First Time Rider: NYC to CHI, Capitol v Lakeshore

[Ryan]

It should be.

Also, the baggage thing is being made out to be a lot more difficult than it needs to be.

When you show up at NYP, check the bag through to San Antonio. If you want to get it in Chicago for some reason, you can short check it to there. It will most likely travel on the LSL, but that doesn't really matter to you. It'll be there when you get there. Just carry enough on the train with you for the trip.

That said, I'd strongly recommend taking the Lakeshore Limited. The scenery leaving New York and running up the Hudson is AWESOME. Plus, someone above mentioned that the LSL is single level equipment, different than that of the 2-level Superliner equipment that you'll take on the Eagle. Experience them both for yourself, and see which you prefer. There are some differences, but different people have differing opinions over which is better.

The run down the NEC to WAS is "meh" at best, and the good parts of the scenery on the Capitol Limited are at night running westbound.

 

[neroden]

If you have the time, the Cardinal is the most scenic route. Let me guess: the days of the week don't work for you. (That's why I never take it; it doesn't run daily.)

 

[TexasBorn]

LOL thats exactly why.

The day I'm leaving New York it isn't running

 

[SubwayNut]

If you book it Multi-City (as long as the Regionals are still at low-buckets) you'll still pay the same, low through fare for your entire trip and not the $50 or $80 to get between NYP-WAS as long as your layover is under 23.5 hours.

For example, at the end of last year I took the train home from CHS (flew down the day a credit I had on Southwest Airlines expired) I took the Palmetto Northbound and spent 23.5 hours in DC. Total cost of the train leg was $120 (the NYP-CHS Fare) had I spent just one more hour it would have been something like $197 minimum, $107 For CHS-WAS, and $81 for WAS-NYP (this trip was booked a week before departure).