Catch Up! The Route

The impetus for my spring break trip was two fold: 1) a train adventure and 2) to visit as much of Seattle as I could.

To the first goal, I planned a trip that would utilize 5 of Amtrak's signature lines, would begin in Washington, DC and cross the northern tier of states on the way out to Seattle, then take a more central pathway back across the country east to Washington, DC.  The only common element was Chicago.  In this map of the route I highlight some of the major cities I would travel through and the color of the route indicates day versus night travel.  As you can see, I am spending three nights on trains on the way out and four nights on trains on the way home.

I chose a roommette on the first class sleeper cars and these are the positions on my roommettes on the particular trains.  First Class also meant that all of my meals were included.

And the various menu offerings really looked intriguing.  Because I was traveling alone, I would be seated with other guests randomly at meals in the dining car OR I could have the car attendant deliver my meals to me in my roommette--a very lovely option at times.

My adventure began around 4 PM on Wednesday, March 23 on the Capital Limited from DC to Chicago....  My car attendant was Carlos who was very even toned speaker who had such an infectiously calm demeanor.