So, what was life like on an AMTRAK trip?
First off, each train trip is different. You have the day trips, where you get a chair and watch the scenery. You pay for your food and some of the time, you try to get into the lounge car, for the views. A very inexpensive way to travel, but in the world of COVID-19, not the safest one.
Our second trip on the Empire Builder, from St. Paul to Chicago, was like this.
Our first trip was a 2-day journey on the Empire Builder from Portland, Oregon to St. Paul, Minnesota in the Family Room. We had a window on each side of the train and couches throughout the entire room. My side was actually 2 chairs for kids and what I ended up doing, is that I had my feet up on the opposite chair. My daytime viewing was excellent. It was the night, that was a problem for me.
I didn’t realize when I booked the Family Room, that the side bed is substantially smaller than the adult bed. As in, a person needs to be 4′ 9″ or less, to be comfortable. It is for young children, not for adults. For the adults, you need to use the lower and upper bed, which is what we did the second time we booked the Family Room. During Covid-19 it ended up being a smart choice, because it only cost about $100 more than a Roomette and gave us so much more room to move around. My husband found that it was much easier to climb the ladder in the Family Room, too. A substantial improvement over the Roomette.
Next up. I will go into detail on the Roomette and the Bedroom. Stay Tuned for Part 2.
