across America by train

We arrived at the Emeryville station around 8am (one hour before the train departure). As soon as the train arrived at the station, we quickly gathered our things and located our car number.

We were greeted by our car attendant who walked us to our room and gave us the low-down.

This day would begin in San Francisco (at 9am) and end in Salt Lake City (at 3am). By the time we got settled into our room it was lunch time, so we headed to the dining car.

We ordered chiliqules (which were honestly better than anticipated) and wine, of course. After lunch we spent the rest of the day in the observation car.

The California Zephyr is noted as the most scenic train trip in North America. Along the route you experience some of the greatest scenic views in America, including the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevadas, Moffat Tunnel, Colorado’s Gore, Truckee River, Donner Lake, and the Carquinez Strait. This being said, the observation cart is the best place to spend the majority of your trip.

Around 6pm, Jessi and I headed to the dining car and made reservations for dinner. When we got to dinner, we were sat with the sweetest couple, Joey and Georgia. Get this....they met 60 years ago on THIS train trip and have been together ever since!

After dinner we decided to head straight to bed...but not before grabbing a bottle of wine to take back with us of course.

After a good night’s sleep, we woke up on the border of Utah and Colorado. While Jessi slept in, I went to the dining car for some breakfast and coffee.

The menu is pretty extensive for a train, offering pancakes, omelettes, bagels, etc. After eating breakfast, I went back to the room to relax and listen to my favorite podcast (shouts out Girls Gotta Eat).

After a couple of hours in the room, we realized that we were heading toward Grand Junction, CO, so we made our way toward the observation car.

This day of the trip was my absolute favorite...we journeyed through Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Denver. The pictures don’t even do it justice.

After spending a decent amount of time in the observation car, we decided to grab lunch.

After lunch we spent the rest of the day moving between the observation car and our room.

Views from the Observation Cart.

We went to dinner and ordered the same thing as the night before because we enjoyed it so much (it was chicken, rice, and green beans). Finished up dinner, grabbed some whiskey and gin “miniatures”, and went back to the room.

*Thank goodness for the car attendants who turn down the room overnight, it’s nice to just be able to get in bed and not have to worry about setting them up!*

Today we woke up in Osceola, Iowa. Please do not take offense when I say this, but this leg of the trip (from Osceola to Chicago) was the most boring part of the trip. I mean, nothing really could compare to the scenery we saw the day before.

We grabbed our coffee, sat in our room until lunch, went to lunch, and then went back to the room. This day would be a great day to get work done if you have any!

After a couple of hours in the room, we realized that we were heading toward Grand Junction, CO, so we made our way toward the observation car.

We ordered some bloody mary’s and chatted for a while about who knows what. Before we knew it, we had arrived in Chicago!

We had the option to hop on the next train to New York, but decided we needed a break from the train (and a really good shower if I’m being completely honest).

We checked into the Loews Hotel in Chicago and got ready for dinner.

For dinner, we opted for some Chicago deep dish pizza at the Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder Co. The two hour wait for this was WELL worth it, so if you are ever in Chicago make this a priority.

Following dinner we headed back to the hotel to get some rest. Of course, we had to stop at the lobby bar for some red wine before bed. We made friends with Cheryl (pictured above), who loves wine almost as much as we do. After a few glasses with Cheryl, we decided to call it a night. Bring on Day Four!

We spent the first half of the day exploring Chicago. I will have a Chicago Travel Guide posted soon, so stay tuned!

After hopping around Chicago, we made our way back to Union Station. To get from Chicago to New York, you will take the Lake Shore Limited. The duration of the trip is approximately 21 hours (9 of which are overnight).

When we got on the train, we were greeted by the car attendant and shown to our room. This leg of the trip is shorter than the previous one, so we opted for the smaller room.

The “roomette” on this particular train had a toilet and sink located within the room (not separated from the beds). So basically, the toilet sits next to the foot of the bottom bunk.

*Disclaimer: Not all Amtrak train cars are the same. Some “roomettes” will not have a toilet/sink in the room, but will have a bathroom that is shared by others in the same car.*

To be honest, this leg of the trip was the least interesting/impressive. There wasn’t an observation car, the dining car was more of a snack bar, and there weren’t a whole lot of things to look at outside. If you are doing this train trip for the scenic experience, then you should think about maybe just taking the Zephyr from SF to Denver. But if doing the “train trip across America” is on your bucket list, then you are going to just have to stick this part out.

After scrolling through TikTok for about 5 hours, WE FINALLY ARRIVED in New York! We hopped off the train, called an Uber, and were on our way to Times Square for New Year’s Eve.

Overall, I had an AMAZING time doing this trip. I highly recommend that everyone does this trip at least once in their lifetime, there really is nothing quite like it.