11/11/25
This will be a short post, mostly photos. I’m here in Virginia, about to wrap up a lovely week and a half with my parents. (Photos from this beautiful place in the next post!)
But for now, please enjoy these views from Chicago to Washington.
Here in the east, Amtrak switches from the beautiful double-decker Superliner trains of the west to the single-level Viewliners. This is because of old rail tunnels here in the east that cannot accommodate the height of the Superliners.
Understandable, but sad for me, because Viewliners lack the wonderful sightseer lounge car. They do have a lounge car, but seating is much more limited, making it much more difficult to strike up a conversation. The Viewliners also don’t have luggage racks in the sleeper accommodations, so for the first time ever (not sure how I avoided this in my year of travels, since I did take several Viewliners) I ended up having to scrunch my bike into my little roomette with me! Fortunately there was a strap to attach luggage to the wall, so I didn’t have to worry (too much) about it crashing over and falling onto me during the night. (I did check the trailer into the baggage car–no way that would have fit into the roomette!)
Lastly, some Viewliner cars—including this one—have a toilet and sink right in the roomette. This can be more convenient than traipsing down the hall for these amenities, but I don’t really like having that plumbing right next to my seat or bed.
One bright spot: I found the dining car on this train to be more “fancy” and cool than the more modern and streamlined ones on the Superliners. I enjoyed my evening meal and conversation in this dining car.
And I still got lots of lovely views from my seat in the roomette. We boarded in the evening in Chicago, and arrived in DC in the early afternoon.
I love the architecture both inside and out of the DC Union Station. I think it may be the most beautiful Amtrak station in the country.
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