California Zephyr, CHI-EMY, April 3; and other questions

[100001]

Hi all,

Just looking for general tips/advice, and thoughts on a trip I'm doing soon.

On April 3 I will be taking the Zephyr from CHI to EMY along with my mother. We're doing some travelling around the US together (we live in Australia). We each have a bedroom on the train, the whole way (it was only $1,500 total, which seemed like a great deal for two bedrooms? so we grabbed it).

I'm wondering:

a) What can I expect the weather to be like, both in Chicago beforehand, and during the trip? I've heard it's been pretty rough lately.

b) Any tips or advice on the Zephyr? I've done the Zephyr in a sleeper with some University friends in the past (but in the opposite direction), so I'm not totally inexperienced, but any tips are appreciated!

c) We'll be in NYC the week before we go to Chicago, and haven't yet planned on how we're going to get from NYC to Chicago –– we're currently considering driving, is that going to be wise? (weather?) Is there an interesting train routing you'd recommend? We're not super pressed for time, so we can explore interesting options. No problems flying either, but just feel like something more interesting this trip if possible!

d) We're spending a week or so in San Francisco, before heading to LA to go home. We're currently considering taking the Coast Starlight from SF to LAX – is this a worthwhile experience? Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome!

Thanks again, this forums is excellent.

 

[SarahZ]

The first week of April, Chicago is either slightly warm and rainy or still pretty cold (and rainy). This year, we aren't expected to get above 45 degrees (7-8 Celsius) that week. It's been very cold this year, and spring is going to come quite late.

I would recommend bringing a warm jacket and umbrella.

As for driving from NYC to Chicago, it's a very pretty drive through New York and Pennsylvania, absolutely gorgeous. The weather should be fine for driving, as long as you don't mind driving in rain. I sincerely doubt we'll have any snow passing through that week. There may be some ice storms, though, so I'd just keep an eye on the forecast as the date gets closer. If there is ice, planes won't be flying, so I would recommend taking a train. The Lake Shore Limited will bring you from NYC to Chicago. It's an overnight trip.

Since the weather is predicted to be above freezing, though, I'm hoping for no ice. I only say that because this has been such a wild year, and the first week of April is always a bit unpredictable.

I really like to use Accuweather for weather information. They have an app as well.

The California Zephyr is one of the most scenic routes on Amtrak. It's been on my "bucket list" for a long time. I think you and your mother will have a lovely time. Depending on the bedroom assignments you have, you may be able to open the door between the rooms and turn it into a suite.

San Francisco will be warm, but the city gets cool at night due to the Bay. The closer you are the to the water, the colder it is. We were there in June, and I wore a t-shirt during the day and a hooded sweatshirt over that at night. Los Angeles should be pleasantly warm, around 70 degrees (21 Celsius).

I've never taken the Coast Starlight, but it comes highly recommended. You'll have beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean as you get close to Los Angeles.

 

[crew]

SFO to LAX on the Starlight is pretty fantastic, if it's running on time. In April you will still have at least an hour of daylight while by the ocean, plus what is usually a pretty stunning sunset over the ocean. It will give you a sense of the wide open, rolling hills of central California. You might also get to see a bit of wildlife in the bays and ocean. But go coach, and save money to have a late dinner someplace in LA.

 

[brentrain17]

If time is no restraint I would highly recommend the train between NYC and Chicago. The best train would be "The Cardinal" which only runs 3 days a week. You will ride the NEC between NYC and Washington DC and through the New River gorge which is just beautiful. There is limited Sleeping Car space so book ASAP. Hope you have a great journey. (I have taken the Zephyr several times and it never disappoints)

 

[Bob Dylan]

:hi: Good Day Mate! Nice Trip!!!

I second taking the Cardinal (#51)from New York to Chicago (it's only a 3 Times a Week Train) over Driving or the other Rail Options: Capitol Ltd.(#29) from Washington (youd have to ride a Regional or Acela Express from New York to Washington) or the Lake Shore Ltd.(#49) from New York!)

The California Zephyr#5 Scenery is the Best in North America through Colorado and the Sierra Nevada Mountains between Reno and Sacramento! It will be Daylight from Denver to Grand Junction, Co and from Reno to Emeryville! The Desert (Utah/Nevada)and Prarie parts of this Route (Illinois to Denver) will come while you are Asleep so you wont miss much!

As to the Coast Starlight#11 from Emeryville (where the Zephyr ends across the bay from San Francisoc/you ride an Amtrak Bus to get to/from the City /the Scenery and the Train are not to be Missed! The Pacific Parlor Car, an Old tiem Santa Fe Lounge is THE Place to do this Trip and have your Lunch and dinner on the way to LA!!!

Please feel free to ask Questions, there are lots of knowlegable folks here who Like to help out with Info!

 

[SarahZ]

Oh my gosh, 100001! Your avatar! I love it!

 

[andersone]

You can't go wrong on the Cardinal, although it only runs three days a week. Not the most direct route, but definitely the prettiest. The CZ is the best ride in the country. Get up when you get to Denver and go have breakfast, the trip up to Moffatt tunnel, and the next two hours after that, are amazing. Donner Pass near Reno isn't hard on the eyes either

Relax and enjoy and tell mom you love her.

 

[chakk]

A stopover in Washington, D.C. in early April might net you a view of the Japanese cherry blossoms in bloom around the Jefferson Memorial.More details and a continually updated forecast of bloom dates can be found at http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/

 

[100001]

Thanks for all the awesome info! Pondering my plans for NYC-CHI now!

All further info is appreciated, please keep it coming!

(Glad my avatar was recognised!)

 

[Nathanael]

c) We'll be in NYC the week before we go to Chicago, and haven't yet planned on how we're going to get from NYC to Chicago we're currently considering driving, is that going to be wise? (weather?)

No. It would be miserable and dangerous.
First of all, you never ever ever want to drive anywhere in New York City or in about a 100 mile radius of it. The congestion will drive you nuts, as you crawl at 10 mph for 50 miles. In NYC you always take the subway, walk, take a taxi, take a train, or take a bus (in that order of preference).

Driving on the expressways in Chicago also sucks; everyone tailgates and it's quite dangerous. (The "surface roads" in Chicago are better.)

Second, NYC-Chicago is 789 miles on the shortest (and least interesting) road route, longer on any of the more interesting routes. Doing it in one day is a nightmare. It's longer than Sydney-Melbourne and comparable to Sydney-Adelaide. But with a lot more traffic than either. Sound like a fun drive? I don't think so.

Third, yes, the weather may be bad. We occasionally still get snow in the Great Lakes region in April, and if we don't, we may get torrential rain.

I've driven most of it (never all the way, I live 5 hours northwest of NYC) but I always stopped overnight at least once, and even then it was still a bloody slog. It's only fun to drive it if you plan to stop several times to sightsee, making it a three day (or more) trip.

Flying from NY to Chicago also sucks; all of the NY airports are an hour away from downtown, and so is the main Chicago airport.

Take the train.

Is there an interesting train routing you'd recommend? We're not super pressed for time, so we can explore interesting options. No problems flying either, but just feel like something more interesting this trip if possible!

There are at least two interesting train routings (and more less-interesting routings!)

The Cardinal from NY to Chicago isn't a very practical train due to the three-day-a-week schedule and very long running time, but it is a very interesting route to take in terms of scenery, giving you a slice of Virginia, a lot of West Virginia, and the Ohio River Valley. If the Cardinal works for your schedule, go for it!

If the Cardinal doesn't work for your schedule, the Lake Shore Limited from NY to Chicago is also an interesting route, and it runs daily on a reasonable-speed schedule -- leave in the afternoon, arrive in Chicago the next morning. I can *strongly* recommend the LSL from NY to Chicago.

The Lake Shore Limited runs through my home turf, upstate NY, which will look like nothing you have ever seen in Australia. (Though tourism season here is fall, when the leaves change colors.) The LSL also runs through Ohio and Indiana -- you'll see a grand view of the industrial side of Chicago in the morning approaching Chicago.

The only downside is that prices for rooms on the LSL can run high. They will probably cost more than the rooms from Chicago to Emeryville! (This is because they're more popular!)

Prices for rooms on the Cardinal can also run high, but for a different reason: the Cardinal has very few rooms, since it runs with only one sleeper car. (The LSL has two from NY to Chicago and another from Boston to Chicago.)

Since your schedule is flexible, you may want to look at Amsnag to find a "cheap" day.

http://biketrain.net/amsnag/amSnag.php

There's three other ways I know to get from NY to Chicago by train but I don't recommend them unless you want to stop over at another city.

Want to see DC? Take the Acela (or NE Regional) from NY to DC. Then take either the Capitol Limited or the Cardinal from DC to Chicago. (The Capitol Limited scenery from DC to Pittsburgh isn't that different from the scenery on the Cardinal and you get less of it, but it is quicker.) You can do this without staying overnight in DC, though you don't get that many hours.

Want to see Boston? Take the Acela or NE Regional to Boston, spend a day there, and then take the Lake Shore Limited from Boston to Chicago. (You can actually do this without staying the night, but you get only a couple of hours in Boston.)

Want to see Pittsburgh (I can't imagine why)? You can take the Pennsylvanian from NY through Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, and take the Capitol Limited to Chicago. The connection is at 1 AM, so this is only sensible if you want a day in Pittsburgh, which I don't particularly recommend.

I think that's all the sane options, though I could come up with some more if you wanted to see weird little places like Springfield, MA or New Haven, CT -- there are definitely a lot more intercity train options from the East Coast to Chicago than you get with trains out west of Chicago, or in Australia.

d) We're spending a week or so in San Francisco, before heading to LA to go home. We're currently considering taking the Coast Starlight from SF to LAX is this a worthwhile experience? Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome!

Yes. I enjoyed that particular route quite a lot. I think it's probably not worth spending money for a room on that route as it's during the day (...though I did spend the money on the room because my fiancee disagreed with me).

A few things you should know:

(1) There's a "Flyaway Bus" service direct from LA Union Station to LA Airport which runs very frequently 24 hours a day.

(2) Union Station in LA is worth seeing in and of itself. Spend some time checking it out.

(3) It may be worth spending a day seeing some stuff in LA. Contrary to its "car city" reputation, LA has a pretty good subway and local rail system and you can get to many of the tourist attractions with it. (LA also has a pretty darn good bus system -- don't be afraid to use the buses on Wilshire to see more tourist attractions.)

(4) You probably know this, but the Coast Starlight doesn't actually stop in San Francisco proper (due to the Bay), it stops in Emeryville. Amtrak provides a connecting bus to San Francisco with luggage service.

 

[100001]

Thanks, all!

We're going to take the train from NYP to CHI!

What do you guys think the weather will be like around then (the first week of April)? I noticed that the polar vortex is on its way back, and such.

Any other thoughts on our trip also still welcomed! You guys are amazing.

Thanks!

 

[SarahZ]

The first week of April will probably be cool and rainy. We aren't supposed to get above 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7-8 degrees Celsius), according the current model predictions. Spring is coming a bit late this year. I'd bring a warm jacket or raincoat and an umbrella.

Also, prepare for wind. Chicago is always pretty windy due to the proximity of Lake Michigan and the skyscrapers forming natural wind tunnels, but it's especially windy in April.

The city also gets a bit foggy on rainy, spring days due to the moisture combined with the cool air. You might not get perfect views of the skyline, so I really, really hope it's nice, sunny, and a bit warmer than predicted. If you're planning to visit the Sears Tower or Hancock Building observation decks, they'll often put signs up near the ticket agents warning if the view is obstructed by clouds or fog that day. It will say things like, "View = 5 miles" or "View = 1 mile".

Keep checking websites like Accuweather and Weather Underground. Hopefully, they're all wrong right now, and it will be warm and gorgeous that week!

 

[SarahZ]

Here's a good shot of April in Chicago:

And another:

 

[Bob Dylan]

Really nice Pics Sarah! And Chicago is a Fantastic Place when it isn't Winter!

 

[Nathanael]

A few points about train stations.

I've already mentioned LA Union -- worth looking at the main waiting room, the former restaurant, the gardens...

Chicago Union Station is going to look a bit cramped and grotty when you arrive, due to the demolition of a large part of it in the 1960s. Be sure to walk over to take a look at the *historic* part of it, the "Great Hall", which looks beautiful. I've met people who somehow never walked down the right hallway and never realized it was there.

NY Penn is unfortunately cramped and grotty all over.

If you're taking sleepers out of NY Penn, you get to use ClubAcela in NY Penn. You'll also get to use the "Metropolitan Lounge" in Chicago. Both alleviate the cramped waiting room environment quite a lot and improve the waiting-for-your-train-to-board experience.

 

[siberianmo]

Responding to our Aussie friend . . .

Without a doubt in my mind, the California Zephyr is the best of train travel in the U.S. in terms of scenery. I take the Chicago to Sacramento portion twice a year and have been doing that for several years. I cannot keep my eyes away for the spendid scenery, especially between Denver and the Sacramento Valley. It is just that good. Just the thought of climbing up into the High Sierras from Reno makes me want to book a trip - NOW!

Some thoughts:

I always book my bedroom in the last car of the consist and most times opt for the SuperLiner bedroom for the space. Although if traveling alone, a Roomette is fine as long as it is on the lower level. Why? More toilets and the only shower is down there. SuperLiner bedrooms are on the upper bedroom and have all the conveniences within. Anyway, the best of being in the last car is to have use of the vestibule window. Taking fotos through the glass - with lens right on it - makes for some memorable keepsakes.

When departing Denver be sure to take your vantage point on the starboard side - right for you land lubbers - as the scenes are something else as the train winds its way upward to elevation. Denver will appear as a mere dot on the landscape as tunnel after tunnel passes behind. Really great stuff.

The SightSeer Lounge is fine providing one can find a seat. So get into it early if that is your preference and enjoy the views.

Since I am new at this site, once I figure out the "How to's" I will post a foto or two from past trips aboard the Zephyr . . .

Good luck on your voyage!

Oh yes, the Coast Starlight is a fine trip as well - just only one night as opposed to two aboard the Zephyr. Hopefully the visibility will be good for you as the train passes by Mt. Shasta on the morning after departure from LA. Breathtaking to say the least.