Chicago via Amtrak

St. Paul's Union Depot

A quick trip to Chicago to hang out with my friend Julie who was there on a business trip. The addition to the adventure was taking Amtrak both ways. Here is the video summary.

Rode the Empire Builder from St. Paul Union Depot to Chicago Union Station. The Empire Builder originates in Seattle, Washington so it is a longer train with sleeper cars, a dining car, and a vista car.

The Empire Builder was not completely full so I had a seat all to myself in a coach car. The train makes several stops between St. Paul and Chicago but only at Winona, MN are you allowed to get off, stretch your legs, and get some fresh air (though it is also a smoking stop).

I'd day 75% of the passengers in coach were Amish families. It was a relaxing ride and not much longer than driving yourself. In Minnesota, the train travels down the Mississippi River. I saw several bald eagles. You cross the Mississippi at La Crosse, Wisconsin then travel due east to Milwaukee.

I arrived in Chicago around 5pm and walked to the Hilton Hotel on Michigan Avenue where I met Julie. At dinner, I got to meet yet another one of Julie's cousins, Katie.

The next day while Julie was at her conference, I walked through Grant Park to the Shed Aquarium. It is huge. I really liked the Amazon River exhibit. There is huge tank for dolphins and separate tanks for beluga whales. The building sits out on a peninsula into Lake Michigan. This provides outstanding views of the Chicago skyline.

I debated about going to the Field Museum but after spending $50 to get in the Shed and the Field Museum is enormous, I decided to just wander back to the hotel for a nap. On the way back, I happened upon the Special Olympics Eternal Flame memorial. The sculpture was designed by Richard Hunt.

After my nap, I ventured into Grant Park hoping to get to Lake Michigan. The park was being set up for a huge event, Suenos, so a lot of the park was blocked off including access to Lake Michigan. I got over to the Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain, which is gorgeous.

Cloud Scape (The Bean)

After Julie's conference ended, we tried to go to Trader Vic's at the Palmer House only find out it closed down a decade or more ago. We walked over to Millennium Park to see Cloud Gate aka "the bean." A sculpture that gathers a crowd. The weather was perfect. From Millennium Park, we walked to the El to get to Second City to see Pandemonium, Please Hold. It was a fantastic show of improv and scripted pieces. There was one particular piece by Cat McDonnell that had Julie and I losing it.

I took the Amtrak Borealis back to St. Paul. The Borealis follows the same route as the Empire Builder (I thought they were slightly different routes).

The Borealis is a shorter train without a dining car nor a vista car and is all coach cars. Being shorter, you hear the train's whistle being blown at EVERY track crossing. There are A LOT of train crossings in Wisconsin.... A LOT. The Borealis was also sold out so I shared a row with another St. Paul-bound rider. There is a cafe car where you can get a meal or snacks to take back to your seat.

I would recommend taking the train but perhaps just one-way. It makes for a long day but if you have a book or crossword or work to do, it is better than the hassle of flying. The train stations at both ends are easy to get to and you certainly don't have to arrive super early for boarding. There is no security so boarding is simple. There is no wifi on the train but there is cell service the entire way except for a short tunnel in Wisconsin.

The video.