it's awesome that you take it just to experience the journey! i was on the zephyr to move from denver to chicago last month and it was insane how friendly everyone on the train was. it felt like a window back to what community in america might've felt like in the 2000s. there was a kid from germany, like 12 amish, young people from across the midwest, people coming from burning man, and a few elites from aspen. everyone opened up so easily despite initial appearances and i taught the whole group to play ERS. i was surprised bc i took the northeast regional train to move from alexandria, virginia to boston three years ago and did not speak to a soul on the trip. amtrak is hella underrated esp if you max out their luggage policy (i have my bike + 2 large check-ins, my backpack, and a duffel bag) and if you get nice passengers, the trip can be so much fun. glad other people are enjoying its existence too despite the country's sad investment in train culture.
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
snapea crisps!! glad you had a lovely time. i’m hoping to do amtrak sometime soon :)
it's awesome that you take it just to experience the journey! i was on the zephyr to move from denver to chicago last month and it was insane how friendly everyone on the train was. it felt like a window back to what community in america might've felt like in the 2000s. there was a kid from germany, like 12 amish, young people from across the midwest, people coming from burning man, and a few elites from aspen. everyone opened up so easily despite initial appearances and i taught the whole group to play ERS. i was surprised bc i took the northeast regional train to move from alexandria, virginia to boston three years ago and did not speak to a soul on the trip. amtrak is hella underrated esp if you max out their luggage policy (i have my bike + 2 large check-ins, my backpack, and a duffel bag) and if you get nice passengers, the trip can be so much fun. glad other people are enjoying its existence too despite the country's sad investment in train culture.
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.