Chicago to Emeryville on Zephyr

[zephyr17]

Restating my dislike for the overall design of the Superliners.

Congratulations for toughing it out for 41 years since 1980, then.

 

[Crystal]

I did the Zephyr last November and loved it.
I suspect you will too. It’s a Beautiful route especially on day two through the Rockies. Make sure after Denver you get a seat in the lounge car early, as it will fill up, and there is a lot you will want to see.

at Denver, the stop is close to an hour, so there might be time to explore a really beautiful station! I loved it.

Now that Amtrak has upgraded It’s dining on western trains, your experience should be much better than mine was. The menu looks great!

everything Cal mentioned is on point.
I had wonderful staff during my trip. Very friendly, and really tried to get to know us through the time on board.

Hi, I'm taking Chicago to Emeryville in ten days and this may be a silly question but are there sides to sit on in the Lounge Car? If so, which side is recommended on the trip going west?

 

[Tlcooper44]

Hi, I'm taking Chicago to Emeryville in ten days and this may be a silly question but are there sides to sit on in the Lounge Car? If so, which side is recommended on the trip going west?

There are sides to sit on, and honestly, there will be better sides at various different moments in the trip. I think they are about equal.

 

[Rasputin]

You could go dizzy trying to do this stuff. I would say that leaving Denver going west, it is better to sit on the right side but then a few hours later along the Colorado River it is better to sit on the left side, until of course the train crosses the river and then it is better to sit on the right side again and then the next day approaching Donner Summit it is probably better to be on the right side. So I don't think there is a wrong side but you just try to go with the flow and if you need to, stand up to get a better view if you are not on the optimum side. I realize this is as clear as mud and I hope you have a great trip. Whichever side you are on, the scenery is usually great.

 

[Cal]

Whichever side you are on, the scenery is usually great.

I beg to differ, when going through a canyon one side will have a stunning view while the other one will be staring at a wall of rock. Although to some it might be interesting to see the form and detail up close, most would probably go for the the other side.

 

[zephyr17]

The nice thing about the lounge car is you can look out of both sides from most seats. Some of those close to the middle of the car have the view to the other side blocked by the old, never-staffed, drink station and the stair entrance though.

 

[BoulderCO]

Also, in the lounge car, you can move around as you wish. Rarely would you sit in the same chair on the same side all day. The windows are large enough that you will see plenty of both sides. Most people will want to come and go from the car and just select whatever seat is available.