If you had time to travel across the US...?

Question

by train, what major cities would you go to?

Answer 1

Washington D.C., Austin why... because I have never been to the south.

Answer 2

I would start in Seattle, and take the train south through Portland to Sacramento (Coast Starlight). I might or might not take Caltran or Amtrak to San Francisco. I would eat dinner at a place downtown called Pasha's, which is a great Moroccan restaurant with pillows for seats, great bastilla, belly dancers and a lively audience. If I could, I would take a bus across the bay bridge to Berkeley and take another meal at the Blue Nile, a great Ethiopean restaurant on Shattuck (or maybe it's Telegraph, I forget).

Then from Saramento / San Francisco I would go through Salt Lake City to Denver, then onto Chicago (California Zephyr). This is a fantastic train that goes through the Colorado high desert in the late afternoon, following a path that is mostly untraveled by car, where you can see a lot of wildlife outside the window. In Denver I would stay at the Capitol Hill Mansion, a great B&B that has some fantastic jetted tubs and great food nearby. In Chicago, I would definitely take time out to get a genuine Chicago-style hot dog from a street vendor and spend some time in Millennium Park, check out the Chicago Art Institute (and the raspberry roulade at the courtyard restaurant). I might take Metra (regional train) to Southeastern Wisconsin to check out the leaves turning in Door County (if at the right time of year), or visit the Kohler Club in Sheboygan and visit the sites where John Phillip Sousa composed his famous marches. I'd check out Mama Desta's Red Sea Restaurant on Clark, returning at least part of the way on the elevated (Howard - Englewood - Jackson Park line), making sure to check out the street musicians. If possible, I'd check out the skydeck at the John Hancock Center or the Sears Tower before heading back to Union Station to get on Amtrak again.

From Chicago, I'd take the City of New Orleans down to New Orleans. It's a fantastic view of "backyard America" that really is just like the Woody Guthrie song. During the trip, I'd make sure to get up early to check out the blues music they usually have playing in the cafe car around 6:30 AM.

From New Orleans, I'd take the Crescent train to New York's Penn Station. I'd check out the tourist attractions in New York -- I'm sure it would take me a while! I've never taken this train, so it would be a complete adventure. To enhance the adventure, maybe I'd book a first class accommodation, I don't know.

And throughout the trip, I would definitely take dinner in the diner. Nothing could be finer!

Answer 3

NYC. LA. Perhaps Minneapolis. Las Vegas. Miami.

Answer 4

Cumberland MD

Answer 5

Seattle (never been)
Las Vegas (miss it!)
Helena (never been; sounds beautiful)
Santa Fe (same as Helena)
Denver (cool city)
Austin (never been; sounds like fun)
New Orleans (would LOVE to party there! Also want to try beignets and hot chocolate)
Raleigh (to see family)
Pittsburgh (visit grandfather)
New York City (never been, dying to go)
Boston (never been)
Augusta (would love to see Maine in the fall)

Answer 6

memphis