Amtrak Train Travel Between St. Louis, Springfield and Chicago

Interstate 55 must be one of the most boring highways east of the Mississippi River.  Once you leave Chicago going south,  you make your way through the Great Corn Desert.  It closely follows the old US 66 route.  The towns are nice and the people are really friendly but the road is long and straight.

Some of the attractions along the way include:

• A couple of large wind farms near Dwight
• A huge landfill by Pontiac where trucks from Chicago come and dump their loads
• Illinois State University's Farm close to Lexington where agricultural research and student activities take place
• Dixie Travel Plaza (aka Dixie Truckers' Home) in McLean, halfway between Chicago and St. Louis, to help you know you are either entering or leaving The South
• South of Springfield, keep your eyes peeled for oil pumps since Illinois was once one of the leading oil producing states in the country

If this list did not entice you to drive down to Springfield and/or St. Louis, you may wish to consider Amtrak.  There are 5 trains a day each way which means you can choose a time that fits your schedule.  If you are making a visit to Chicago, an overnight visit to either city is convenient.

Springfield is the capital of Illinois but don't hold that against it.  The highlight is Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum opened in 2005.  Only four blocks from the Springfield Amtrak station,  the museum provides research and information on the 16th President.  About 10 blocks south of the Amtrak station is the Dana-Thomas house designed and build by Frank Lloyd Wright.  It is currently closed for renovation but if your trip will take place after June 30, 2011, it will be worth your time to see it.  There a myriad of other Lincoln-oriented sites to explore.

The Springfield Amtrak station is a beautiful brick building built in 1895 by the Chicago and Alton Railroad and was used by the successor Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad.  Recently renovated, the small but spacious building has fine details and precious artwork.  Only basic services are available at the station including vending machines for food.

If you decide to rent a car, there is an Enterprise only 2 blocks away.  Unfortunately, they are open only Monday through Friday and Saturday morning.  You may also wish to check out Budget.  Even though it is at the airport, they will pick you up at the Amtrak station with advance notice.

A fun place to stay overnight in Springfield is the State House Inn.  The hotel has been restored to reflect the colors, patterns and furnishings of the 1960s.  Listed on the Springfield register of Historic Buildings, it is located only two blocks from the Amtrak station.  The hotel has a number of free amenities such as high-speed internet access, hot American breakfast buffet, on-site parking, USA Today and local calls.  All rooms are equipped with upscale mattresses, top-notch linens, plush towels and bathrobes, coffee makers, irons, ironing boards, hair dryers and cable television.

St. Louis, the most populous city in Missouri, is also one of the oldest cities in "The West."  Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and others started the long journey up the Missouri River to the west coast.  The Jefferson Expansion National Monument includes the famous Gateway Arch (and its cool tram system to get to the top) and the Old Courthouse, where the Dred Scott cases were decided.  You must also see the world-acclaimed St. Louis Zoo where there are over 800 species on over 90 acres.  There is no cost to get into the zoo but there are admittance fees to certain attractions.  The Missouri Botanical Garden is well known for it beauty, variety of species and research programs.

Unfortunately, the St. Louis train station is a modern facility opened in 2008.  One block away is the historical Union Station where there are excellent restaurants, shopping and a hotel (more on this later.)  The current station is a multimodal station that serves not only Amtrak but also Greyhound buses, city and county buses, metropolitan rail, and taxis.  The station has most amenities travelers desire including a food court with national chains and local merchants.

Besides, the old Union Station, you will likely need a car to visit most attractions.  Budget has a rental counter in the Sheraton hotel across the street from the station.  If you still need help, they will pick you up with advance notice.

The Marriott at Union Station is a wonderful place to stay in St. Louis.  You are in the middle of the action at Union Station and close to all major freeways so you can get to the sites you wish to visit.  The hotel itself has two restaurants/bars in addition to many others in the station.  Each room features premier bedding and deluxe amenities.  The hotel also has a fitness center with cardiovascular equipment, free weights, exercise balls and bands, an outdoor pool and sauna.

New Sanford Florida Auto Train Station

On October 18,  2010, the new southern terminus of the Auto Train opened in Sanford, Florida outside of Orlando.  It is located at 500 South Persimmon Avenue.  The $10.5 million terminal is located 45 minutes from popular Central Florida attractions.  The Auto Train operates daily service from Sanford to Lorton, Virginia outside of Washington, DC.
It is a great area to stay in if your trip to the Orland area also includes one of the following:

• Ride on the Auto Train (of course)
• Visit to Disney World, Universal Studios and other Orlando area attractions
• Trips to the East Coast Beaches and Cape Canaveral 
• Great golfing in Florida 

The Sanford train station opens at 8:00 am and vehicles are accepted starting at 11:30 am on the day of departure.  The new station has a full-service gift shop and cafe.  If you wish to get last minute items you may want to travel 10 minutes west of the Sanford station to the Seminole Towne Center.The Seminole Towne Centre is a shopping mall anchored by Dillard's, JC Penney's, Macy's and Sears.  There are over 120 stores including restaurants, a food coat and a children's play area.  On the outskirts of the mall you find other restaurants.  Next to the mall is the Marketplace at Seminole Towne Centre that is anchored by a Super Target.

If you are staying in the area or get there early, you may wish to visit the Historic Stanford Welcome Center on 1st Street in downtown Sanford just minutes from the Amtrak station.  Sanford is the county seat of Seminole County and with its location on Lake Monroe, it has a rich railroad and marine history.  There is a Riverwalk along the lake shore and historical buildings close by where you will find restaurants, art galleries, antique stores, gift shops and much more.  The city of Sanford provides complimentary shuttle service from the train station to historic downtown Sanford between noon and 2:40 pm to coincide with the Auto Train schedule.

If you decide to stay in the Sanford area before or after your Auto Train trip, I recommend the Holiday Inn Express Sanford/Lake Mary, located about five miles southeast of the station.  The hotel is located just off of I-4 so it is easy to get to.  The hotel provides complimentary breakfast and is close to restaurants such as the International House of Pancakes, Ker's Winghouse and a Colorado Steakhouse.  An outdoor pool and business center are available for hotel guests.  Guest rooms includes triple sheeted beds, complimentary high-speed internet access, refrigerators and microwaves.

Lorton Virginia Amtrak Auto Train Station

Lorton, Virginia hosts the northern terminus of the Auto Train to Sanford, Florida outside of Orlando.  It is located at 8006 Lorton Road at 1-95, Exit 163.  Lorton is a south suburb of Washington, DC about 25 miles away from downtown Washington.  It is a great area to stay in if your trip to DC also includes one of the following:

• Ride on the Auto Train (of course)
• Visit to Virginia Civil War sites such as Manassas, Fredericksburg and Richmond
• Historic trip to Williamsburg
• Great golfing in Virginia

The Lorton train station opens at 8:00 am and vehicles are accepted starting at 11:30 am on the day of departure.  The station itself has a full-service gift shop with food, beverages and gift items.  There are two shopping centers east of the station on Lorton Road if you wish to get last minute items:

• Lorton Station Marketplace is located on the east side of the train tracks south of Lorton Road.  It is anchored by a Shoppers Food Warehouse but also includes a UPS Store and other service shops.  Also there are sit-down and fast food restaurants in the center.  There are medical offices just south of the center.
• Gunston Plaza is located further east at the intersection of US Route 1 and Lorton Road.  It has a Bloom grocery store, Rite Aid drug store, Dollar Tree and other smaller shops.  There is also a US Post Office and other service stores in this mall.

If you are staying in the area or get there early, you may wish to visit one of these local sites:

• Gunston Hall:  Once the center of a 5,500 acre plantation, the house has been restored to the way it looked when it was built in the 1750s.  There is a visitor center with a film about the owner, George Mason, in the Visitors' Center.  After a tour of the house, you should visit the outbuildings and slave housing.  You can then view the Potomac River as you stroll through parts of the 550 acres remaining.  There is also a gift shop.  This National Historic Landmark, 10 minutes south of the Lorton Auto Train Station, is open from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm daily except some holidays.
• Occoquan Regional Park:  If a little bit of nature would be helpful before the train ride, you may wish to visit this 400 acre park located 10 minutes south of Lorton on I-95.  It is located on the Occoquan River and features some of the most unspoiled beauty in Northern Virginia.  The park is open 8 am to dusk in the winter and dawn to dusk during the rest of the year.

If you decide to stay in the Lorton area before or after your Auto Train trip, I recommend the

Courtyard Potomac Mills Woodbridge, located about six miles south of the station.  As the name indicates, it sits next to the Potomac Mills Outlet mall featuring over 200 outlet stores including Bloomingdale's, Nieman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.  There are also 25 eateries and a 18-screen movie theatre.  The National Marine Corp Museum and the attractions listed above are not too far away.  The hotel itself has a restaurant lounge open for breakfast and dinner.  An indoor pool, whirlpool and cardiovascular fitness equipment are available for hotel guests.  Guest rooms includes the Courtyard bedding package of comforters snugly fit between triple sheeting, including 200-thread-count, cotton-rich top and fitted bottom sheets and complimentary high-speed internet access.

Going to Lancaster, PA When Vacationing in Philadephia

We have vacationed in Philadelphia and it is a great place for individuals, couples and families.  We went over our spring break.  The weather was nice with average highs close to 60 degrees F (although it was in the 70s when we went) and not crowded at all.  We went to the Liberty Bell when it opened and walked right in next to it.  We found that to be the case at Independence Hall and the US Mint.

There is no need to rent a car in Philadelphia.  Many of the attractions are centrally located.  Also, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Railroad Transportation Authority (SEPTA) operates an extensive network of buses, transit trains and regional trains.  If you stay close to the 30th Street Station, you can get about anywhere you wish to go by SEPTA in the Philadelphia area.

If you are staying for more than a couple of days, you may wish to spend some time in the countryside surrounding Philadelphia.  Lancaster is a great place to visit and you can get there in a little over one hour on Amtrak!  The Keystone service operates 14 trains per weekday each way between Philadelphia and Lancaster, 7 trains on Saturday and 8 on Sunday.  You can spend a day touring the area, have dinner and make it back to Philadelphia at a decent hour.

You may want to experience an Amish Buggy Ride (Abe's is suppose to be authentic), go to a Amish homestead such as the Landis Valley Museum or drive the half-hour to Strasburg to take a 45 minute ride to Paradise (PA) and back on one of the oldest short-line railroads in the US.  Dienners in Ronks, about 15 minutes east of Lancaster gets high rating for lunch and early dinner (they close at 6 every day except Friday when they close at 8; they are also closed on Sundays).  By the way, many of the small shops are closed on Sundays.

If you wish to stay near the Philadelphia 30th Street station, we can recommend the Crowne Plaza Hotel Philadelphia Downtown.  It is one-half mile away from the Amtrak station so you can either walk to it or take a brief cab ride.  All of Philadelphia's historic sites and attractions are close by.    The hotel has a fitness center, outdoor rooftop pool, restaurant and bar.  The rooms feature the Crowne Plaza Sleep Advantage® Program that includes comfortable new beds, guaranteed wake-up calls, quiet zone floors and extra sleep amenities.

Once you get to Lancaster, you may wish to rent a car.  There is an Avis right at the train station that is open on weekdays,  Also on weekdays, Enterprise at 1420 Manheim Pike will pick you up at the station and service your rental needs.  On Saturdays, you can get an Avis car from the 1 West King location about 1.4 miles away.  You can call them in advance to see if they will pick you up.  Again, we do not recommend you go to Lancaster on Sunday since it is difficult to get a rental car and many shops and attractions are closed.

Connecting with Amtrak at Newark Liberty Airport

Although we have been talking about direct airport links with Amtrak, the Granddaddy of them all is at Newark, NJ Liberty Airport.  Continental Airlines will provide one ticket service with Amtrak with connections at the Newark Airport to/from Philadelphia, Wilmington, New Haven and Stamford.  Complete details are on the Continental Airlines - Amtrak page on Continental's website.  You must ticket through Continental so make sure you check that link.

Even if you are not traveling to/from one of the designated stations, you can benefit from the alliance between the two carriers.  Amtrak guests traveling on Metroliner or Acela between New York and Boston or Washington can earn Continental miles.  Also, you can transfer miles between Amtrak's and Continental's programs.  Finally, members of Continental's President Club can use Amtrak's ClubAcela lounge in New York.

As you may know, United Air Lines has finalized its purchase of Continental.  As of the date of this post, the arrangement between United and Amtrak is unknown.  We will keep you informed as information becomes available.

If you wish to use the Newark Airport area as a base for traveling in the Northeast, we recommend the
Marriott Newark International Airport Hotel located right on the airport's property.  It has a free shuttle to each of the airport's terminals and the Amtrak station.  There are two restaurants, a fitness center and an indoor/outdoor pool.  The guest rooms have been recently renovated to include deluxe bedding and ergonomic furnishings.

Using the Burbank-Bob Hope Airport and Amtrak to Get Around Southern California

Since I am on this kick of connecting your Amtrak trip with airports close by, I did not want to neglect the west coast.  Probably, the Burbank-Bob Hope Airport has the best situation if Southern California is your destination.  Burbank Airport has non-stop service from Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, New York, Oakland, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle.  One-block from the airport terminal is the Burbank-Bob Hope Airport Amtrak station.  They even provide a free shuttle between the terminal and train station!  From there, you can take the Pacific Surfliner south to Los Angeles, Anaheim (Disneyland) and San Diego or north to Van Nuys, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.

If you wish to make the Burbank Airport area your base in Southern California, I can recommend the Marriott Los Angeles Burbank Airport Hotel.  It is located across the street from the entrance to the hotel and has a free shuttle between the hotel, airport and the Amtrak station.  It also has a free shuttle to Universal Studios!  The hotel has just finished a $25 million renovation.  Thus, you can experience a plush amenities, designer bath, flat-screen TVs and all the connectivity panels you will ever need.  Or you can relax next to one of the two outdoor pools with available private cabanas.  Nothing could be easier in the LA area!

Using Milwaukee Airport's Amtrak Station to Get Around the Midwest

Those who have used the Amtrak - Continental Airlines Alliance in Newark know how convenient it can be to have connecting Amtrak service right at the airport.  A little known fact is that Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport provides the same type of service.  Although there is not "one ticket" service for an airline flight and an Amtrak ride as in Newark (and who knows what is going to happen when Continental merges into United), the Milwaukee Airport Amtrak Station is a shuttle bus away from the airport terminal (go out Door 4 to catch the shuttle.)  There are seven trains a day between Chicago Union Station and downtown Milwaukee (six on Sunday) including a stop at the Milwaukee Airport.  If your trip takes you to downtown Milwaukee, the southeast corner of Wisconsin (e.g, Racine) or the north suburbs of Chicago (since there is a stop in Glenview), it could be the best way to go.  Even if your destination is downtown Chicago, it may be cheaper than going into O'Hare.  Going north, there are Amtrak Thruway Bus Connections to many northern Wisconsin cities such as Green Bay, Oshkosh and Appleton and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan from the downtown Milwaukee stations.  At the very least you should price out this alternative!

If you wish to use the Milwaukee Airport area as your base, we can recommend the Clarion Hotel Airport Milwaukee  It is the closest hotel to the airport, being only 0.2 mile away and there is 24 hour complementary shuttle service.  The hotel has the amenities most travelers are looking for including free high-speed Internet access in all rooms, indoor pool and gym, and warm and inviting guest rooms.