I did something a few weeks ago that I have never done before…..um, no, I didn’t clean my oven.
Why in the world would I ever do such a thing?
I rode an Amtrak train!
Or make that, we rode an Amtrak train.
As I was trying to find a way back from East Texas over spring break without a car, I found myself on the Amtrak website researching the route schedule.
I had absolutely no clue what I was doing or where I was supposed to catch the train or where it would drop us off in San Antonio.
And then my daughter overheard my dilemma and insisted that she join me so it could be an adventure.
She’s my kid that has been asking for her own passport since she was 3.
Oh my word was it a nice surprise!
We left from the beautifully restored Amtrak station in Longview.
The employees couldn’t have been friendlier. We told them it was our first time on a train. They went to great lengths to make it special.
We bought tickets in a “roomette.” It’s considered first class and all the meals are included with your ticket price. You can order from a menu and there are a lot of options like salads, burgers, sandwiches and even steak.
We were even pampered by an attendant. He fluffed our pillows and made sure we had drinks, water, coffee or ice.
You were encouraged to move around the train.
The observation deck had WIFI and was the rail car right next to ours.
It also was the train car by the dining car.
There was plenty of room for you to hang out and watch the beautiful scenery.
It was so different from being on a plane or bus.
I have never been so relaxed while traveling, especially driving on Interstate 35 during spring break!
We were lucky and timed our lunch for the stop in downtown Dallas.
This was our view while we ate some healthy salad.
The policy in the dining cart is that every table must be full. Which meant as a party of 2, we sat with total strangers for every meal. And by the end our meals, we had become friends. It seems that everyone loves train travel, or at least the families that we met who just so happen to both be on their way to San Antonio.
There were many stops along the way. Most of which were just 5 or 10 minutes to allow the passengers on and off the train.
Our favorite stop was the one was in Fort Worth.
The station was so pretty.
I wish we had time to explore some of Fort Worth on their B Cycles.
We just couldn’t believe how much we’ve been missing out on by not traveling by train.
I wish I had taken more pictures but I was so caught up in whole experience.
How in the world how I made it so long in life without riding a train, a real train?
I was expecting my daughter to be the one would come home and tell the rest of the family about our adventure on the rails.
I was just as excited, probably even more about not having to fight the traffic on our way back from East Texas.
Travel by Train.
Put it on your bucket list.
All Aboard!
Stay Sassy Y’all.
That looks like so much fun. My kids would love it! Did it take much longer to get to your destination by train than by car?
Well, it was scheduled for twelve hours but we got there in eleven hours. It takes us about six to seven hours to drive to my hometown in East Texas. It didn’t feel like you were on there at all. You can also get a bigger room that seats four. They come with outlets so you can stay plugged in with all your electronics. I would love to go through Colorado one of these days. I can only imagine the scenery from the observation car!