Taking the Amtrak Cross Country from Boston to Denver: The Lakeshore Limited and California Zephyr
Passenger train transit exists in the United States, but it isn’t as developed as say, Europe. It’s an often forgotten-about way to get around the United States, but it can certainly come in handy and it gets bonus points for it being a more environmentally mode of transportation than flying. I recently traveled from Boston to Denver on Amtrak, and I’m here to give you the lowdown.
Segment 1: Boston to Chicago, Lakeshore Limited
The first leg of the trip back to Denver was on the Lakeshore Limited train. I started from South Station in Boston, Massachusetts and ended at Union Station in Chicago, Illinois. My friend and I were traveling in a roomette, and each had a bit of luggage. I had a backpack, duffel bag, and two large suitcases. She had two totes, and a carry on roller luggage. Let’s just say that the Amtrak website leaves something to be desired. I had read online that you can check your luggage, but that turned out to not be the case when you depart from South Station in Boston and other Northeastern locations. Once we got to Albany, the customer service desk said, would we be able to check our luggage. I knew our amount of luggage would not fit in the roomette, but a Red Cap employee (Amtrak’s customer service people wandering around looking for confused people like me) assured us that he would be able to put them in a spare roomette in our car. And right he was- there was a roomette that was basically a storage room for the time being, so all ended well.
Between Boston and Chicago there are many stops along the way. In Albany, they attached more train cars to what had left South Station. This included a dining car, where first class travelers could grab a meal. There was also a cafe car that any one can go to- which is what we did for lunch before the dining car was attached. When you’re in a sleeper car, your meals are included. We also brought a bunch of snacks on our journey, which we honestly didn’t end up eating.
Each sleeper car comes with an attendant, and they will make your bed whenever you’d like in the evening. The roomette rooms have two seats that face each other, with them laying down to form one bottom bunk, and a top bunk gets lowered from the ceiling. On the Lakeshore Limited, there is also a toilet and sink directly in your roomette. When these are closed, it forms stairs that one uses to reach the top bunk. We did not end up using the toilet in our roomette and opted to go to the coach car adjacent to us instead.
Intermission: Chicago Layover
When we arrived in Chicago, we checked our luggage through to Denver and were able to put our day bags in a luggage room- available to first class travelers in a special lounge. This was particularly great because we had around 4 hours to explore Chicago but didn’t want to carry anything around with us. We walked to The Bean (were you even in Chicago if you don’t get a picture there?), and then popped into stores along Michigan Ave. Lunch was at Hampton Social (their River North location), just off of Michigan Ave and I can’t recommend it enough. The service was great, and our food and beverages were delicious.
Segment 2: Chicago to Denver, California Zephyr
The train from Chicago to Denver was the California Zephyr- similar to the Lakeshore Limited but the rooms seemed a bit updated in appearance, and the toilet and sink were in a bathroom in the car, not directly in your roomette. In the Lakeshore Limited, the top bunk still had window views but this was not the case on the California Zephyr.
But, you’re sleeping so that’s not a huge deal. The California Zephyr sleeping car we were on was a double decker- and there was a luggage storage area on the first floor. The dining car in on the California Zephyr was nicer than on the Lakeshore Limited and the food was a bit more “prepared for the order” vs an airplane style “ready to go” meal on the Lakeshore Limited.
When we arrived in Denver, we waited ~15 minutes for our checked luggage. Keep your checked luggage tags as they will compare the copy you have to the one on your bag! This was my first time in Denver’s Union station and boy was I impressed. (Chicago’s was pretty cool too). But Denver’s Union Station is architecturally beautiful and cozy. There are also some trendy places to grab a bite- and we got breakfast at Snooze A.M. Eatery. Hiiiighly recommend- I got a Bloody Mary and their Shrimp n Grits. The Bloody Mary was a bit more watery than I’m used to but the flavor and spice was spot on. The Shrimp n Grits were the perfect ratio of shrimp to grits and perfectly seasoned.
Would I travel cross country on Amtrak again?
Yes! Definitely yes, but maybe one with a more scenic route? Denver to California sounds like it’ll have more interesting view than the cornfields of Iowa and Kansas haha. The roomette is totally worth it. Many people do purchase a coach ticket for overnight, but if you can afford it, being in your own private room and being able to lay down at night is totally worth it. Here is a list of Amtrak routes!
Things to Note for traveling in a Roomette:
Bring a simple extension cord so that you can charge multiple devices at a time.
Bring one dollar bills to leave on your table as a tip in the dining car.
Bring some five and ten dollar bills to tip the Red Cap workers and your sleeping car room attendant.
There are private showers that you can use! Bring shower slippers if you do use these.
Cost:
Traveling via Amtrak is not super cheap. Depending on your route and what type of ticket you get, the train isn’t necessarily going to be cheaper than a plane ticket. I think in some cases it can be more economical, but for example my trip (2 people) cost a total of $2,191
Keep in mind that this trip was just one-way, so it is quite more expensive than a one-way plane ticket from Boston to Denver. And at $784.50 per person for the Amtrak- this can be similar in price to a round trip plane ticket from Boston to Denver.
Have any questions about traveling cross country on Amtrak? Leave a comment below!
Lakeshore Limited: Boston to Chicago
Adult Rail Fare x2 = $304
Roomette x 1 = $596
California Zephyr: Chicago to Denver
Adult Rail Fare x2 = $318
Roomette x 1 = $351
