Im heading out to Chicago again at the end of march for week for work and I was shopping for flights and while I was doing that a video popped up in my feed about trains. So here’s the thing - for the same price as flying I could get a roomette on the amtrak that leaves from SLC and drops me off pretty much at my hotel. The upside is 7 meals, fun views, a new experience and no real loss of work time since I can take it all with me and work as the world passes by.
The downside is that it would be ~35 hours on an Amtrak. They are old trains and not in tip top shape.
To help you into my mind - I’m not particular or persnickety - So long as it’s clean [enough] and I can sleep I couldn’t really care less about the details. Im also the type that wouldn’t get bored with this type of thing: The solitude, frankly, sounds super appealing. To be clear there is no way in hell I’m doing this in coach, but in a roomette, which is a room with a bed in the very loosest sense, but it would be private.
I would fly home. I would board at 330 AM, sleep until green river and take the pretty part of the trip through the mountains in the morning, then sleep again through most of the dull bits on the center of the country.
Anyone done the cross country Amtrak? Thoughts?