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We need help! We will be traveling over the Christmas Holidays via the train from Las Vegas, Nevada to Plattsburgh New York. We will be taking the Southwest Chief from CA to Chicage,IL; then the Lake Shore Limited from Chicago,IL to NY; then the Adirondack to Plattsburgh, NY. We have reserved a family car all the way. Can anyone offer any suggestions for traveling with a 6 year old and a 1 year old? Are the trains "child friendly?" I am also wondering about luggage...is it checked all the way through to our destination? Also, when we get to Chicago (we have a 4 hour stop over) is there anything to do in the station e.g. restaurants? and most importantly, do we connect to our new train in the station or do we have to go to another station?
Sincerely,
Jill
Posts: 2 | From: las vegas, nevada usa | Registered: Sep 2000
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You've got a lot of questions there & I'll try & hit as many as I can. First you're gonna have a great trip, it sounds wonderful to me. The trains are kid friendly & there will be more Kids on the train so yours won't lack for company. they show movies in the lounge car at different times during the day & night, most of the time. Kid movies daytime adult(PG-17) at most during the night. Next there are no family bedrooms on the Lake Shore Ltd. so you must be booked in a deluxe or two standards. The family room is a great deal & theres more than enough room for 2 adults & up to 3 kids. There's plenty to do in Chicago, with restaurants & shops galore. There is a Walgreens across the street from the station to pick up any last minute items. You will leave from the same station that you arrived into Chicago on. I will continue this in another reply. Yours Reggie
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As to your luggage, I believe it can be checked all the way through. I know at least to New York. The trains across the border as the Adirondack is sometimes don't carry checked baggage. You can call 1-800-USA-RAIL for more info on baggage. If you have any more questions please E-Mail me at reggierail@cs.com Have a great trip. Reggie
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Just checked Amtrak Web-site & found Plattsburgh is un-staffed so you can not check baggage there even if the train carries checked baggage. As a side note I've ridden the Adirondack many times & the crews are usually great. You should have a wonderful time & enjoy yourself immensely. Yours Reggie
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If you are lucky and have an on-time arrival in Chicago, the Sears Tower is only a couple of blocks away. There are also plenty of signs in the station showing places to eat. A better idea: surf the web to look for places to eat near the station. A couple of cautions: 1. Expect the trains to be running late, so don't be disappointed if your stay in Chicago is barely long enough to make your connection. 2. As a first class passenger, you are entitled to use the metropolitan lounge in Chicago; it's always crowded, though. (The one in NYC is much less crowded.) Consider yourself lucky if you get a seat at all if you go there. Other than free soft drinks, though, there is nothing there that's special; it's essentially a waiting room for first class passnegers only. 3. The Adirondack is a fabulously scenic trip, but the cars assigned to the train are Northeast Corridor (high density seating, no individual reading lamps, seats don't recline much) and there is no dining car. There is a lounge which sells food, but my experience has been that it's high-priced and there are no healthy items (such as fresh fruit) for sale. (Can anyone tell me if the menu has changed recently?) While staying overnight in NYC, pick up a small grocery bag of some healthy food items as well as pop - they charge $1.25 on the train. Sit on the RIGHT side of the train north of Albany. The views north of Schenectady are of Lake Champlain. (There's a reason that dome cars used to be assigned to the route north of Albany.) Enjoy your trip!!
Posts: 72 | Registered: Jul 2000
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I took my (then) 27 month old son from Denver to Chicago to NYC and back this past winter. Bring a diverse toy bag for the 6 yr old. We enjoyed getting off at a lot of the day stops; there is kid friendly food - yogurt to jello to chocolate milk to french toast and cereal in the diners; bring lots of snacks though. There is room in your compartments for a small cooler (there'll be ice available in the sleeper car and I brought along a quart of milk for conveience although it is available in the diner and lounge cars) which you can replenish in Chicago - there are some stores that sell 6 packs of soda and juice and even diapers there (but no wipes!!). Lots of other trains to watch for; critters in the mountain areas that you and 6 can watch for; the compartments were very easy to keep at a comfortable temperature; when they change locomotive in Albany you may be able to get out and watch them detach and attach a locomotive. (depends on where the park your section of the train) your 6 may find that exciting to watch. Heck, I found that exciting to watch. There is room in the compartment to sit at a table and draw; room for plenty of carry on stuff and you can even leave some in the storage area by the sleeper entry door. Attendant will open a bed for you during the day for nap time too (but you have to remind/encourage him/her with a few extra dollars. Fun to walk the length of the train and sit in the viewing car and look out. The Chicago lounge (lots of food available in the Chicago station) is not as nice as the NYC lounge area but there was plenty of room when we were there and they have a place to store your carry on's if you want to walk around the station. TV and dsnaacks and soda and bathrooms. I think it is the the Chicago station (It might be Grand Central, but Amtrak can tell you) that also has a kid's playroom with an adjacent diaper changing station. The playroom has a big plywood locomotive to climb on and some other things to. I had one of those fold up strollers with me to facilitate that. There's a great attendant named Tom Finnegan who sometimes works the Lake Shore Limited and if you are lucky you'll get him (say Hi from Ira and Luis. He even brought warmed milk to the room in the a.m for my son's bottle). I always recommend that folks try and go to a station that has a long layover so they can actually get on the train and know what the room will be like. I don't know if that's possible for y'all but it helped us prepare. I think you'll have a great trip. My son and I still talk about it and plan to do it again, but maybe go west... Feel free to email me directly if you have more particular questions so I don't take up more space here (iraslotkin@hotmail.com). Have fun!! Ira
Posts: 300 | From: Denver, CO USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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You're going to have a great trip! Trains are VERY kid-friendly. I took mine on x-country trips from age 6mos on, and they loved it. I'd suggest putting them down for a quick nap just after lunch. A small bag of activity things (coloring books, etc.) helps, too. I spent most of the time in the lounge car. They show movies there, and as long as the kids don't get cranky, the day passes very quickly. Have them try to spot how many different animals (antelope, deer, etc.) they can spot. If they get cranky, you can just take them back to your room. The nice thing about the family room is that even a major-league temper tantrum doesn't bother most other passengers who will be on the upper level.
In Chicago, if you have time, go one block east on Adams St. to the Sears Tower and go to the Observation Deck; I don't remember what the fee is, but it's not excessive, and it's a great view.
Chicago Union Station is the arrival and departure point for all Amtrak trains in Chicago. There's a Metropolitan Lounge in the station which is quieter than the main waiting room. It usually has a large screen TV tuned to CNN, and you cna get free soft drinks, juices and muffins there. If the kids are antsy, I suggest taking them out to the Grand Hall to wait, where they won't bother anyone. The upper level above the concourse has a wide variety of low price food shops; just look for the food concourse signs or ask an employee.
On the Lakeshore, I hope you get a room on the right side of the train. If not, ask if you can switch to one. That will give you a great view of the Mohawk and Hudson River Valleys. Around Croton-Harmon, tell your 6 to look out for a "castle" (ask the conductor for the exact location). Its an old armory that burned about 30-40 years ago, but it looks exazctly like a medieval castle, and it's called "Bannerman's Island."
For you luggage, make one or two bags for just the items you will need on the train, and check the rest. You can check it at least to New York City; I've never ridden the Adirondak, and don't know much about it except that it's really scenic.
John DeLora marp@mich.com
Posts: 5 | From: St. Clair Shores MI USA | Registered: Sep 2000
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quote:Originally posted by chaz: Also, when we get to Chicago (we have a 4 hour stop over) is there anything to do in the station e.g. restaurants?
There are plenty of restaurants both in and around Union Station; you should have no problem. If the Southwest Chief arrives with plenty of time, I agree with earlier posts, to go up the Sears Tower Skydeck. Your kids will love the view; there are little coin-operated telescopes up there that make it even more amazing. But if the top of Sears Tower is enveloped in cloud, as it often is at that time of year, or if the Southwest Chief is late and you don't have enough time, just step outside the station and walk about fifty yards to the Chicago River bridge on Adams or Jackson St. This is also a great view, and your kids will love to watch the boat traffic pass underneath them.
Hope you have an awesome trip! Make sure you don't freeze to death while in Chicago! :-D
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