TRAVEL
What It’s Like to Trek By Train
Crossing the U.S. by rail
Snapshots of my experience taking the two-day “Empire Builder” Amtrak route from Seattle to Chicago in April 2017.
There’s something romantic about riding on trains, more so than there is about flying. The station is almost always old and cavernous, and full of architectural relics that inspire awe. One moment, it’s silent, except for the occasional echoing footsteps or cough. The next, it’s bustling and full of people moving about.
I always wonder about the other travelers’ stories. I’m consistently fascinated that our paths are running parallel for this moment, even though we have completely different backgrounds and reasons for being there. While some of us are headed in the same geographic direction, we’re all going completely different places in life.
The train rumbles in, clanking its bell. I wish there was steam chugging too, but as with most things in life, reality is much different than I envisioned it as a kid.
I grip my bags, climb the steps, and show the conductor my ticket. I find my seat — which is also my bed, office and living…
