2022 Cross America Tour
Document Last Modified: June 9, 2023
Map
Introduction
After a successful train trip around America in the summer of 2021, I couldn't wait to plan another trip trip. A perfect opportunity came, I had to attend a meeting in Park City, Utah; instead of taking the airplane like everyone else, I decided to take the train instead. My journey started and concluded in New York City, spanning 68 days.
Cardinal 51 (New York, NY to Indianapolis, IN)
Since most of the trains from the East coast to the West coast have to be connected in Chicago, IL, my first step was to get there. It would be much faster to take the Lake Shore Limited 49 to get to Chicago from New York; however I had taken the east bound train before so I decided against it. Instead, I opted for the much longer train, the Cardinal 51, which took about almost 9 hours longer. I was not in a hurry and I would love to make a brief stop at Indianapolis, IN before reaching Chicago.
The Cardinal train was scheduled to leave very early in the morning at 6:45AM. I had to get to the station very early. The sleepy class ticket that I booked came with access to the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge and had some free breakfast before boarding the train.
I originally booked a Roomette about 5 months before my trip. Surprisingly my room was upgraded to a bedroom about 3 weeks before my trip. I had never thought that I would travel on Amtrak in a bedroom as the ticket usually go up to $1,000 or more. Compare to the Roomettes I was in before, the bedroom is definitely more spacious and it has an en suite shower room with a toilet inside.
