Dec 25. Day 2. Chicago Union Station. We arrived in Chicago at 9:45AM CST, with a 4+hour layover before the California Zephyr leaves at 2PM bound to San Francisco. Part of the upgrade package we have on this trip is the access to the Amtrak Business Class waiting lounge, similar to Airline lounges at the airports. Free luggage storage is also included. We checked in our luggage and decided to visit the Skydeck at Willis Tower, aka Sears Tower. It’s a short walk from the station, on Adams street side. The Skydeck is a scenic view of the whole Chicago … Continue reading Day 2. Skydeck at Willis Tower

Dec 24. Day 1. New York to Chicago. The 1st day of the journey takes us from New York to Chicago, via the Shoreline Limited, a Viewliner train.  A Viewliner train is a single decker train with coach cars, sleeper cars, a dining car, and a lounge car.  It departs from NYPenn station at 3:40PM EST arriving in Chicago Union station at 9:45AM CST the following day, Christmas day. Coach seats on the Amtrak trains are similar to Business Class seats on airplanes, comfortable enough for long haul trips. Sleeper cars are upgrades which have rooms or cabins for families … Continue reading Day 1. Aboard the Lakeshore Limited