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That concert I was just at? Their big hit is about being back in Chicago. End of Beginning by Djo if you are curious. That was playing in my head half the trip.
I am becoming pretty familiar with Chicago. I've done some cool stuff there like The Wild Mile and am pretty comfortable using their mass transit system. But I am never there for Chicago, it just keeps being my layover. When I did Grand Canyon fully by rail, my Empire Builder winter hiking trip, my recent Cali Zephyr trip and now this trip, Chicago is my connector. It's kinda weird to me how the city is becoming familiar to me when NYC really isn't. (more on that later)
My plan for the day was to just work in the Metro lounge rather than see the city. I'd packed for warmer NYC weather, not Chicago where it was snowing and windy. It was nice for most of the day, but then some guy came into the quiet section to have a very loud phone conversation, one of those over 60 guys that just projects at their phone, and it was medical stuff about both his daughter and also the kid he was traveling with. the kid was right there and clearly able to understand the conversation. I heard him go 'oops, scared some lady off' and realized other people were literally leaving to get away from this guy and I wasn't? So I also grabbed my stuff and went to go sit in the area where they play game show reruns all day.
Out train left too late for dinner service, but we were offered a free drink and snacks in the dining car:
I was on Viewliner, which is a config I haven’t been on in…. 30 years? More? The bedrooms and roomettes are taller and all on the same level, instead of the double decker set up of the superliners we use west of the Rockies.. One of the ‘features’ of this config is a private bathroom, a toilet right in your room, next to your bed.
As far as I know, this is the more popular config and the private bathroom is supposed to be a good thing. I am team ‘no thank you I’d rather not’ and also team ‘yeah I’ll go piss in the cafe car not next to my pillow’. I don’t know if my take is actually unpopular or if East Coasters are just louder, but I prefer my Superliner config. I do enjoy that the bathroom doubles as stairs so you can easily climb up and also there is a luggage cubby over the hallway. I sat up on a ledge near the roof of my car because I could. I shoulda taken a picture from hanging out near the ceiling, but didn't.
Bed mode:
I woke up in the middle of the night and we were stopped somewhere. It wasn't a station stop, we were just maybe waiting on something. I looked out my window and saw this, which was kinda cool:
I am becoming pretty familiar with Chicago. I've done some cool stuff there like The Wild Mile and am pretty comfortable using their mass transit system. But I am never there for Chicago, it just keeps being my layover. When I did Grand Canyon fully by rail, my Empire Builder winter hiking trip, my recent Cali Zephyr trip and now this trip, Chicago is my connector. It's kinda weird to me how the city is becoming familiar to me when NYC really isn't. (more on that later)
My plan for the day was to just work in the Metro lounge rather than see the city. I'd packed for warmer NYC weather, not Chicago where it was snowing and windy. It was nice for most of the day, but then some guy came into the quiet section to have a very loud phone conversation, one of those over 60 guys that just projects at their phone, and it was medical stuff about both his daughter and also the kid he was traveling with. the kid was right there and clearly able to understand the conversation. I heard him go 'oops, scared some lady off' and realized other people were literally leaving to get away from this guy and I wasn't? So I also grabbed my stuff and went to go sit in the area where they play game show reruns all day.
Out train left too late for dinner service, but we were offered a free drink and snacks in the dining car:
I was on Viewliner, which is a config I haven’t been on in…. 30 years? More? The bedrooms and roomettes are taller and all on the same level, instead of the double decker set up of the superliners we use west of the Rockies.. One of the ‘features’ of this config is a private bathroom, a toilet right in your room, next to your bed.
As far as I know, this is the more popular config and the private bathroom is supposed to be a good thing. I am team ‘no thank you I’d rather not’ and also team ‘yeah I’ll go piss in the cafe car not next to my pillow’. I don’t know if my take is actually unpopular or if East Coasters are just louder, but I prefer my Superliner config. I do enjoy that the bathroom doubles as stairs so you can easily climb up and also there is a luggage cubby over the hallway. I sat up on a ledge near the roof of my car because I could. I shoulda taken a picture from hanging out near the ceiling, but didn't.
Bed mode:
I woke up in the middle of the night and we were stopped somewhere. It wasn't a station stop, we were just maybe waiting on something. I looked out my window and saw this, which was kinda cool:
no subject
Date: 2025-04-19 12:28 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2025-04-19 05:52 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2025-04-19 03:57 am (UTC)From:I guess I see why people would be happy to have the private bathroom, but... yeah, not sure how much I actually love the idea of doing that right by my bed that way, haha.
That is a cool thing to see at random out the windows.
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Date: 2025-04-19 05:53 am (UTC)From:The private sink has it's benefits, but I really DNW that toilet.
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Date: 2025-04-22 04:42 am (UTC)From:Yeah, private sink seems nice. But uh... yeah, not where I want my toilet!
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Date: 2025-04-23 05:45 pm (UTC)From:That poor kid, though, he was old enough to understand that the convo was about him and people were literally leaving over hearing it. What the ever loving fuck is wrong with some people.
no subject
Date: 2025-04-24 05:18 am (UTC)From: