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Location: [Home] [Train Travels] Vacation in Leavenworth, KS
Trip Segments: [New Haven to New York] [New York to Chicago]
[Chicago to Leavenworth]
[Adventures in Kansas and Missouri]
[Kansas City to Chicago] [Chicago to New York] [New York to New Haven]
The Southwest Chief's departure time from Kansas City was 7:58 am, which meant an early start for us from Jill and John's house in Leavenworth, but it also meant that they would be able to attend church services that morning. They had us at the station with about half an hour before departure. To my surprise the train was already on the platform; I hadn't realized that KC is a supply stop. We went looking for our sleeper car, which was the last one on the train (not counting several material handling boxcars which followed it). The conductor was able to direct us down the platform, but to my surprise there was no attendant at the car when we arrived; in fact, I was briefly confused as to which car was ours (we were in 0431, room 7). The other attendant straightened us out, and our own attendant soon found us. Apparently she had not known that we were joining the train there.
It was, after all, a rather short distance for sleeper accommodations in daylight. I had added the sleeper to our reservations after my trip to Erie, where I spent about the same amount of time in coach class. I had been reasonably comfortable, but I did not think Brendan would enjoy seven hours in coach very much. I didn't test it, but I'm sure I was right. Brendan really treasured the privacy of our own room.
We watched our departure from Kansas City from the windows of the dining car, where I had bacon and eggs and Brendan enjoyed a bowl of cereal. To each his own! There is a lot of rail action on the Kansas City Terminal Road to watch, some of which was beyond my knowledge to identify. Brendan settled in to color a "Wishbone" play set we had bought in KC, which kept him busy for some time while I watched the scenery and read.
As Brendan was finishing his work, which consisted of turning one entire surface of a "set" backdrop green, I realized that the water-soluble marker (no permanent markers for my kids) did not adhere terribly well to the coated surface of the paper. There was green ink on his hands, his arms nearly to the elbow, the surface of the table, and due to some swipes across his forehead, his face. Away we went to the washroom, where soap, water, and paper towels cleaned table, basin, and boy. I declared that coloring would have to be on paper for the rest of the trip.
Darkness had obscured much of the Mississippi River crossing on the trip west, but heading east we came to its banks in daylight. Brendan and I sat in the Sightseer Lounge car for the crossing, which is on the longest auto and railroad bridge in the nation. The cars travel above the tracks, and the bridge has a pivot section to allow barge traffic to pass. The Iowa shore had an old steam locomotive on display near a recreated nineteenth century fort.
As the train approached Chicago, I began seeing more of the city's Metra commuter service trains as we passed them. Some of the commuter stations are quite lovely, though the names passed so quickly I couldn't see them. I expect Chicago's system shares with Boston a mix of beautiful old stations and glass-sided bus stop shelters.
Our train's entrance to Union Station was interesting. We approached perpendicular to the entrance, then swung right and stopped. As I looked out the window toward the back, I realized that the boxcars behind us were being uncoupled, and sure enough we moved forward again in a few minutes. Then the train backed into the station as our conductor radioed instructions to the engineer from nearly outside our compartment. The movement was accompanied by the whoosh of an air hose which couldn't be shut off, but apparently didn't prevent use of the brakes. The car attendant's dismay at hearing it howl makes me think it's not supposed to do that.
Our arrival in Chicago was pretty close to on time, which meant we had about four hours before our departure on the east bound Lakeshore Limited. Brendan wanted some popcorn, so we got some for him, and I tried to call home to see how Evelyn and Rebekah were; then we decided to go take a walk. I noticed a baggage room near the main Amtrak waiting area, and thought I'd check to see if there was an alternative to the lockers. The information desk clerk directed me to the Metropolitan Lounge, where the attendant checked us in and pointed out the luggage area by the reception area. I was pleased no end--though nonplussed that I'd missed this on the trip out. With stickers marking our bags for train 48, Brendan and I set out to take another look at Chicago and stretch our legs a bit.
Now I really missed my AAA book, because I wanted to walk down to the lake shore if I could, and I didn't know where it was. My first thought was to walk along the Chicago River, but we had to parallel it one block over on Wacker Drive. We found the Lyric Opera, and Brendan was impressed to discover that Phantom of the Opera was playing--he knows the story from watching "Wishbone." We did not find Lake Michigan, however. At the bend in the river we decided we had gone out far enough and made our way back, this time on Franklin Street. I was pretty annoyed with myself later when I discovered that we had walked far enough to reach the lake shore, but parallel to it rather than towards it. Next time!
We spent the rest of our wait in the station, first with supper in the food court (Brendan had the tuna sandwich again) and then relaxing in the Metropolitan Lounge. We took the corner opposite the soda and coffee machines, which we both enjoyed; it also kept Brendan's play with his action figures from disturbing other folks in the lounge. I also appreciated the classy appearance of the rest rooms in comparison with the industrial quality of those elsewhere in the station.
I did notice an odd thing: there was a funny rumbling behind the wall, as if a great motor or furnace were running there. It didn't disturb us, however. About half an hour or so before boarding time, the staff called passengers for train 48 to the desk to check in with the conductor, who took our tickets and gave me a boarding pass. For some reason (I think it may have been holding for a late connection) the train would be leaving somewhat late.
We left the lounge from a door that led directly out to the platforms, and I discovered the source of the rumbling: an Amtrak Genesis engine sat idling on a track immediately behind where we had been sitting! We walked by it toward the waiting train, and looked for our sleeping car. It was, of course, far down the platform: the Boston section was at the back of the train, and the New York sleepers at the front. So we trundled our bags along.
Our car attendant was very helpful in getting us aboard and settled. He told me about the wine and cheese reception for First Class passengers that would begin shortly after departure in the dining car, and offered to keep an eye out for Brendan if I wanted to go. Since it was after Brendan's bedtime, I decided I'd do just that, and once Brendan was settled in his upper bunk (he liked the return of the windows there) and I had shown him the call button, I headed for the diner (the attendant also brought Brendan some packaged Oreo cookies). I sat with a father and daughter heading home to Boston, and enjoyed the little snack plate and a fairly good White Zinfandel. It must admit that it was not a substitute for a real dinner, but it made a pleasant snack. I was startled to look out the window into the darkness and see the flames rising from industrial plants' smokestacks in Whiting, Indiana.
Brendan was still awake when I got back, gleefully watching the passing lights out the window. I thanked the attendant and got ready for bed myself. The reading lights worked much better in this room, but the overhead night light did not. We both slept well through Indiana and Ohio, and back into Eastern Daylight Time.
In the morning we went for breakfast in the dining car, which was good as usual. I must say that the service on this trip was remarkably good; all the staff were efficient and friendly. Back in our room, we got to watch "Flubber" all the way through, to Brendan's great satisfaction. Later in the day we saw the end of "Mouse House." The attendant brought Brendan more crayons and coloring books, not to mention more Oreos, and was the most attentive to us of all the folks we'd seen on this trip.
At lunch we sat with another father and son; they were coming from a wrestling tournament in Ithaca, New York (Evelyn's home town!) where the son, who was ten, had been competing--and winning! They were returning to Washington, DC; they'd taken the train north a couple days before and rented a car in Syracuse. Possibly because of the other boy, Brendan was more talkative than he'd been. I don't remember what we ate.
Our room was on the north (left) side of the sleeping car, but fortunately there was nobody in the room across from us, so I could enjoy the scenery to the south, too. The view coming into Albany along the Erie Canal is really nice, and so is the view of the Hudson River coming south. Coming into New York City our attendant brought our luggage to the vestibule for us, which won my thanks yet again.
I'll briefly mention tips here: I learned after this trip that the National Association of Rail Passengers recommends a $5.00 tip per person per night. I'm glad I tipped at least that much, and in fact I tipped more; but that does seem fair to me.
In New York City, like Boston, you can leave your bags in the checked luggage area for a small fee. What I should have done was simply checked them to New Haven, which I would do next time. I certainly didn't need my heavy bag on the last two-hour leg of our trip! We were in somewhat early, so Brendan and I walked the couple blocks up to the Empire State Building, which he knew from "James and the Giant Peach," and went up to its observation deck. It's a funny process getting there, requiring trips down and up an escalator for the tickets, and then two separate elevators to the first deck, and another to the top deck! Unlike the Sears Tower, these decks are open, not inside the building. Brendan liked the southern and western sides, but the wind was blowing hard on the northern and eastern, which frightened him. The sheltered south side, however, allowed us to use one of those stand binoculars for a view of the Statue of Liberty. Brendan didn't want to go up to the highest deck.
Down from the Empire State Building, we had dinner at McDonalds (I guess that had to happen once on a vacation trip) and returned to Penn Station. We recovered our luggage and took our place in the central waiting area. I've learned since that we might have been able to use the Metropolitan Lounge as we had arrived on a First Class ticket, but I didn't check so I don't know. We left once to stand out in the gate area toward the train's boarding time, then returned when it was listed as late. About twenty minutes after its 6:30 pm departure, we finally boarded.
The train was very full, and we did not find two empty seats together. I did find two with one behind the other, but Brendan was pretty tired and wouldn't sit with a stranger, so he sat on my lap for the hour and forty minutes to New Haven. It didn't help that as I swung our bags up overhead that I bonked his head with the wheel of the cart. Ouch!
Our neighbor in the seat made this last leg of the journey a complete success; she was a young teacher (and a teacher of young elementary students), and she chatted merrily with Brendan and me, and we chatted merrily back--even Brendan, who had been pretty shy with strangers for most of the trip! We also talked a little about Rebekah, as her husband was a physician at one of the Boston hospitals.
Back in New Haven, we said good-bye to our friend and descended the stairs to the tunnel which connects the platforms, both pretty tired. Riding the escalator to the main waiting area, we found my brother and his wife waiting for us. They soon had us bundled into their car and we headed for home. Our rail journey halfway across the continent and back was over.
Here's some lessons I learned:
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