Moved our bags to the side by the bathroom and jump seat after supper, so we can access them once the beds are made up.View attachment IMG_20241006_190502_399.jpg
Look at the attachment to post #2.
Just for fun. Neither of us have been on Amtrak overnight in over 40 years, so this is something of an experiment to see for ourselves what the sleeping car experience is like, and how well we can handle it as 60-somethings. The Texas Eagle works especially well for us as a first time current sleeping car experience, because we can board the train from a nearby local station.
Good for you! Best wishes for a good homeward journey!
Tip for future from two other seniors: get two roomettes across the hall from each other. Usually about the same price as a bedroom with no upper bunk to cope with. You sit together during the day and have a choice of scenery from both sides of the train. The lack of a private bathroom is unfortunate but a worthwhile sacrifice in our opinion.
The other alternatives I thought of were either the family bedroom or the accessible bedroom - but getting 2 roomettes across from each other would probably be easier. I remember from last year's Missouri River Runner trip that the shared toilets in Business Class and coach were roomier, and YouTube videos seem to demonstrate that the same is true in the sleeping car. And having room to turn around in the shared shower room would be a real blessing!
If you need to kill a little extra time if the train is late and don't mind a short walk in the heat, Barber's Book Store on West 8th and Throckmorton should be close to your hotel and is open until 3pm CT. I do not recommend carrying luggage over there; it's a crammed used bookstore.
The heat wasn't too bad yet when we walked to the station this morning, shortly before 11AM. Thanks for the tip! If we didn't have the luggage with us, we'd probably go there, as we both love shopping for books. We will probably just stay in the station until our train comes, though.
