This has been the hardest thing to figure out.
I was going to make my first stop Chicago then head to the west coast on the California Zephyr. From there it was on to Portland, down to San Diego, over to Texas and New Orleans. From there up to Chicago then take a different route back to New York. I figured I’d do all the detail planning while I was on the way out west.
Not A Good Idea
Yesterday, I go the bright idea that I had better look over the train schedules to see if I could do what I had in mind so I’d be back by March 28. Turns out I would have been stranded in San Diego which is not a bad idea but I’m under orders to be back by the 28th.
With a little consultation from Amtrak (the folks I’ve spoken with have been fantastic so far) I decided to revers course and go south to New Orleans out of Chicago rather than head west. The problem was that the Sunset Limited, which runs along the southern border, is the only line I’m traveling on that does not run daily.
Here I Go
Assuming I can survive this and that I won’t need to change my schedule, here it is as of this morning
| DATE | LINE | LEAVE / LOCATION | ARRIVE / LOCATION | OVERNIGHT |
| Tue Mar 10 | Lake Shore Limited | 3:40P/NYC | Train | |
| Wed Mar 11 | 10:40A/Chi | |||
| City of New Orleans | 8:05P/Chi | Train | ||
| Thu Mar 12 | 332/New Orleans | Hotel – New Orleans | ||
| Fri Mar 13 | Hotel – New Orleans | |||
| Sat Mar 14 | Sunset Limited | 9:00A/New Orleans | ||
| Sun Mar 15 | 12:05A/San Antonio | Walk around – San Antonio | ||
| Texas Limited | 7:00A/San Antonio | 9:13A/Austin | Hotel – Austin | |
| Mon Mar 16 | Hotel – Austin | |||
| Tue Mar 17 | Texas Limited | 6:30P/Austin | 9:55P/San Antonio | Station |
| Wed Mar 18 | Sunset Limited | 2:45A/San Antonio | Train | |
| Wed Mar 18 | 5:35A/Los Angeles | |||
| 6:30A/Los Angeles | 8:30A/San Diego | Hotel – San Diego | ||
| Thu Mar 19 | Hotel – San Diego | |||
| Fri Mar 20 | Coast Starlight | 5:55A/San Diego | Train | |
| Sat Mar 21 | 3:32P/Portland | Hotel – Portland | ||
| Sun Mar 22 | Hotel – Portland | |||
| Mon Mar 23 | Empire Builder | 4:45P/Portland | Train | |
| Tue Mar 24 | Train | |||
| Wed Mar 25 | 3:55P/Chicago | Hotel – Chicago | ||
| Fri Mar 27 | Hotel – Chicago | |||
| Sat Mar 28 | Lake Shore Limited | 9:35P/Chicago | Train | |
| Sun Mar 29 | 5:40P/NYC | Home |