The idea of spending one’s spring break wouldn’t be to ride the train cross country. They would depict a spring break trip being somewhere warm, by the beach, with a Corona with lime in hand. But this is the trip I have planned for over a year.

The idea came about in Fall 2020 when I was watching a video of Mike Downie of DownieLive spending 2 nights in the sleeper unit with his friend Will Edmond on the Empire Builder route from Chicago IL to Seattle WA. At that time, I have never been on a train aside from the one in Europe from Amsterdam to Paris in June 2015 so I was interested in it. And the best part is my parents were on board about me going on this trip by myself.

Embarkment

The day I embark on my very first overnight train ride, I left at 3:15pm to catch the train that leaves at close to 5pm. Personally, I’d love to leave earlier but thank God I left later in the day due to the laundry and things to do around the house. When that was done, I worked a bit on getting my clients’s Hawaiian honeymoon itinerary booked and log in the commissions so I can get payed. As I head off, I made sure the cat has food and water in her feeder and fountain and give her a loving farewell. After some transfers, I arrived at the Portland Union Station an hour before embarkment. After checking into the Metropolitan Lounge, I got settled to write a bit on this blog. When I arrived, it was crowded! But by the time the Coast Starlight train going north to Seattle rolls in, a quarter of the people in the lounge left.

*TRAVELER’S TIP* they have a space for your luggage in the lounge but I highly recommend not leaving it there if you’re one of those “out of sight, out of mind” folks. The last time I was in the lounge riding Business, I almost forgot my bag when embarking to Salem. So keep your bags near just to be safe.

When it’s time to embark, I had to ask the old man across from where I was seating if they said Chicago or train 28 because there’s no PA system or a visual announcement on the TV like they do at airports. It could’ve been great for some who is hard of hearing like myself. But getting on board is seamless, much more seamless than the last 2-3 train trips. It didn’t take long until I found my roomette. A year and a half of wanting to travel in a sleeper unit, I get to be in one! It’s just as small and as big as I thought; in other words, it’s perfect for just one person staying there. The room is quite cozy, the only downside of it is it’s next to a family unit where a family of 4, including kids, were staying. Like I don’t mind kids but they can be a little noisy.

*TRAVELER TIP* when sleeping in one of the sleeper units, please please PLEASE be courteous to your neighbors, especially when you got kids in your party. The train’s probably constructed about 40+ years ago and the walls and doors are thin. Like the kids in the family bedroom next door to me were being so loud that I had to go over there and tell them that they’re being loud.

As we pull out of the station, I started getting settled in my own room and enjoying the views from my room. Day one, the views are mostly of the Columbia River. Since I took the trip in mid-March, some trees are still bare while others are starting to bud and blossom.

*TRAVELER’S TIP* Bring your own snacks and bring healthy snacks. It’s much better for your wallet and your body. I recommend Quaker Oat squares, granola bars, chocolates, and maybe beef jerky. I promise you, you WILL get hungry in between meals.

For dinner, we didn’t have any food from the dining car due to it coming out of Seattle. So we had a modified menu which included the steak salad, chicken panini, and shrimp salad. I went for the steak salad and boy, that steak was killer! And the lemon bar was just as good.

The views along the Columbia River was the highlight of the first day. I have been to, swam in, and viewed the Columbia before but never have I ever taken a scenic view of the Columbia River before. Heck, I got the best sunset over the mountains and the river during dinner in my room!

After dinner at around 8 pm, my car attendant, Manny, came to my room for the turn down service. And that’s when I took advantage of the shower before bed.

*TRAVELER’S TIP* Do shower before bed, especially those who love to use the dryer in the morning after a shower. The outlet can handle around 120 volts and cannot handle the curling irons or the blowdryer. Do take a night shower, air dry or put it in a braid, and then the next morning you can dry shampoo it.

After a very hot shower, my room was turned down and made into a bed. And boy did Manny do a great job with it! It almost felt like a cruise when they turned it down. By 9:30 PST, I went to bed.

*TRAVELER’S TIP* Do bring an extra blanket with you. You’ll never know if you’ll get cold in your room. Especially in mid to late March when there’s still snow on the ground in a few places.

Day 2: The Rockies and the Great Plains

Woke up at around 5:30 PST still in Spokane WA. I later found out that the train from Seattle, containing a coach car and the dining car, got held up for 4 hours due to a broken down freight train, causing a four hour delay which we unfortunately did not recover from. Once we get moving, my best guess is everyone, including myself, gave a round of applause. As I edited (or attempt to make) the video, I got the best sunrise in Sandpoint ID.

For breakfast, I had a typical and simple American breakfast: eggs, bacon, potatoes, and a croissant along with a cup of black tea. The eggs were fantastic! I am always a fan of restaurant style scrambled eggs. The croissant and the potatoes were okay, the croissant was a bit on the dry side. But the views of the lake was outstanding!

The views of Idaho before reaching the Rockies reminds me of my homeland of Central Oregon from the “high desert” landscape to the views of the mountains.

*TRAVELER’S TIP* If you’re in a roomette by yourself, you can use the bunk bed as extra storage for your bags and clothes and other stuff so it doesn’t look cluttered or disorganized.

Back in the observation car, I get to enjoy the views of the Rockies coming up, draw a couple drawings involving my boyfriend Brennan, played some games on my phone and probably annoying the crap out of my mom and my boyfriend with very little cellular available.

*TRAVELER’S TIP* BRING STUFF TO DO!!! I cannot stress this enough because you will get bored and internet will be spotty, especially through the Rockies and the majority of Montana. Stuff to do like books, journals, drawing stuff, movies that were downloaded before the trip, and games on the phone that doesn’t require internet.

When I woke up from my nap, we were in Whitefish MO. I’ve heard of Whitefish; in fact, my favorite YouTubers Kara & Nate spent Nate’s birthday there learning how to ski last year. Whitefish almost reminds me of a small resort town like Sunriver OR.

As we climb up into the Rocky mountains, it was time for lunch. Since I was still full from breakfast, I chose the artisan grilled cheese sandwich. Not a whole lot to say about the meal in itself, just average.

Once we climbed down the mountains, we were in the Great Plains, which again reminds me of the vast landscape of the high desert in Bend. While I was in my room, I finished up some drawings that I haven’t finished earlier, finished up chapter 2 of my dad’s book Nigeria for a possible screenplay, and played some puzzle games on my phone such as Color Number and Water Sort.

The greatest thing about a trip like this is to rediscover what you like now versus what you liked then. For many years, screenwriting was something I enjoyed and wanted to pursue a career in. In fact during the Quarantine Spring of 2020, I spent my days writing screenplays and having the time of my life getting inside the story I was creating. Due to school and major life changes, I just couldn’t find any joy in screenwriting at the moment. As for drawing, it’s a hobby that I enjoyed and never got burned out, in fact life priorities get in the way of such art. So drawing is a great hobby to come back to time and time again and never get sick of or burnt out on. Finding therapy in such travel like this is always rewarding.

For dinner, I had made my reservation for 6:30 pm and lo and behold, I went to the dining car for dinner at 6:30 pm MST. I had an extravagant dinner, in fact one of the best dinners in a while. First I had some red wine to start off with, Dark Harvest Cabernet to be exact. Now I’m not a huge red wine fan, but this is good, let alone this being my first glass of wine outside of Oregon.

*TRAVELER’S TIP* If you want a glass of wine or a bottle of Corona and don’t want to pay the $7.50 for it, have it for free during dinner! I asked the waiter and they said you don’t have to pay for it during dinner.

The appetizer is the crab cake. I am a massive fan of crab cake since trying it for the first time on the river cruise in Europe. And yet, the crab cake did not disappoint.

And to pair it well with the Cabernet, I had the steak, medium rare, and that was delicious. I couldn’t help but think of my boyfriend because he loves steak. And no steak is paired well than baked potatoes. Overall the entree is delicious and I’m still thinking about that steak as I’m writing about it.

The grand finale of this delicious meal is the flourless chocolate cake. Now I’m not a huge fan of cake alone but the chocolate ganache on top takes it to a whole ‘nother level.

After a luxurious and delicious dinner, I hung out in the observation car for a bit to enjoy the sunset before heading back into my room to get ready for bed.

As I was about to get snugged into to go to bed, I got the worst stomach ache you can imagine. Now as a woman, I could handle such pain but being human I couldn’t handle it for very long. So I tried different methods such as acupressure to try and eliminate the pain but eventually Ibuprofen wins yet again and fell asleep.

Day 3 & 4: the final stretch

Woke up to the announcements about breakfast and other sorts as we passed Fargo ND. I was still not feeling great from last night’s stomachache but it feels like I had what my mom calls it a “meat knot”. Since I wasn’t that hungry, I only had french toast, a cup of tea and some apple juice to go so I could take my medications without burning the roof of my mouth out.

As for lunch, I only had a sprite to go and stole some extra lifesavers from the sleeper car, but it worked for my stomach. After my room was “turned up” I tipped Manny because he’s the best. The rest of the afternoon, I stayed in my room because I was physically and emotionally unwell to the point of tears the majority of the afternoon. At a given point while calling mom and Brennan at separate times, we were crossing the Mississippi River. Now that’s cool! Could’ve taken some pictures but the train was too fast on me. We didn’t arrive to Chicago Union Station until quarter to eight. Man I was antsy to get off that train! While waiting for my Lyft, I called up Brennan as I take in the midwestern breeze and admire the environment surrounding it.

Once I got into the Lyft and arrived in my room, I got settled in, took a bath, ordered a calzone, watched some Youtube and knocked out after a long day.

The next morning, I woke up to symptoms of hay fever. After a bit of investigating, it was the bed that makes me sneeze and irritate my throat. I later found out it’s the chemicals the cleaning guys used on the bed. After getting ready, I went down to the breakfast lounge at around 9 am CST to see they have closed. So for plan B, I packed up, checked out, and walked over to the nearest breakfast spot which happens to be Lulu Belle up the street. I ordered some pancakes that were absolutely delicious and after breakfast I ordered a Lyft to the airport. I personally have never been to the O’Hare airport and it’s surprisingly nice. We had a 4 hour flight from Chicago to Seattle; and during the flight, the girl next to me was watching the film version of the broadway hit show Dear Evan Hansen and I pointed it out that it’s my boyfriend’s favorite musical and “our song” was in that movie.

Once we landed, I had about an hour layover, had a snack and texted Brennan about more details of my arrival. The plane we boarded from Seattle to Portland is almost a newer plane, it’s like the lovechild of a Boeing and one of those propeller passenger planes. The whole ride was like a drag due to wanting to get home so bad.

Once we landed, I rushed to the meeting spot I was supposed to meet Brennan at. As I was calling him to be like where are you, he was like “I can see you dumbass get off the phone.” I couldn’t help but laugh. After getting my stuff loaded up and a kiss to welcome me home, he drove me home and dropped me off and said see you tomorrow (the next day was our one year anniversary). As I walked into my apartment, my cat was all over me, loving on me, meowing, and boy does she miss her mama!

Now the big question is: would I do it again? Well, yes and no. Yes because I get to see the country in a different way and see landscapes I have never seen before in my life. No because of the 4 hour delay (Amtrak time amiright?) and the anxiety of getting bored or becoming bored. Now don’t get me wrong, this trip is perfect for those who want to travel for the first time without the hassle of traveling or the expense that comes with it. And it’s the perfect first solo trip for any college student or “fresh out of college” kids wanting to go on an adventure.

Now where would you like to go on train?