Has anyone traveled the Amtrak Lakeshore Limited?
We took the Lakeshore Limited from Syracuse to Chicago and back last February. I can say that sleeping in the seats is not altogether comfortable for an overnight, so check your options. I don’t think we were *too* late arriving either way, but I wouldn’t schedule something right around your expected arrival time. It was fun though and I actually had a great time talking with some Mennonites that got on after us, especially after finding out one of them had family near where I grew up. Make sure you have things to do or talk about during the last leg of the trip home though. I was itching to get out by that point.
I’ve taken the Lakeshore Limited from NYC to Chicago and I think it’s at a little disadvantage compared to routes west of Chicago because they can’t have double-decker cars east of Chicago (tunnel issues). The double-decker viewing and dining cars are much more fun and spacious than the single-decker Lake Shore Limited. The LSL is usually packed and averages 24 hours for NYC-Chicago. I also met lots of interesting folks on the train (including James Garner’s son on his way to Rosemary Clooney’s funeral).
My cousin just took Amtrak from Colorado to Boston, including the Lakeshore Limited from Chicago to NYC. He loved it, but did say you have to think of the train as part of your vacation, not just a mode of transportation to get somewhere. He also ended up flying from Chicago to Boston b/c his train was late and he had an appt to make. He did take the train the whole way back though. He enjoyed the sleeper car, as well.
Sure, but you’ll be taking a chance. Two summers ago I took the Lakeshore Limited from Buffalo to Chicago. Worst travel experience of my life…even hours-long trips on Indian Rail (General class!) were better. Booked one of these and arrived 15 minutes before departure time. > the train was 7 hours late > our car had no air conditioning, leaving hot, smelly air in its place > the dining car ran out of everything about 8 minutes after departure > our train’s turtle pace lost another 5 hours on the way (travel time jumped from 9 to 14 hours) > almost 24 hours after leaving home we arrived at our destination feeling, looking, but mostly smelling like shit > also, the scenery sucked (no clue about the Buffalo to NYC section) Point A to point B performance is ridiculous: 550 miles in 24 hours! An
