My first reaction to my Wife was "How long it's going to be? Is that even possible?" According to Google maps, all the way from Chicago to San Francisco is a total of more than 3200+ km. By flight, itself is already 4 hours journey and to know that by train actually takes 2 days and 2 nights ... Hmm I was quite reluctant
I was just worried it might be a waste of time or rather been too bored during the journey although it's been reviewed by experienced travelers saying that California Zephyr is one of the most beautiful train trips in all of North America.
And to be honest, it didn't disappoint us. It's a different side of USA we probably wouldn't be able to see if we had not boarded the train.
With some anticipation, we started our journey from Chicago Union Station. We pre-booked our tickets and because we wanted a more comfortable experience and some privacy, we reserve a Superliner Roomette which is ideal for 2. It's quite expensive compare if we were taking flight but since it's a more of a once-a-life-time experience, we decided to just go with it.
The room itself comes with two comfortable reclining seats on either side of a big picture window. At night, the seats can be converted to a comfortable bed, and an upper berth folds down from above. Meals included! (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner). You can book it here, price from $300 for 2. We were mentally prepared since we already know it's going to be a long trip. We brought lots of our favourite Korea variety shows and books, magazines, keeping ourselves entertained. At times, we will just hang around at the observation area to mingle, socialise and make new friends.
But one thing for sure, we are always looking forward to our next meal time!! I personally felt that the food was quite worth it for the price and great variety. Best part, since we brought the room package, we don't have to pay for our food 😆 I highly recommend their Amtrak Signature Steak, it's tender and juicy! Check out their full menu here.
The View along the way, manage to capture some nice photos 😄
And then on the first night ~ Something magical happened! It started snowing unpredictably and just nice the train was stopping at a station for 10mins. Without any thoughts, we act like small children, running out with only our slippers took photos! It's like our first time experiencing snow falls.
What was more unforgettable is next morning we woke up to the most beautiful scene we ever were seen!
To sum it all up, it's still best to try it yourself but certainly, we did not regret we chosen another alternate way of travelling in US.