Amtrak Lake Shore Limited | Chicago to New York for $90!! | (Part 1)

[Applause] [Music] if you love train travel hit that subscribe button we upload at least once a week and this way you won't miss any of our content you can also join our community on patreon your support gives you access to cool features such as early video releases and finally follow us on our social media instagram and tick tock [Music] hi everyone it's me tom it's a cold day here in chicago illinois but we've had a lot of fun seeing all the sights like this this is called art on the mart it's a projection onto a building on the chicago river it's a really cool sight to see so if you're in chicago definitely check it out now if you remember from the fall i took amtrak southwest chief here from chicago to los angeles today we're riding amtrak again this time going the other way to new york that's right we're riding the lakeshore limited from chicago union station to penn station in new york city and i'm so excited the train leaves in about an hour but first let me introduce my fellow passengers we have my lovely wife lindsay and my awesome brother bear they're joining me on the lakeshore limited today let's go to union station here's union station now union station has something really cool inside in the great hall so let's go check that out [Music] although we're halfway through february now when we shot this video it was only two days after christmas so union station's famous christmas tree was standing tall and proud in the great hall if you take a closer look at this christmas tree it's train themed [Music] now this new york central one is cool because the train we're taking follows the old new york central route now during christmas time amtrak also has the polar express experience where parents and kids get to ride an amtrak train and actually get hot chocolate and have different scenes from the movie reenacted that is definitely on my list to do maybe next year the station building at union station was built in 1925 and we'll celebrate it centennial soon isn't that christmas tree so cool it is super warm in here now before we board the train which is in an hour and a half we have to pick up one of our bags you see lindsey and i came into chicago this morning at about nine o'clock and the train leaves at 9 30 in the evening now you don't want to lug a heavy bag so what you can do is go to the parcel check counter and checking your bag it costs 10 and this is what that was like this morning all right to drop off your bag you have to follow the signs that say to all trains now amtrak lets all passengers check bags to and from major stations and the parcel check counter is hidden kind of behind the big baggage check we got one bag for the lakeshore limited ten dollars one punch you got our bag yep perfect hey lens do you mind if i ask you how did you like the parcel check service it was great super easy they're really nice and you can pick it up whenever you need it ten dollars is totally worth it it was super easy they were super friendly like lindsay said and it was just literally a weight off our shoulders for today 9 30 lakeshore limited new york boston i'll explain the two different destinations later but look at that it doesn't say anything on this side it doesn't say anything on this side but it does say delayed on that side bro this is the first station it leaves from how could it be delayed i don't know just sitting there in this magnificent hall christmas instrumental music playing the lights are dim it is so relaxing i know it's probably nothing compared to train travel a long time ago but i almost feel sort of like united with the travelers of the past through this experience if that makes sense i like flying decently but let me tell you i've never seen an airport like this so in a previous video i went to the metropolitan lounge right there so check it out to find out what it's like so we're here by the big amtrak map again time to show you our route so we're starting here in chicago passing through south bend sleeping through ohio going up through erie upstate new york let's make sure you can see that albany then down the hudson river valley into new york city before you board your amtrak train you have to make your way to the newer and uglier waiting area in front of the tracks granted this part of the union station does look a little bit more like an airport to add to that airport vibe this lady was massaging her husband's feet and over in the corner somewhere one lady was playing candy crush at volume a million i needed some fresh air so i decided to go to the bathroom but while i was peeing this dude just grabbed my shoulder and started talking to me so obviously i have my boarding pass and my phone wallets but bear showed me a cool way to have it printed for like a scrapbook so if you want a ticket like this a physical paper copy maybe a souvenir what you gotta do is you can find one of these machines and then right there you gotta click on modify trip and manual keyboard entry c sick there you have it boarding soon how are you feeling excited what side of the train should we sit on the right the reason we're picking the right side to sit on is for the views of the hudson river later on in new york so we're standing in line for the lakeshore limited i think the empire builder just arrived very delayed and so they're letting all those people use the passage first and then we can get on our train [Music] here we go oh you can see chicago [Music] bye here's some view liners for the sleeper portion that is out of our price range yeah it's gorgeous [Music] only new york city new york city new york city yes okay make this is the lack of track guys let's sit together you are city only new york new york city everything else this way look at these seats right so the way boarding works in amtrak coach class is that you have a reservation but it's not tied to a specific seat you get to choose your seat but then that seat is yours for the rest of the trip so bears sitting back there lindsay and i have two seats right up here all right let's see what we got jonathan we want to stick for sleepy time we have some different buttons that i'm not going to push it because i don't want to hit there um he can be [Music] hit classic amtrak footrest which i prefer to sleep without but you might actually like that and they have um these are types of leg rest so they go more oh yeah flat so it's not just your shooting back it's a little bit nicer okay yeah no i like them i like their color too yeah so this knob does the foot resting or the leg rest this one must be reclined let's try it out that is a nice recliner and then finally reading lights because this is amtrak they'll be turning the lights off at 10. now before we head out and it's quiet time let me explain the lakeshore limited a little bit um it's split into two parts the 48 and the 448 we're on the 48 which goes to penn station in new york up front is the 448 which is actually going to boston so in albany this train will split the boston section leaves first and then they have a different locomotive attached to our train and then we'll go down the hudson river valley to new york city 53 minutes late we are departing union station look to the left here since we shot this video these midwest venture cars have now entered service between chicago and st louis are you comfortable sweetie where'd you score that pillow behind our coach car was the viewliner restaurant car unfortunately due to the covet 19 pandemic coach passengers are not allowed in the the coach cars in both the new york and the boston sections are made out of amphley 2 trains these trains were built in the 1980s and have that distinctive round cylinder shape and to stretch our legs before going to sleep we decided to walk through a few of those cars so this is what they look like it's very dark out that's because it is 10 30 central time or 11 30 eastern time our first step will be south bend indiana in about an hour and a half and i don't think any of us are going to stay up for that good night linds i'll see you in upstate new york good night linds i'll see you in upstate new york don't say that good morning everyone so i had played around with the idea of waking up in cleveland ohio to see the station there but my body had other plans and honestly with still a full day of riding this train ahead of us that probably wasn't a bad idea so we slept through the entire state of ohio and erie pennsylvania and woke up right around the border with new york and pennsylvania the first station stop was buffalo de pew one of two train stations in buffalo and where our train connects to the empire service trains to niagara falls and even toronto hey guys good morning we are in upstate new york just left rochester um i slept decently i think lindsay did too i'm in the bathroom now just brush my teeth about to stretch my legs and maybe walk to the cafe i'll do a bathroom review later this one's just kind of gross um i feel like it's a different crowd on this train compared to the southwest chief well the southwest chief after albuquerque was maybe more like this just i think people are slightly more inconsiderate like at 1 30 some of us had to ask this group of people that was talking very loudly if maybe they could hold their conversation a little bit more quietly there's people that like aren't even wearing masks including the attendant so but the seats are comfy the views are just going to get better and better the climate in the train is nice like it's not too warm not too cold and it's amtrak you gotta love it now in the cafe car we were met with our next disappointment there was one other family in the cafe eating food and we sat down contemplating what to order and then the amtrak staff asked all of us to leave we asked why and they said it because we were taking up space that other passengers should have been using first of all there were no other passengers and it felt kind of hypocrite that the amtrak staff themselves were taking up so many tables and asking passengers to leave i definitely filed a complaint to amtrak while i understand that passengers have to make room for other passengers their behavior towards us paying customers seemed incredibly inappropriate in this situation anyways let's do a toilet review now so this is the bathroom in an m fleet too i think that round mirror is a nice touch the first thing we notice right away is just the sheer amount of space this is by far the best part about traveling with amtrak is whether it's your seat or the bathrooms you'll have enough space now everything was in working order the power sockets the water the soap was stocked even the toilet flushed for now although later on in the trip all of the toilets in coach class were clogged because people threw paper towel in the toilets this kind of reminded me of i think it was third grade when i last heard a lecture on why not to throw paper towel in toilets anyways if you think i sounded annoyed you should have heard the conductor there's also this thing in amtrak bathrooms which i don't know what it is or if i even should have touched it but it's there in case you do know what it is and it's a simple deadbolt lock that i've never had any trouble with as we're heading east towards albany the view started improving like for example the views of onondaga lake on the left side of the train right before you arrive at syracuse [Music] we now make a brief stop at syracuse station the tracks we're on are known as the amtrak empire corridor we share these trains with the maple leaf running to and from toronto and by the new york state sponsored empire service trains the lakeshore limited skips three stops that the empire service does stop at rome amsterdam and hudson these tracks are what was once the main line of the new york central railroad remember that railroad that had a little plaque in the christmas tree at union station the new york central stretched from boston and new york to chicago and st louis and the lakeshore limited follows much of the original route speaking of the new york central railroad as the lakeshore limited pulls into utica new york we catch a glimpse of many different kinds of old passenger cars and locomotives that used to belong to the new york central railroad that are now part of the adirondack scenic railway including this steam engine the adirondack railroad operates both a dinner train from utica as well as some seasonal train tours i checked them out online the tours are pretty pricey though although the united states doesn't prioritize trains nearly as much as other countries do what i do find fascinating is how much attention and respect there is to railroad history and heritage along many amtrak routes you'll find so many old trains on display at the train stations how's the view lindsay and i decided to try the cafe again this time knowing in advance what we would order the attendant was a lot nicer this time he even cracked a few jokes with us [Music] what did you get how do you like this amtrak box now obviously buying food on board is expensive the grilled cheese was 5.25 and the sodas were each 250 10 for a very simple meal but hey you're eating onboard a train [Music] [Music] after utica our train closely parallels the mohawk river heading east towards schenectady [Music] foreign now as we're moving alongside the mohawk river you might notice these bridge-like structures crossing the water take a closer look and you'll realize that they're not actually bridges or at least not accessible ones these are actually dams they're lowered into the water in order to raise the water level and allow ships to cross the river now we're approaching amsterdam station are the lakeshore limited doesn't stop at amsterdam the empire service does but what i thought was interesting to point out is that this train both passes through amsterdam and passes close to a town called rotterdam this being a trip i have done in the netherlands many times myself soon after amsterdam the train slows into schenectady this town with the crazy spelling is home to about 66 000 people and was founded by dutch settlers in the 17th century now the word schenectady comes from the mohawk word that means beyond the pines and was actually what the mohawk called modern day albany it's a cute looking city and this station offers a transfer to the ethan allen express towards vermont or the adirondack towards montreal in canada [Music] the stop after schenectady is albany and here at albany the train will be making some interesting maneuvers eventually splitting up the train between a boston and a new york section now we're going to cover all of that next week including the final stretch from albany down to new york city which runs right on the banks of the hudson river thanks so much for watching today please subscribe to transar awesome and i can't wait to show you part two of our journey next week [Music] you

Channel: Trains Are Awesome

Views: 46,865

Keywords: Amtrak, Lake Shore limited, Train trip

Id: yHemiEXK3Ko

Length: 25min 19sec (1519 seconds)

Published: Wed Feb 16 2022