I have crossed the country on Amtrak a couple of times. I love the Chicago/SF trip. The roomettes are certainly cozy, but you have just enough time on the train. You get to meet people in the dining room and also on the breaks when you go outside and chat with them. The hard working crews are pleasant and helpful. Traveling along with your video brought back what a wonderful feeling - the beauty and the bigness of this country. You don't get that when you fly.
I agree with you on the pleasure of talking with strangers from various backgrounds. There are a lot of seasoned travelers in the sleeper cars and it's fun to swap stories.
I rode the California Zephyr from Chicago to Sacramento in 1952. I was 4 years old then. I can still remember the smell of the dining car. It was winter time so crossed the sierra's through the many snow sheds. I have always wanted to relive that ride.
I went from Chicago to Klamath Falls Oregon. It was the trip of a lifetime; magnificent. Nowt,ten years later I hope to go from California to Chicago, my home town. Thanks for this video.
I really appreciate the format of the video: no words or focus on yourself, well filmed and edited, with authentic sounds and emulates actual experience more than any other person's train trip videos that I've seen. This is the first time I've seen one of yours. I've taken many long Amtrak trips across US, and miss the train since Covid began. Your video brought back the feeling of the trip. I look forward to watching more of your videos. Not sure what you were asking about combining or keeping separate, but I'd like to view separate videos for each train route. Would be great if you recorded round trip, since different scenery available during waking hrs, and to compare/confirm experience.
Thanks for the kind words, Reenah. Most of my trips are one-way but I hope to offer other videos in the future similar to what you're suggesting. I'm thinking maybe the California Zephyr westbound during the winter.
I started the channel two months ago and only have the two videos so far. My goal is to release about one per month. I already have two more recorded and simply need to edit them. Please feel free to subscribe and turn on notifications if you'd like to see them as soon as they're released.
Great video! I just completed a round trip on the Zephyr in April and about the nicest compliments I can make are we arrived ahead of schedule on both trips and the scenery was incredible! I rode this same route thirty years ago and it was amazing! However,this time I found the train to be filthy! Not only that,but there was a very unpleasant odor in the sleeper cars and finding a room attendant was difficult. Meals were served Luke warm and on our last days lunch was served from ten thirty until eleven thirty. Many did not get to eat. We had only one section of the trip with any sort of tour guide and that was it. I will go on another trip ,however I was very disappointed on the lack of service on this trip.
Thanks for the thorough feedback from your trip. I'd agree that the cleanliness and service is very dependent on the car attendant who's tied to your room throughout the journey. This might have been one of the older sleeper cars as well. I believe they only have a volunteer docent in the view car between Sacramento and maybe Reno? Short meals can be a possibility when there's a final stop soon. Sorry you didn't enjoy it more but I'm glad you liked the scenery.
Thanks for sharing this trip - fantastic views of the west (all those states I have yet to visit between the coasts). Greatly appreciated you letting us enjoy the ambient sounds and your written commentary vs verbal narration. Made it that much more relaxing.
Did this trip on the original CZ. Remember much of it to this day. Train was classic luxury. Scenery was breathtaking. The Vista Dome cars offered an amazing 360 degree view experience.
Thank you for taking us along for the trip... loved the scenery! Fun fact: I know the "clown" Martin, he's been a friend of ours for quite a long time. He's just as humorous in real life, besides being on the train.
@@thebayrambler it is a great ride but it is a premium train that costs $$$$ All our "great train journeys" now are, the Ghan, the Indian Pacific and the Great Southern. I will say having done the Ghan it is a brilliant trip and the food and service are next level in general so I guess you get what you pay for but you do pay for it! 🤣
Except for an hour or so long coach seat ride between Sacto and Stockton a few months ago, my anticipated trip next summer will be my first ride on Amtrak. I have no idea where or exactly when I'm going -- the concert schedule for June-July isn't set yet -- but videos like this make me really look forward to the experience. I want to make my 65th birthday an amazing experience, and Amtrak and Home Free will certainly make it so. Even if the guys have no shows or go out of the country, I think the beautiful views alone will make it special.
@@AlphaGeekgirl I fell in love with the a cappella group Home Free almost 3 years ago and it took me almost a year to decide to go see them live, then find a convenient venue that had available seats since they were all a hold over from the tour that go interrupted by covid. I flew to Canada for my first show and got Greyhound tickets for the next two shows in California. I never made it to the first show because the damn bus NEVER SHOWED UP. I cancelled the bus ticket for the next one and wet by Amtrak instead. Stateline, NV, Omaha, NE, and Denver, CO held my next three shows, the last one just 3 weeks ago, and I traveled by Amtrak and the rides were wonderful. Much more comfortable and with fabulous views.
Loved the suite, the piano room and the carriage at the end...the Eunos island was a surprise..interesting food ...thanks you tube for these lovely times
I also have taken the Amtrak and used the roomette. Was ok for one person. I would suggest taking a pair of flip flops for when you have to go to the restroom in the middle of the night. On the down side I took the train in August 2021 and nine days later had covid. But, I would do it again in a heart beat. Great video.
I recently took a trip around the country on Amtrak. The westbound Sunset Limited from New Orleans arrived in Los Angeles 7 hours late, but on the other hand, the eastbound Empire Builder from Seattle arrived in Chicago less than 20 minutes late, so you can never tell. I rode roomettes on both trains and on one of them, the bathrooms were bigger. On other trains I traveled in coach and found noise-cancelling headphones to be a must. The food was quite good, though I wish that different trains had different choices related to the regions they travel in, and all the Amtrak personnel were friendly and helpful.
Thanks, James, that's helpful. I tried to keep noise levels accurate in my video. The roomette was really quiet. I agree noise-canceling headphones are useful when stuck in a designated seat in coach. You never know who will be making noise nearby.
We've just done this trip last month first class from Emeryville to Chicago it was excellent. We even had "Mooners" on the upper reaches of the Colorado River. Very entertaining. LOL
Good videography! Thanks for presenting your trip. However you did not show many beautiful and historic landscapes. I did not see any video of the Sierra Nevada route. I have ridden the Zephyr both ways many times and have enjoyed every one of them. If someone wants to make the trip, book a Roomette. This offers an opportunity to take rest breaks during the journey, and riders can visit the lounges or dining and food cars, and meet and greet fellow travelers. And if you have sufficient funds, a full bedroom is the best! That way you can take your family!
You're right, some areas weren't represented as well as others. In the case of the Sierra Nevadas, some of that came down to the afternoon sun hitting dirty windows. The footage wasn't good enough to use.
@@thebayrambler I did have a portable DVD player for nights but she enjoyed watching the scenery. Plus we played UNO a lot, even with some Amish teenagers. And she met a couple girls her age from South Korea. They spoke no English but they made it work, even building a snowman at the Frasier stop.
Thanks for noticing the editing. It's not the hardest I've done, but was surprisingly difficult with three days' footage and trying to color grade changing light through the train's window wraps.
@@thebayrambler was very skilled, and also tight in the sense of every shot containing just the perfect amount of the essence of the material. Enjoyed it!
Denver station was a surprise. I've taken this route three times but this was the first going inside during the stop. I'm looking forward to spending more time there when I take a trip to Denver this winter.
@@thebayrambler I hope the Rails to Trails program with National Park Service volunteers soon. These wonderful folks ride the train with birds watchers charts, nature books on trees and flowers plus history books of the region. That route crosses the Sierra Nevada mountains and Rocky Mountains.
Yes the roomettes are tight for two people. But in our case we were in a Viewliner II on the Lakeshore Limited round trip from Chicago to Albany/Rensselaer a few weeks ago. If we get the chance to take a trip on the Zephyr we will try for 2 roomettes or 1 bedroom. Yes, a description of each type of sleeping arrangement would also be helpful. Put all reviews on one separate video would be my recommendation.
The Zephyr is worth trying if you already like overnight trains It sounds like you'd prefer a video that compares various room types (roomette, bedroom, family) and puts those into one place. I'll give that some consideration.
Looking forward to see the description of each type of sleeping arrangements, please add the costs of each trip. Can we take part of the trip ? Thank you.
I'm not sure if this is on all Amtrak lines, but I was happy about it. Shared tables broke up the trip with regular conversations three times per day. I think room service was available for those who preferred it.
You're correct. I think of the whole body of water connecting to the Sacramento River as SF Bay, but it's subdivided into other bays north of the Richmond Bridge. San Pablo Bay, Grizzly Bay, Suisun Bay, etc.
That's the inherent problem with high-speed rail here--the US is really big. TGV travels about 199 mph at top commuting speeds, and this trip is about 2150 miles. Non-stop from SF to Chicago would take almost 11 hours non-stop. SF to NYC would be over 14.5 hours versus a flight, which is 5.25 hours. I love taking the Shinkansen and Eurostar, but they rely on a population density beyond many parts of the US. Boston-NYC-DC might work, and SF-LA, but I don't know if anything outside those markets is feasible.
Thanks for the amazing video - I'm doing this trip n a few weeks. May I ask where you catch the Amtrak shuttle from? I'm staing at the Hilton in Union Square. Cheers.
3:37 Here we copy the name of a train station in Buenos Aires. "MARTINEZ", which is on the outskirts of that metropolis. Our station should be called "SMITH", NOT "MARTINEZ"
I haven't done any trips from LA yet. You have a few options to get from LA to Chicago, then on to NY. I hear they're not as good as the California Zephyr, but I'm sure they're fine and have nice scenery. The Southwest Chief is probably the most direct.
Tough to say. First class meals on domestic airlines have improved a lot. The meal in my ANA video was excellent. I usually only get snack boxes if flying economy. Amtrak has some good food on the long distance routes if they have a dining car such as on this route.
Meals were all pretty even. Maybe the veggie chili with bacon on top was my favorite. The first night, everyone slept well as we crossed the desert. Better than usual, actually. The next night wasn't as good as we tried to make up lost time on more curvy track.
Please tell me what makes your trip considered First Class. Is it that you booked a sleeper? I'm trying to understand how a person is able to use the Metropolitan Lounge in stations that have one. Thanks
Yes, I believe the sleeper makes it first class. There's no lounge in San Francisco, but I used the one in Chicago ahead of the second leg of the trip. Not sure how other lounges stack up, but I was unimpressed with the one in Chicago. Plenty of seating but only a few bags of chips for food.
A lot of good things here, but it falls very short in terms of seeing the two main things that the California Zephyr is famous for: the crossing of the Sierras and the Rockies....virtually nothing was shown of either. It seems inconceivable that anyone would make a video of the CZ and leave those out. I also did not like the wide angle lens which greatly distorted so much of the views that WERE shown. I also noted that very few references were given to let the viewer know where the train was and what the viewer was looking at. But I AM glad that this was not just another 'talking head' video where about the only thing shown was beaming smiles of the narrator.
It's a good question. I'm not sure, but I don't think it's identical views each way due to daylight hours. The views also depend on the train running on schedule, which rarely happens.
@@thebayrambler thanks! I'm hoping to go from San Francisco to Chicago this August, and yours is the first video I've found of the Zephyr going in this direction :)
You should see most of the Rockies on the trip even if you're running late. We missed the last part into Denver because it grew dark, but saw the rest. Have fun!
$1222 covered a one-way sleeping car ticket from San Francisco to Chicago, one night at the Drake Hotel, and a coach ticket from Chicago to Cleveland. This was booked through Amtrak Vacations, but I probably wouldn't use them again
I’m taking this trip but have a 6.5 hour layover in Chicago before continuing on to New York via amtrak. Can anyone tell me how worried I should be that I might miss my connection 😅
You should be somewhat worried. I missed that connection the last time I took the Zephyr years ago and would have missed it this time if I was traveling on that same night. In the past, Amtrak put me up in Swisshotel for the night. I'm not sure if they still do that. It was nice spending an extra day in Chicago, but would have caused a problem if I had to be at my final destination that same night.
Funny! I was just recollecting how I did this trip in the opposite direction, Chicago to SF, 30 years ago and it was delayed about that many hours then too.
Taking Amtrak through the western U.S. demands flexibility with your time, for sure. I hear it's more timely on the east coast where it owns the tracks.
Good question. Not as many went the whole way as I thought would. There were certainly a few, though. Some I'd greet for two days and then they'd suddenly be gone.
I've taken this from Sacramento to Granby, Co to go to Rocky Mountain National Park. Ive done that probably 5-6 times. I've also taken the coast starlight and empire builder from Sacramento to Portland and Portland to east glacier, to go to glacier national park.Probably did that 10-12 times. You go through the cascades, the Columbia River Gorge and wake up going thru western Montana. Spectacular doesnt even begin to describe it! I like both but have to give it to goung to glacier. I will say, it's only 1 night going on the zephyr vs.2 nights going to Montana
I've taken the Coast Starlight from Seattle to San Francisco and will have a video soon. Looking forward to the second half down to LA sometime. The trip to Glacier sounds nice. I've driven there from Seattle but never took the train.
@@thebayrambler there's nothing like that trip. You take the starlight and change to the builder in Portland. You go over an awesome train trestle over the Columbia River right Vancouver, WA. From there, follow the Gorge then up to Pasco and Spokane. Wake up the 2nd morning at East glacier, right across the street from glacier Park lodge. Talk about a rail fans dream. They come off from Marias Pass. Its still my all time favorite vacation destination, and the train is just as much fun as glacier
No personal comments or opinions makes this video useless. I'll stick with the 100 other postings of this route that actually give some insight and information on how this train trip is.
I purposely try to avoid giving my opinions in the videos but instead show an accurate representation of the experience so viewers can make up their own minds. That being said, I'm happy to give my opinions in the comments if anyone asks.
@@thebayrambler Why can't you give "an accurate representation of the experience" while giving your own opinions and insights as well? Sorry, you are making excuses for being lazy.
@@carolemerckel3461 Oh, I have watched them and they are very good and helpful! And I took the LSL earlier this month as well, but in coach, which few travel vloggers will post about!
Хороши только та техника и те машины и механизмы, которые образуют выгодную экономию потребителям от их продолжительной выгодной надежности и продолжительной выгодной безопасности, это обеспечивает даже безопасный их технический отказ или даже безопасную их техническую поломку.
I don't know if I have a refined enough palette to give food ratings. I heard Amtrak was only offering microwaved meals for a while, so I was glad with what I got. The veggie chilli with bacon was probably my favorite.
Subhanallah lakhaulla wallakuattaillabillahillallliyyil adhzim Allohu Rosyid Allahu hulghony Allahu mugghny Allah Akbar walillahilhamd, labaikallah humalabaik labaikallah di dunia
I think this portion was around $800 one way. It was originally $100 more but I waited and it dropped about a week before departure, so I bought it. This was part of a hotel and travel package through Amtrak Vacations so the total was over $1000. If I did this trip again, I would buy the tickets and hotel room myself without using Amtrak Vacations.
I have travelled from Chicago to Seattle in a roomette...great fun! I was very interesred in this video but subtitles with no first hand account is boring to me .....not gonna watch.
Thanks for the critique. I know this type of video won't be for everyone, but my hope is to give as accurate a representation of each experience as I can.
@@thebayrambler I wish you success...I think you will have it as the vid seemed well done and with good info from what I saw...fact remains...not gonna watch it...but others will...just not my thing. Carve out your niche!
