My United States Amtrak Texas Eagle Rail Vacation.

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Amtrak is a way to see the world. It is a lot better than that. It is a way to experience the diversity that the United States has especially if one is on any of Amtrak’s long-distance routes. Amtrak gives you the appreciation of geography.

So, I took the Amtrak Texas Eagle long haul, train on April 16th from Union Station in downtown Chicago and arrived April 19th in Los Angeles. Union Station, Chicago is a magnificent historic station. The south bound Amtrak Texas Eagle features superliner rail cars with an upper and lower level and it travels through seven American states, namely Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. The train stops in San Antonio, Texas for 5 hours thereabouts where it is merged with Amtrak Sunset Ltd which travels from New Orleans with onward journey to Los Angeles.

There are coach seats and private rooms on the train. I stayed in a roomette which has privacy and comfort with shared bathroom and toilets. The beds are a little narrow and tight when made for one at night but it is very comfortable. Meals are inclusive in the cost for private rooms whereas it is not for coach seats. The dining car or café car is very classic. Seating at meals is communal and you got to meet and have interesting conversations with other travelers along the way. There is an observation car which is opened to every one on the train but it is only available from San Antonio to Los Angeles. The observation car is next level.

Union Station Chicago, Illinois.
Union Station Chicago, Illinois.3072×2304 931 KB
Union Station Chicago, Illinois
Union Station Chicago, Illinois3720×2790 950 KB
Dinner on Amtrak Texas Eagle Cafe Car
Dinner on Amtrak Texas Eagle Cafe Car3720×2790 882 KB
Amtrak St. Louis, Missouri. Texas Eagle train is in the background
Amtrak St. Louis, Missouri. Texas Eagle train is in the background3720×2790 889 KB
Amtrak roomette sleeper bed
Amtrak roomette sleeper bed3720×2790 1010 KB
Amtrak Fort Worth, Texas
Amtrak Fort Worth, Texas3720×2790 1.3 MB
EBJ Union Station, Dallas, Texas
EBJ Union Station, Dallas, Texas3072×2304 684 KB
Temple, Texas
Temple, Texas3072×2304 886 KB
US-Mexican border with Rio Grande River in the background
US-Mexican border with Rio Grande River in the background3072×2304 629 KB
US-Mexico Border with border wall in the background. This area is part of El Paso, Texas. Texas borders two Mexican states.
US-Mexico Border with border wall in the background. This area is part of El Paso, Texas. Texas borders two Mexican states.3072×2304 486 KB
Los Angeles Union Station
Los Angeles Union Station3072×2304 537 KB
La Luz Del Dia Restaurant, Los Angeles
La Luz Del Dia Restaurant, Los Angeles3072×2304 1.22 MB
City of Alhambra, Los Angeles, CA
City of Alhambra, Los Angeles, CA3079×2309 781 KB
Amtrak is a luxury experience and the nice thing about it is to sit back, relax and let the world go by. Through that one is enjoying the journey.

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Good to see the the beautyful time you @Franconero5 spent in the Amtrak Texas Eagle Rail vacation from Chicago to L.A.I think is a paralel to the Route 66 but by train.Did you not experience any fatigue to be indoor in the wagon of the train for those few days?.Do you recomend the same kind of travel for families with children?.

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@IamJoseFelixAranda thank you for your great comment. I became bored at a point because the journey was too long. With benefit of hindsight, I should have got off the train at San Antonio, check into a hotel for a night or two and return to the station for continuation to Los Angeles. There are other Amtrak routes that are shorter though. There was a family on the train with two kids. They took the family room which is on the main floor and it is the biggest room on the sleeper train. Hope this helps.

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