever goes exactly how we plan it,especially travel, and thats a good thing!Appreciate the tip about the razor/also contact Amtrak Customer Service about the menus,they do change

occasionaly!Thanks for sharing your joy with us!


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## ATXEagle (Aug 27, 2009)

Thanks for the positive comments!

I did get the AGR Mastercard a few weeks ago. I think it's much more generous than the airline cards out there - no annual fee and the points go farther than airline miles do.

I did email Amtrak customer service when I got back to compliment specific employees and to thank them for good service. I forgot to mention about the food, though. I guess I was too happy with my trip to complain. (I did suggest that they add more service to PGH!) I received a very nice personal reply from customer service within an hour of my email.


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## Long Train Runnin' (Aug 28, 2009)

> I chose to skip dessert for this meal since I'd been doing nothing but eating and sitting for so long!



:lol: Welcome Aboard :lol: seriously though its a great way to travel I'm glad you enjoyed your report. It was very well written.


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## sueb (Sep 1, 2009)

A great trip report. Thank you for posting in the larger, clearer type font. I have not yet figured out how to do that, but the good look of your report is motivating me to investigate.

My son and I will be taking the CL from PGH on Monday Sept 14, connecting to the SWC for a trip to Santa Fe and then the Grand Canyon. Your report covering the same route is very helpful. This will be our 1st long distance roomette trip. I'm using AGR points for the trip out and earning points for the return trip. We'll be returning thru PGH on 9/26, connecting to the Pennsylvanian home to HAR.

Any advice about the PGH station that you can share would be most welcome. My son uses a wheelchair, and I have heard some discouraging things about the neighborhood around the station. We'll have layovers there both ways, so I'd appreciate any suggestions.


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## Rail Freak (Sep 1, 2009)

Very nice report! I,too, took the honor system transit in Portland, Ore & wondered about it. I also was wondering what the FLYAway Bus was!  I took my first train trip one year ago today and am still buzzin around on a natural high!!!!

RF


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## Bob Dylan (Sep 1, 2009)

Rail Freak said:


> Very nice report! I,too, took the honor system transit in Portland, Ore & wondered about it. I also was wondering what the FLYAway Bus was!  I took my first train trip one year ago today and am still buzzin around on a natural high!!!!RF


Theyve had to crack down in PDX since the traveler wore out the OBS riding so much,who do they think they are, Austin? :lol:


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## ATXEagle (Sep 1, 2009)

sueb said:


> A great trip report. Thank you for posting in the larger, clearer type font. I have not yet figured out how to do that, but the good look of your report is motivating me to investigate. My son and I will be taking the CL from PGH on Monday Sept 14, connecting to the SWC for a trip to Santa Fe and then the Grand Canyon. Your report covering the same route is very helpful. This will be our 1st long distance roomette trip. I'm using AGR points for the trip out and earning points for the return trip. We'll be returning thru PGH on 9/26, connecting to the Pennsylvanian home to HAR.
> 
> Any advice about the PGH station that you can share would be most welcome. My son uses a wheelchair, and I have heard some discouraging things about the neighborhood around the station. We'll have layovers there both ways, so I'd appreciate any suggestions.


Hey there! I hope you have a great time, I certainly did.

The station is in downtown Pittsburgh, it's perhaps not the best part of town, but compared to many major American cities, our downtown is fairly clean and safe. The downtown is very compact and walkable. Are you beginning your trip in Harrisburg and then transferring from the Pennsylvanian to the Capitol Limited? If so, you'll have about 4 hours in downtown.

http://www.visitpittsburgh.com/

has a list of restaurants and other businesses for all the neighborhoods in Pittsburgh. Here's a link to the restaurants for downtown

http://www.visitpittsburgh.com/essentials/...wn/restaurants/.

Downtown will not be filled with people during the first part of the night, but it is pretty safe. If you don't want to leave downtown, then I don't think there'll be much more to do after you eat dinner than to wait in the station. I wouldn't go for a river walk or go to Point State Park after about 10 PM.

What you could do is to take Pittsburgh's light rail/subway (the T) to Station Square. There are additional restaurants here and a spectacular "dancing fountain." This is a more touristy area. Here is a link to walking directions from the Amtrak Station to the Steel Plaza T Station:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source...ayer=c&pw=2

The walk should only take about 10 minutes. You'll be on Grant Street which is a major boulevard, well-lit, and with wide sidewalks and lots of vehicular traffic even at night. I wouldn't hesitate to walk this at night.

The T ride to Station Square takes about 5 minutes. You can take any T that comes through, they all go there. You pay (around $2) when you exit the T. Station Square won't exactly be "hopping" on a Monday night, but at least it will be something to do and the fountain is great.

From Station Square you can take the Monongahela Incline up to Mt. Washington. This is an unbeatable ride up a vertical "railroad." One of the two incline cars is wheelchair accessible. The top of Mt. Washington provides a breathtaking, can't-miss view. There is an ice cream parlor, a coffee shop, and lots of viewing space. I live in the neighborhood and take nighttime walks along Grandview Ave (where the incline goes to) often. It is well-lit, safe, and there are people out there even late at night. I believe the incline and T shut down around midnight, but you'll want to be back at the Amtrak Station well before that anyway. The Port Authority runs the T and the incline:

http://www.portauthority.org.

The Amtrak Station isn't glamorous, but it's perfectly fine. There will be many others there waiting for the train, and the station is always staffed. A TV will be on and there are drink and snack machines. There are pay phones, and taxi phones. If you are inspired to visit any neighborhoods beyond downtown or Mt. Washington you might want to phone a cab. (Rather than try to figure out Pittsburgh's labyrinthine bus system.) Trains board and unload on the upper level above the waiting area. There is an elevator available.

I'm not sure how old your son is, but if he's over 21 you might also want to take a cab over to the new Rivers Casino on the North Shore. If you're at all into that sort of thing it's really pretty nice (and still shiny new).

The Amtrak Station is right across the street from the Greyhound station and this does attract some colorful characters. I've lived in Pittsburgh for 6 years and never once felt scared, but I still wouldn't hang out on the sidewalks around the train station for long.

For your return trip you'll be hitting town just at the end of the G-20 summit. This link will explain Amtrak's special procedures for that weekend:

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServe...d=1189639708788

It seems like they won't want you to leave the station in the morning while you connect from the Capitol Limited to the Pennsylvanian. That's too bad because in the morning downtown is a lot more fun. There are more people and you could go see the rivers and the park downtown. If they should happen to let you out of the station, you'll probably see the chaos and mess after the massive event and accompanying protests of the weekend. You can feel safe entering any area of downtown in daylight. You could also walk or take a cab up Liberty Ave to see the Strip District and all it's food markets. I suspect you'll just end up hanging out in the station because of the restrictions. So be sure to eat breakfast on the CL because otherwise it will just be vending machine food in the Station.

I hope this helps, feel free to let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you have a good time in da Burgh!


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## ATXEagle (Sep 1, 2009)

Rail Freak said:


> Very nice report! I,too, took the honor system transit in Portland, Ore & wondered about it. I also was wondering what the FLYAway Bus was!  I took my first train trip one year ago today and am still buzzin around on a natural high!!!!RF


Here's a link to the FlyAway bus:

http://www.lawa.org/welcome_LAX.aspx?id=292

It provides frequent, inexpensive service between LAX(Union Station) and LAX(Airport).


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## ATXEagle (Sep 1, 2009)

trainplane1974 said:


> So be sure to eat breakfast on the CL because otherwise it will just be vending machine food in the Station.


I started thinking that because of the early arrival of the CL into PGH on your return trip, you probably won't be able to eat breakfast on that train. So if you can't leave the station you'll probably just have to wait for the snack bar on the Pennsylvanian for breakfast.


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## sueb (Sep 2, 2009)

trainplane1974 said:


> trainplane1974 said:
> 
> 
> > So be sure to eat breakfast on the CL because otherwise it will just be vending machine food in the Station.
> ...


I was assuming we would not get breakfast on the returning CL since it is so early. Amtrak has phoned me twice about the security surrounding the G20 summit, so I know all about that. There is a chance we may be able to leave the station on our return layover and present our tickets to get back in. However, since this layover is only 2 hours on a saturday morning, even if the CL is on time, we may not be able to anyway. I was planning to pick up some non-perishable breakfast supplies when we come thru chi.

yes, we will be starting/ending our trip on the pennsylvanian. i earned almost all of the AGR points I'm using commuting on the Keystone service over the last 5 yrs. My son is 23, so we could go to the casino or any convenient pub. actually the last time i was in Pgh was when he was an infant. We went to Station Sq and rode an incline and went to Point Pk. But I'm sure he doesn't remember since he was less than a yr old.

counting the days now.


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## ATXEagle (Sep 30, 2009)

At long last, here are some pictures from this trip, in roughly chronological order...


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## acelafan (Sep 30, 2009)

trainplane1974 said:


> I just got back from my first long-distance train trip in years and my very first trip in sleeper accommodations. I had one of the best times of my life on the train - I met the most interesting people, and the Amtrak staff were wonderful. I can't wait to go another train journey!...


Wow, lucky you, trainplane1974! I had not seen your trip report until now and I'm jealous...I need to go on a cross-country train trip ASAP! I'd have my nose pressed up against the window like yourself. There is always something to see outside. Glad you found the lower level accommodations all right - I will be in a family bedroom next spring on the Empire Builder.


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## ATXEagle (Sep 30, 2009)

acelafan said:


> trainplane1974 said:
> 
> 
> > I just got back from my first long-distance train trip in years and my very first trip in sleeper accommodations. I had one of the best times of my life on the train - I met the most interesting people, and the Amtrak staff were wonderful. I can't wait to go another train journey!...
> ...


 

Glad you liked the pictures and the report, Acelafan! I did like the lower level. I still think I prefer the upper level slightly for the better view - but it's nice to have the relative peace and quiet down below. In the family bedroom you'll get a window on both sides - so I guess you'll have to run back and forth to "press your nose against" both of them


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## Bob Dylan (Sep 30, 2009)

Good pics to go along with the trip report, thanks again!


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