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Trip Report: September 22 to October 19, 2003
by Ted & Sylvia Blishak
Fall Colors Coast to Coast - by Land and Sea
September 24, 2003
THE MIDWEST
We were aware of fast running last night as we arise to an overcast morning in Nebraska. Answering the second call to breakfast, we arrive in the diner, three cars away from our 633 sleeper, to find we would again be put on a waiting list. We took our seat in the Lounge Café and purchased a bottle of cranberry juice. We have a new waiter this morning, and when I order scrambled eggs, sausage patties, and pancakes, with no potatoes, no bread, no fruit (same as I had yesterday morning), he turns and walks away. It turns out he had to consult with the head steward to make sure this was permissible. The steward handled this situation with his usual suavity and aplomb, "Just give it to him if that's what he wants, and don't bother me!"
The cornfields are brown through Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois, no signs of fall color here. We race across the old Burlington Route, perhaps not as fast as the Denver Zephyr once did, but we were at the limit of 79 mph much of the time. We spend most of our time in our spacious Family Bedroom. While one of us sits at the laptop work station, the other can read or nap on the sofa. Some of my clients have noted that the downstairs rooms are noisier because they are closer to the wheels. This is true, although we don't find the noise annoying -- however the flip side is that there is less sway down here. Also, there is no through traffic in the hallway downstairs and it is just a few steps to the lavatory and shower.
As we approach Chicago, we note by our watches that we are not behind schedule. A voice on the PA system announces, "Ladies and gentlemen, due to circumstances beyond our control, we will be arriving into Chicago ahead of schedule today. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you, (!) and thank you for traveling on Amtrak."
Today we don't even stop in the yards to drop off our material handling cars, but just roll into the station and come to a smooth stop. We will be staying overnight in Chicago as we didn't want to risk missing our eastbound connection, as we did on our last trip. Of course, when one prepares for such events, they rarely happen! We check to see if any rooms have become available to New York tonight, but both the Lakeshore Limited and the Three Rivers are still sold out.
Finding a taxi at Union Station is not as easy as it used to be. While airports always have signs pointing to taxis, we can't find any here. We know the inside taxi driveway is closed to all except policeman, due to the fear of car bombers. If there is a new location for taxi lineups, we don't find one. We haul our bags up the ramp of the old taxi driveway to the street. There is no lane for a taxi to pull into for picking up passengers. And, it's raining.
We wave a cab down and he stops right in the middle of traffic, pops the trunk, and stays in his seat while we load our own baggage into the trunk, as cars and buses behind us blow their horns. This is a fright, and I wonder if our lives have become not only more inconvenient, but also more dangerous as a result of our fear of terrorists.
We have reservations at the Wyndham Chicago in the Michigan Avenue neighborhood. As our driver pulls up to the entrance, a half dozen employees are leaning against the building, but they don't notice our arrival. Sylvia goes to find a luggage cart, and I start to unload the trunk as our driver waves his arms demanding to be paid. I suggest that he could either help to unload or stand aside and keep his cool. "I want my money before the bags are unloaded. You're not in Klamath Falls any more!"
As Sylvia struggles through the rain with a cart, one of the parking valets wakes up and he begins unloading the trunk. Our driver is complaining to the parking valet about his fare, instead of helping to unload. I pay him, he gives me my change, and leaves before I can give him a gratuity.
When I check in, the desk clerk notices my Wyndham By Request frequent guest number, and upgrades us to a 17th floor penthouse suite. Our jangled nerves are beginning to relax. We have living room and office, a bedroom with a king bed, and a huge bathroom with tub and shower. Other amenities offered to Wyndham By Request members are free high speed internet access, free local and long distance phone calls, free faxes, and a morning paper.
Travel Tip: If you have any frequent guest membership numbers, give them to your travel agent when you have him book hotels for you. If you don't have them, apply for them, or ask your travel agent to apply for them in your name. Even if it's your first stay, you'll be entitled to extra services.
The Italian restaurant at the Wyndham is excellent to the extreme. I had my best steak of the year this evening and Sylvia enjoyed a superb wild salmon. Our waiter noticed that Sylvia was standing between courses, and asked if there was a problem. She explained that a back injury made it uncomfortable to sit for long periods. He promptly brought two cushions for her chair!
Thursday morning we enjoyed a Continental buffet breakfast which included four huge bowls of different types of fresh berries. The service, by a cheerful Albanian waiter, was again perfect.
We were charged up for a morning walk. As we proceeded down to the street level, a young man came dashing up with a crash helmet and a pair of in-line skates. Just another businessman trying to keep in shape while on the road.
There are several interesting buildings within an easy walk from our hotel. The Wrigley Building, a Beaux Arts structure from 1929, and the Tribune Building, a Gothic structure from 1926, were both well worth inspection. A cold wind was blowing in from Lake Michigan, but we were prepared with our windbreakers, gloves, and facemasks. We were overdressed, and the locals in their shirtsleeves gave us a few subtle looks.
We extended our checkout time to 6pm, by paying an extra half day rate, and asked the doorman to find us a cab with a driver who didn't mind helping with luggage. Our taxi sped through an underground expressway and threaded its way through stalled traffic, then came to a halt in the right-hand lane across the street from Union Station. When I asked him to drive us to the curb next to the station, he waved his arms. "It can't be done, the traffic is all screwed up," he claimed. Stunned by the thought of carrying our own luggage through three lanes of traffic, we just sat there.
"I'll carry your bags," he offered as the line of honking cars behind us became deafening. He raced across the street in three trips, and dropped them on the sidewalk next to the entrance to the station. We lost sight of it from time to time as busses sped by. Eventually, we were able to find a break in traffic and got across to our bags, which fortunately were still there.
When we checked in at the Metropolitan Lounge, the clerk announced that boarding for Train 48, the Lakeshore Limited was imminent and directed us to stand by the rear exit which leads directly to the platform. We inserted our earplugs and were ready for the lengthy walk through the gauntlet of roaring General Electric Genesis locomotives, to our sleeper 4811, where we were confirmed in the Accessible Bedroom. We departed at 7pm sharp, dinner was announced at 8:15pm, and we enjoyed overbroiled steaks with overbaked potatoes. However, the apple pie a la mode was excellent. We retired looking forward to boarding our the "Crystal Symphony" at 3pm sharp tomorrow. We were so optimistic, we ignored the jibe made by an experienced passenger at our dinner table, who called this train the "Late for Sure Limited."
