Long distance travel by train may have seen its glory days back in the middle of the century. We are now in an era where travel by air is much preferred by the current generation. Travelling by train, coast-to-coast, was not on my list, until a friend forwarded a post about how financially affordable, and a rewarding experience, it could be. I started scouring the Internet for more information about it, reading blogs shared by people who have done it, and a plan was made to do a coast-to-coast train journey. Some people may find this ridiculous and a complete … Continue reading Coast-To-Coast Train Travel – A Perspective.

Jan 8. Day 16. New York, New York. Here it is, the final stretch of the whole journey – aboard the Lakeshore Limited to New York. Woke up at around 7:30AM EST. Lost 1hr of sleep last night from CST to EST. Breakfast was uneventful – just a quiet solo meal at the table. It would be like this the whole trip – uneventful. The train does not have a lounge. I stayed in my cabin, staring at the window looking for interesting views to see. Before lunch, I took another shower to pass time. Lunch was quiet, dining alone … Continue reading Day 16. Homeward Bound

Jan 7. Empire Builder. Minneapolis to Chicago. Good morning. Woke up at St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN. I was not able to get some good sleep last night. I stayed in bed until we started moving again, so I missed whatever view from a glass window the city of Minneapolis had to offer. By 8AM, forced myself to get up for breakfast. I enjoyed my breakfast with an elderly couple coming home to Chicago from a visit to family in Seattle. It was, again, a very engaging conversation. Headed to the lounge car after breakfast to have a view of the frozen … Continue reading Day 15. Final Day To/At Chicago

Jan 6. Empire Builder. Montana to Minnesota. Good morning. Woke up this morning at Whitefish, MT, with the announcement from the dining crew that breakfast is now being served at the dining car. It’s 7AM and still dark outside. But once awake, there’s no reason to go back to sleep especially when hungry. Heading to the dining car, I saw Erica, our cabin attendant, and asked to undo the bed. Another very attentive-to-your-needs cabin attendant we have on this trip. Sat down with a father-and-daughter duo coming back to Minnesota from a skiing trip in Whitefish. Had a pleasant conversation … Continue reading Day 14. Scenes from Empire Builder

Jan 5. Day 13. Empire Builder – Seattle to Chicago. 3 Days. Today is the start of the journey back home, via the Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago on the Northwestern route, followed by the Shoreline Limited from Chicago to New York 2 days after. It’s cloudy, wet, with drizzle in the downtown Seattle area. Had my morning coffee in my room, prepared the bags for today’s trip, showered, and went for a walk and brunch – noodles at the nearby mall food court. Late lunch would be at the same place – again, noodles. The hot noodles make … Continue reading Day 13. Start of the Journey Back Home

Jan 4. Day 12. Seattle Downtown. The last 2 days, I spent with Ronald and family in Bremerton and Silverdale, catching up on stories of our lives. We talked about anything and everything that just pops up from our minds, from past memories to current events. Some funny, some had seriousness in them. This is how Day 11 went by. Jan 4. Today, Ronald and I left Bremerton for Seattle downtown before lunch. I would be staying in the downtown area for a night before the final trip back home tomorrow. Checked in at the Westin Seattle, with a special … Continue reading Day 12. Seattle Downtown

Dec 30. Day 7. Lombard Crooked Street.  And a Walk to Crissy Field. I only have 2 places to see today – Crissy Field and the Lombard Crooked Street. The Lombard Crooked Street is a popular local attraction in the area, and is on the way to Crissy Field by foot. It’s about a 4mi trek rom the hotel.  I wanted to see Crissy Field and scout the area for tomorrow’s event. It’s cold, cloudy, and wet today. Didn’t realize I would be traversing the hilly streets of San Francisco to get to Lombard Street. Just getting there was already a workout, … Continue reading Day 7. Lombard Crooked Street

Dec 29. Day 6. Japanese Tea Garden. Kinokuniya Building. SFO Airport. We have a very light, but tight schedule for today. We wanted to explore the Japanese Tea Garden and the Kinokuniya Building before heading to San Francisco Airport for Jackie’s flight back to New Jersey. We had an early breakfast, took the earliest hop-on, hop-off, bus ride to Golden Gate Park where the Japanese Tea Garden is. It was such a good decision not to skip this visit. The Japanese Tea Garden is a gem in San Francisco – a very calm and peaceful garden in a very busy world. … Continue reading Day 6. Japanese Tea Garden

Dec 28. Day 5. San Francisco. We arrived at the hotel in downtown San Francisco last night.  Checked in and went for a walk to find a place for dinner. We saw a big huddle of people in front of a small Japanese noodle house so we thought it must be good. We signed our names on the wait list. We had 2 big bowls of ramen noodles, and yes the wait was worth it. Jackie saw a you-tuber whom her friend follows. She took the courage to approach the guy and asked for a picture. That was funny and … Continue reading Day 5. Exploring San Francisco

Jan 2. Coast Starlight – Emeryville to Seattle. Last night, I boarded the Coast Starlight train from Emeryville, taking me to Seattle for the continuation of this adventure.  This is a 21hr trip.  I was so tired yesterday that I slept the moment I tucked in. This leg of the journey was also beautiful, but not as scenic as the California Zephyr one. I was given an upper deck sleeper this time.  This turned out better because the car we’re in experienced a water leak, making the bathrooms and shower in our car unavailable.  Some of the sleepers in the … Continue reading Day 10. Coast Starlight. EMY-SEA