belated comment but I have also taken the Empire Builder and walked around in Minot, ND LOL
I went the opposite way as you, so it was sunset just as we were entering the Rockies and by the time it was morning, we were already almost in Portland :|
when I went to the sightseeing car someone immediately started talking to me about Hong Kong lmao
I heard that for a while after covid, only sleeping car passengers had access to the dining car! Eating at a dining car table with three random people is an awesome experience. Hopefully they let you try this out!
If you're into this stuff I'd highly recommend taking the local bus up the Oregon coast from SF to Seattle. Each bus is its own little community of locals and the conversations onboard are fascinating. You're forced to stop in all kinds of interesting small towns you would never otherwise see. The vibe is like an Amtrak train but both more communal and more temporary.
update i am currently on a 12 hour train to canada. not the overnight monstrosity ur doing but the route is scenic af and this is surprisingly relaxing
montana <3
lol another person who found this post 2 weeks late 👀
belated comment but I have also taken the Empire Builder and walked around in Minot, ND LOL
I went the opposite way as you, so it was sunset just as we were entering the Rockies and by the time it was morning, we were already almost in Portland :|
when I went to the sightseeing car someone immediately started talking to me about Hong Kong lmao
I heard that for a while after covid, only sleeping car passengers had access to the dining car! Eating at a dining car table with three random people is an awesome experience. Hopefully they let you try this out!
If you're into this stuff I'd highly recommend taking the local bus up the Oregon coast from SF to Seattle. Each bus is its own little community of locals and the conversations onboard are fascinating. You're forced to stop in all kinds of interesting small towns you would never otherwise see. The vibe is like an Amtrak train but both more communal and more temporary.
I love this.
I think this will likely make it to one of my favorite blog posts of all time. Bookmarking.
literally one of the lowest effort posts of all time but ok thanks
it's a really good guide. and i love trains.
plus, even if it's low effort in the moment, it's after you spent 100+ hours absorbing train information and thinking train thoughts
so cool maybe i'll have to try this
update i am currently on a 12 hour train to canada. not the overnight monstrosity ur doing but the route is scenic af and this is surprisingly relaxing
snapea crisps!! glad you had a lovely time. i’m hoping to do amtrak sometime soon :)