I am looking at riding the LSL (as I see you all calling it) in August. I am a first timer as long as I don’t count a trip 30 years ago from DET to CHI which frankly I don’t remember much. I am a plane traveler but was intrigued by the idea of rail travel after listening to a friend of my talk about his Acela trips and his New Orleans trip last year. So of course, it’s cheaper, I can even afford a car this way instead of being picked up. I would be traveling coach, the room $ makes flight cheaper so I can’t do that this time. I can usually sleep anywhere so that doesn’t concern me. Anyway, I am boarding in Worcester, MA to Albany through to Chicago. Then I plan on taking Hiawatha up to Milwaukee and grabbing a car downtown for the balance of my journey up to Door County, WI. I debated a bus to Green Bay and then to get picked up, but as I said, the car fit the budget.
I was wondering if anyone had any tips for my journey. I wondered about baggage, I usually travel light, but if I spend some hours in Chi-town, is there somewhere to leave my bag that’s safe? Should I worry about theft while I am asleep? What supplies do people find the best to bring? Which cars do people spend time in (especially if you travel solo). I guess I am wondering how it all works. I am excited to try this new (old) way of travel. Anything anyone can tell me would be appreciated.
About 10 years ago I rode the Lake Shore Limited (LSL) from Springfield to Chicago. I had a coach to Albany and a roomette from Albany to Chicago. I took the LSL from New York City to Chicago in 2006. I had a roomette.
Westbound the train leaves Worcester at 1:03 p.m. It gets to Albany at 5:35 p.m. and departs for Chicago at 7:05 p.m. It is due into Chicago at 9:45 a.m. Eastbound the train leaves Chicago at 10:00 p.m., and it arrives in Worcester at 8:16 p.m.
The train has limited food service between Boston and Albany. I recommend having lunch before you get on the train. Between Albany and Chicago the LSL has casual dinning service. I believe this means that you order your meal at a counter and then take it to a table. This is not as swish as the full service diner that ran on the train when I last rode it, but eating on any type of dinning car is an experience to be enjoyed, especially with a glass of wine or two. Accordingly, I would plan to have diner and breakfast on the train. You can see a sample menu at http://www.amtrak.com/. Click on the Traveling with Amtrak tab and follow the steps to see the sample menu. Under the same tab, by the way, is general information about what to expect on the train.
I believe the café car (casual diner) has a section to visit with fellow travelers. This is where people would gather for a chat after dinner, etc. One of the pleasures of traveling by train is meeting people from many parts of the U.S., indeed, many parts of the world. Given the weak dollar, the U.S. is entertaining a lot of overseas visitors this year. And some of them love to travel by train.
I recommend taking plenty of reading material. It will be dark within an hour or so after leaving Albany, so you will want to have something to read unless you hit the sack very early. Seeing out of the train at night w
I found that there is a Hertz rental .4 miles from the station in downtown Milwaukee with cheaper cars than the airport, coupled with the AAA discount and the Amtrak partnering with Hertz it seems like a good bet.
My other option is to spend time in Chicago on the way back. The train doesn’t leave until 10pm so if I head to Milwaukee early I would have time to kill.
Obviously my big concern is the 2 days of travel, but I suppose that is part of the fun… I just found an airfare that is making me question my rail decision and I am going back and forth. It’s hard to be commited on something one has never done before.
Anyway, thank you for your input, greatly appreciated.
I would urge you to try the train, and this seems to be a good opportunity to do so. Folks react differently, and it is possible you will find it not to your taste. However, as airline service (can you say airline service with a straight face) continues to deteriorate, I think increasing numbers of people are going to find it a better alternative.
(another thought added) Union Station in Chicago functionally is a commuter station buried in the basement of a high rise. I suppose it works fine for that purpose but is hardly a civic monument. However, find a station map and go to the area marked “Great Hall”. This is the 1920’s Union Station, from the era of grand public spaces; and it is worth seeing.
I would definitely check that out. I believe it is a Burnham and Root design. I am a big fan of that neoclassical style from the 1900’s. I read Devil in the White City recently which parallels Burnham’s architectural marvels of the 1893 World Expo in Chicago (the Science and Industry Building is the only remaining structure from the expo). If I have time therea are a few things I will check out there… We have our own grand hall here in Worcester. They recently renovated our Union Station (10 yrs ago). Here are some shots I took…
The “old” part of Chicago Union Station, I’ve read, is the largest enclosed space in downtown Chicago. Not the biggest volume building (that would probably be the Merchandise Mart), but the indoor open space with the largest volume.
Both Chicago and Milwaukee station should have lockers to store stuff. Just came back from Door County yesterday. I had no problem at all finding parking spaces in Egg Harbor, Fish Creek or Sister Bay. The ferry to Washington Island on Saturday was so busy they put extra ferries on. Ate both nights in Baileys Harbor and got seated at 6:30PM without a reservation both nights in two different restaurants. The gas price is keeping sufficient people away that it was realy pleasant there this time with little traffic.
