After watching you for a year I took my first Amtrak trip, the California Zephyr. I loved getting away by myself and felt safe traveling solo. The scenery was beautiful! My trip in March 2024 was half the cost of going in June even though I booked in February. Roomettes are great for one but very tight for 2. I really enjoyed getting to talk to other travelers during community dining. That was one of the highlights of the trip for me. Thanks for all your advice and encouragement! You helped make my trip much more enjoyable!
Once while I was on the CZ riding in a sleeping car, I observed a live birth take place on the train, I’m not joking. Back in late March 2019, I was on the California Zephyr going from Davis to Glenwood Springs and on the train, there was pregnant 19 year old girl from SFSU traveling from Emeryville to Denver with her boyfriend. They normally fly home from college for holidays/breaks but because their due date was close (due date was April 5th and they departed on March 29th), they had to use the train since airlines do not allow women to fly in the last 6 weeks of pregnancy. During the ride at 1 AM, the girl’s water broke and the attendant for our sleeping car (Justin Woods, a young guy in his early 20s) volunteered to deliver the baby since he had seen how it was done online. The girl agreed and Justin did so in which he went into the first aid kit, got his gloves on, then squeezed himself into the roomette to have the girl push while he caught the baby when she was born. The baby ended up being born on the train - a healthy baby girl in a ROOMETTE!!! It was a fabulous story and the girl, her newborn and boyfriend were taken off the train by paramedics at the next railroad crossing (train was in a remote location between Elko and Salt Lake City at the moment which required a helicopter ambulance to meet the train). As it is, I observed the whole thing as I was holding the girl’s left leg as well as recording this with her boyfriend’s phone. I’ve wondered - if you are female, suppose this happened to you where you (or your wife/girlfriend) suddenly went into labor on an Amtrak train and the train was going across a remote location at the moment. Would you at all be able to tolerate giving birth unmediated, while crammed into a Roomette, on a bed that was not flexible (unlike in the hospital), on a train that speeding up to 90 MPH, the baby’s umbilical cord having to stay attached to you until you got to a hospital (no scissors/clamps on the train), and the person delivering your baby is an Amtrak conductor/attendant with no medical training or license of any kind??? Seriously, this girl was incredibly brave and was lucky that there were no complications, PLUS it only took 20 minutes for her to push the baby out (water broke at 1 AM, and the baby was born at 1:22 AM) What do you think of all this!!!???
I am a former AMTRAK onbaord service employee and i worked the California Zypher many times and completely enjoyed each trip either working in the coaches or the dining car or the sleeping cars. The scenery on this route is "the best in the entire system" and i have worked every train from Chicago to the west coast. Take this trip without the "rush factor" involved as this is a trip to be taken in the chilled out and relaxed mode.
Ah, thank you. The Zephyr is on my "bucket list." I want to go from Emeryville, to Chicago ... then on to Boston, along the great lakes. I haven't decided what combination of routes that I'd like to take back to SF. Love your channel, and the way you allocate the informational bits of each journey.
You'll really enjoy the Zephyr! We did the Empire Builder and Coast Starlight to go the other way, and were really happy with them! Empire Builder is underrated.
Thank you for this, and all your other, videos! Wife and I are planning our first big AmTrak "cruise" for June 2021 and we are doing LkShrLtd with a change (hopefully) in Chicago to the Zephyr. I have been on many long-distance trains but no overnighters in the US and your videos are wonderful We are doing mostly roommettes (one or two "family bedrooms), with stop-overs for hotel stays and touring in SLC, Sacramento, Portland, E.Glacier and then Chicago before going back to NJ via the Cardinal(!). Completely ready for delays as we enjoy the ride.
Thanks to the newish airline pedigree (Cost cutting, bean counting) Amtrak management for no food in the lounge. Prepackaged could have been done with a single employee dispensing coffee etc. Biden is a life long train advocate. Maybe the long distance trains can come off life support. They're not profit champions. Not sure they ever can be with the shared track limitations. They don't deserve to be eliminated or cut off at the knees fundingwise however. I took this trip in 2006 for the very reason that everytime there is a Republican administration the chopping block for the long distance trains comes out.
This will be a bucket list trip for me from Denver to Salt Lake City. You have said you recommend the south side for the best 45 minutes of view. About when along the trip after you leave Denver going west, do these "best" views begin?
It's the Gore Canyon area and beyond, not immediately outside Denver. If you look up Gore Canyon on your phone on Google Maps you'll be able to see when your train is approaching. Or any of the conductors will tell you.
I’ve been watching your videos these past few days and this one has been my fave so far. I live in Oakland which borders Emeryville so I think this would be a great bucket list trip. I’ll have to convince my husband tho 😊 Thank you for sharing those spectacular views 🚞
Thanks for a great video of the most scenic (in my humble opinion) Amtrak route. Disappointed that you didn't say hi to me as you passed through Salt Lake City though. ;)
Heat! If none of you have ever seen the Chicago AMTRAK terminal, I'm here to tell you it is huge, beautiful and amazing. If you go there take time to explore, photograph and experience it. I did, it was unforgetable! This video only shows a tiny piece of it
Chicago like any large city,. Look 4 trouble,. U find it. but: Safe area,. Ladies; when traveling, leave purse at home! Belly pack or use pockets !!♥️🇺🇸
@@nellgrill3845 no worries my friend, I lived in LA for more than 30 years and I've hitchhiked most of America. Tough guys and crooks don't scare me, besides, legally carry a 44 magnum. I think it is them who should be aware.
Hi. I am French (pardon me for my bad English) and I plan to cross the United States from west to east from San Francisco to Washington DC aboard the California Zephir then the Cardinal from Chicago to DC. I can't find on the AMTRAK website if there is a baggage check desk at the Emeryville station. Would you have this information?
Love your videos, you explain so much it’s great. I’m booking a trip from emery isle to Chicago and wondering if there are hotels near the Amtrak station? Is it safe?
Great job on the video!!! I will plan to go on this train perhaps this year?? I hope that it will be as fun for a single traveler. I am going to go on a few trains for my trip. Thanks so much for the great info that you supply..
The California Zephyr seems amazingly uncrowded in your videos. Is that because you try not to include extraneous folks or is it really that empty??? Our only train experience was in the UK, and we were packed in!
Taking the Capitol Limited from Pittsburgh to Chicago tomorrow, then hopping on the California Zephyr from Chicago to Sacramento. Renting a car and driving down to Yosemite and Sequoia & King's Canyon for the week! To maximize time we are flying back. Thank you for the informative videos and tips. It will make our roomette stay that much cozier!
In future will be driving from Portland to Salt Lake City, park my car & take the California Zephyr to Denver, I do not have the luxury of time, what are your thoughts of my plan. Thinking of taking the Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to Oxnard for day trip on March 13, the day after the beginning of daylight saving time. your recommendation the time to take the train. I do road trips, trying to add Amtrak routes to compliment my trips, been watching your videos to learn more about regions will be visiting in future. Reading your article Best Amtrak Trips From Pittsburgh, since I am driving there from Portland in May.
Finally caught up with this video. Al's beef looks good even though I have never tried it living in Chicago. Lou Manetti pizza is the best choice in my opinion. Of course, the video is fantastic. Fun!
I'm planning to take the California Zephyr for a long time. Hopefully I get to travel to US and take this train soon. I'm curious about the meals arrangement these days. Normally they will sit strangers together if they are dining at the dining car. Do they let you guys have your own table now?
Was the station with the electric commuter train Denver station? I have been in the train shed of Chicago Union Station & it is very dark in there! That train shed made me think of the song " White Room " by Cream.
I rode the California Zephyr in summer 2021 from Chicago to Denver and back. On both my trains, I had the same conductor between Chicago and Ottumwa, that you see in the video at 2:40. Her name is Regina, and she is one of my all time favorite crew members!
Hi! What is the name of the hotel you stayed at? I plan on taking this trip and would like to stay at a hotel that is walking distance from the Emeryville Amtrack station.
The Chicago lounge sure looks different than it did when I was there in 2013. I don't think it was 2 stories, but it did have sodas, snacks, etc. When was it redone?
I just stumbled on your Amtrak channel recently, very informative...thanks for the content. Quick question for you two. I was scheduled on California Zephyr from Chicago to Emeryville in a bedroom last June of 2020, however I canceled due to "C19". With all of the restrictions and changes mainly with dining options, would you recommend rescheduling when things are little more "Normal" again or Mask up and take the plung?
Hi, Thanks for the video! I'm planning this trip next year maybe September from Chicago to Reno. My wife and I are flying over from the UK and never been on a train in America before so this is a great start! Would you recommend the roomette or family room as they are both available but the family room is slightly cheaper price? Thanks in advance
It would depend on your needs but we'd rather have the roomette. The Family Bedroom has a little more space, but is on the lower level, can be noisier. If you want to see out both sides of the train though, the family bedroom is better. We have a video a few months back that shows all the rooms.
Thanks for an excellent, informative video! This trip is next on my list, hopefully with more normal conditions someday. I've been on the City of New Orleans, the Texas Eagle, and the Sunset Limited, but everything I hear is that this route is the one for the best views. A friend took it last year in the spring and brought back great video and photos. Thanks again!
When in Chicago, at which hotel do you usually stay? I plan to travel LAX-CHI and stay in Chicago for 4-5 days. I know that near the train station museums and attractions are relatively close. I will be traveling solo Thanks for any advise you can give me! :D
I just finished a round trip from San Francisco to Florida and back along a different course, and the CZ is by far my favorite line. I even found and purchased “CZ The Story of the California Zephyr” by Karl Zimmerman from 1972 about the original CZ to have for myself and to show more about the trip and the original train whenever it comes up in conversation at home. Not only was the CZ the cleanest of all the trips (not that any were dirty, but the CZ car porter I was fortunate to have clearly was very detailed in his carrying out of his professional duties in caring for his car and its passengers), the scenery was awe-inspiring much of the time, and upon further reading I was able to learn what an institution in travel the CZ has always been since its starting days in the early ‘40s. To me it was an American monument that I got to experience for 55+ hours and took me from one place to another. It’s an extended landmark all on its own, and I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to enjoy it. Thanks for the videos and for helping to inspire more folks to consider taking the train!
I love your tips and tricks. We put this on our to do list and plan on this trip after I graduate with my BAS in Cybersecurity. We plan on flying into Chicago the day before to sightsee then spend a couple days in California before flying back to Tampa.
I'm going on the Eastbound California Zephyr to Provo, it'll be my second time on the train but I am still as excited as I was when I first took the California Zephyr.
I’m planning this trip on November 6-7. It’s a bucket list thing. I’m so lost as to how to even begin to book this trip. I want to also take a train from Emeryville to LA. I will then fly back to Cleveland. Can you help? Do I need a travel agent?
I may have missed something in my years of traveling Amtrak but in all the Superliner sleepers I have seen the large bath is upstairs and the two or three smaller baths are downstairs. Each sleeper has a shower downstairs. All the full bedrooms also have an ensuite toilet and shower as well but they are tiny, Some folks in those rooms actually prefer to go downstairs for showers. You caught some lovely scenery on this trip. I will be on the eastbound CZ this June! 😁
Hi there, I really have to make a critique......great video, but KILL THE MUSIC!!!! It is the worse! At least pull the level down, you are far more interesting to listen to. The actual real sounds of the experience are better....just use the music as a backdrop, not the show.
I definitely want to take this trip! Gonna wait till the food service is back on train and metropolitan lounge. I'm 100% not interested in eating tv-dinners. The loud background music needs to go. just sayin'.
What's the purpose of a 1st class lounge and no food and drinks! Come on the price you pay for rooms, do something Amtrak! You are taking everything away and adding nothing, only a few know how to get anything, most get the runaround! Now is your time to show up and improve!!!
