Philly to Chicago by train?
August 10, 2023 2:25 PM Subscribe
I am contemplating a trip by train. If I wanted to get from, say, 30th Street Station in Philadelphia to a hotel in Chicago, what is that trip going to be like by train? Can I get to a hotel on foot, safely? How would you do this trip?
Assume I have not traveled in a very, VERY long time, and will be on my own (safety is an issue for me). I am not a city person by nature, but am willing to explore. Mostly, I don't want to fight airports and would not mind quiet time on a train. Sleeper car? Bring snacks? Meal availability? ELI5, please.
Assume I have not traveled in a very, VERY long time, and will be on my own (safety is an issue for me). I am not a city person by nature, but am willing to explore. Mostly, I don't want to fight airports and would not mind quiet time on a train. Sleeper car? Bring snacks? Meal availability? ELI5, please.
Traveling by Amtrak is great! It has its drawbacks -- the train cars tend to be old and a bit worn, and there are sometimes delays due to freight trains using the same tracks. But it also has many charms.
Your most direct route would be via the Cardinal, which departs Philly on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 8:15am and arrives in Chicago the next morning at 10am. It looks like a coach seat would run you roughly $110 to $140, depending on how soon you're traveling. A private room could cost anywhere from $625 to $1200. Generally, the farther in advance you book, the cheaper the fare.
On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Saturdays, you'd have to take multiple trains. You can go to Amtrak.com, enter the cities you're traveling between, and try different dates to see itineraries and fares.
I highly recommend the experience of a private room, if you can swing it. I've only done it a few times, and I can't afford to do it every time I travel, but it's pretty great for overnight journeys. It does cost a lot more than coach, but all your meals are included in the fare.
It is possible to sleep in a coach seat, however, even if it won't be the best sleep of your life. The seats are much larger than coach seats on an airliner -- more like airline business class -- and have a lot more legroom. And there are no "middle seats" -- every seat is either by the window or the aisle. They recline a decent amount. I would make sure to bring comfortable clothes to sleep in, some kind of pillow, and maybe earplugs and a sleep mask, if you find those helpful. If you're lucky, the seat next to you will be empty and you can stretch out a little more... but don't count on it.
It's a good idea for overnight trips to bring some snacks and beverages with you, because the cafe car is not open at night, and may sometimes close for an hour or two during the day at random times. But you should be able to buy most of your food on board.
I have spent several hours walking around near Union Station in Chicago, and during the day, it seems like a pretty safe area -- a busy business district with lots of office workers, and restaurants that cater to them, as well as some pretty cool historic buildings. I don't know the area well enough to comment on hotels, however.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 3:05 PM on August 10, 2023 [6 favorites]
Your most direct route would be via the Cardinal, which departs Philly on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 8:15am and arrives in Chicago the next morning at 10am. It looks like a coach seat would run you roughly $110 to $140, depending on how soon you're traveling. A private room could cost anywhere from $625 to $1200. Generally, the farther in advance you book, the cheaper the fare.
On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Saturdays, you'd have to take multiple trains. You can go to Amtrak.com, enter the cities you're traveling between, and try different dates to see itineraries and fares.
I highly recommend the experience of a private room, if you can swing it. I've only done it a few times, and I can't afford to do it every time I travel, but it's pretty great for overnight journeys. It does cost a lot more than coach, but all your meals are included in the fare.
It is possible to sleep in a coach seat, however, even if it won't be the best sleep of your life. The seats are much larger than coach seats on an airliner -- more like airline business class -- and have a lot more legroom. And there are no "middle seats" -- every seat is either by the window or the aisle. They recline a decent amount. I would make sure to bring comfortable clothes to sleep in, some kind of pillow, and maybe earplugs and a sleep mask, if you find those helpful. If you're lucky, the seat next to you will be empty and you can stretch out a little more... but don't count on it.
It's a good idea for overnight trips to bring some snacks and beverages with you, because the cafe car is not open at night, and may sometimes close for an hour or two during the day at random times. But you should be able to buy most of your food on board.
I have spent several hours walking around near Union Station in Chicago, and during the day, it seems like a pretty safe area -- a busy business district with lots of office workers, and restaurants that cater to them, as well as some pretty cool historic buildings. I don't know the area well enough to comment on hotels, however.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 3:05 PM on August 10, 2023 [6 favorites]
The train takes between 21 hours, with one transfer 7 hours in, and 27 hours on the direct train from Philly to Chicago. Amtrak trains are often delayed, so pad that estimate. You can always bring snacks, so bring extra. Amtrak will have vending machines in the viewing car, which is usually open most hours and a diner car is available for scheduled meals that they announce. Private rooms get first choice, and the dining car food is better than I expected. But it's important to have realistic expectations: it's above average cafeteria food.
With advanced planning you can get a coach ticket, which is just a seat in a car full of seats, for that 7 hour leg, and then a private "Roomette" for around $400 each way. Keep in mind that I just paid 320 for a hotel room a few blocks north of Union Station.
The roomette offers your own little cubicle with a big window, and two chairs facing each other that can be converted to a sleeping platform/bed thing. They have a screen door that can be closed. You also get some meals included and there is an actual staff around to help sort things out like converting the roomette to sleeping mode or hauling your luggage around (if you want).
So mentally price in a tip, and I go with about 10$ an interaction/service, which works out to 20$ for a basic level of getting your chairs changed to beds and then back, to more if you have them help with getting your bags on or off. The roomette car has it's own bathroom which is for all the roomettes, as these cars don't have any coach or biz seats in them. In general the roomette car is much nicer/quieter/saner than the the coach or biz cars. There is two other room options - the bedroom, which is about half again larger than a roomette and the big benefit is that it includes it's own bathroom. And there is a larger suite thing but I don't know anything about that.
It's not clear if you are traveling solo - but if you have a travel buddy they would be able to 'share' a private room, and they would only need to get the base ticket to travel.
I've travelled coach for much longer trips - and would encourage any adult with the means to go for the biz option. The biz ticket gets you more leg room, and a seat neighbor who also didn't opt for the cheapest ticket. The seats for both are adequate, and you would want something to block out noise when you wanted and maybe deal with blocking light.
Often it's just a quiet meditative journey, but sometimes it's a car full of football fans. There are lots of folks from abroad who travel by train, many religious orders and other colorful characters. In terms of safety the staff are all very attentive and will swap seats if someone is a bother or pest, and will eject the extra rowdy and drunk from the train completely.
Once in Chicago you will be a short Lift/taxi ride from any of the hotels downtown or the near north side and my last trip like this from Union cost 12$ a couple of months ago. 3 blocks directly east of Union Station is a Hilton, with a Marriot another block up. A room anywhere near downtown for 200$ is a total steal, so double check any fine print & location. The trade off for cheaper future train tickets is more expensive hotel reservations, which can fluctuate because of conventions and things like sporting events, so having flexible dates helps.
It's important to note that getting around Union Station at rush hour can be a challenge because several hundred thousand folks are going to be coming out or going in. Primarily that means that it's just slower if you are going in the reverse direction. It's just lots of people who want to get someplace, so they are generally indifferent to someone trying to get to their hotel.
In terms of safety the station has its own police unit assigned to it permanently, and I passed through it at all times of day for years. You will be with a whole trainload of people so provided you don't dally you should be able to exit with them and get to your destination without any drama at any time of day. In terms of vibe- past 7pm the stores/restaurants at the station mostly close and it might feel a little shut, and there will be restaurants open up at street level. When it gets past 9pm is when the place empties out and its gets a little weird. But there is a bunch of cops around at all times, and when it's empty is when you can actually see them doing the rounds. So late at night is is more of a feeling, and that feeling is keep alert.
In over a decade of using the train station, between myself, the spouse and all of our friends, one person got flashed. But feelings are an important part of a trip so know that for a 20$ bill you can just reward/pay/bribe a 'Red Hat' porter to haul your bags out to a taxi with you. It's also nice if you are just tired, or just don't want to navigate the maze to get up to the street level. And if it's late and you are feeling patient you can ask Amtrak and they will roll out a security escort up to the taxi stand on the street.
posted by zenon at 4:36 PM on August 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
With advanced planning you can get a coach ticket, which is just a seat in a car full of seats, for that 7 hour leg, and then a private "Roomette" for around $400 each way. Keep in mind that I just paid 320 for a hotel room a few blocks north of Union Station.
The roomette offers your own little cubicle with a big window, and two chairs facing each other that can be converted to a sleeping platform/bed thing. They have a screen door that can be closed. You also get some meals included and there is an actual staff around to help sort things out like converting the roomette to sleeping mode or hauling your luggage around (if you want).
So mentally price in a tip, and I go with about 10$ an interaction/service, which works out to 20$ for a basic level of getting your chairs changed to beds and then back, to more if you have them help with getting your bags on or off. The roomette car has it's own bathroom which is for all the roomettes, as these cars don't have any coach or biz seats in them. In general the roomette car is much nicer/quieter/saner than the the coach or biz cars. There is two other room options - the bedroom, which is about half again larger than a roomette and the big benefit is that it includes it's own bathroom. And there is a larger suite thing but I don't know anything about that.
It's not clear if you are traveling solo - but if you have a travel buddy they would be able to 'share' a private room, and they would only need to get the base ticket to travel.
I've travelled coach for much longer trips - and would encourage any adult with the means to go for the biz option. The biz ticket gets you more leg room, and a seat neighbor who also didn't opt for the cheapest ticket. The seats for both are adequate, and you would want something to block out noise when you wanted and maybe deal with blocking light.
Often it's just a quiet meditative journey, but sometimes it's a car full of football fans. There are lots of folks from abroad who travel by train, many religious orders and other colorful characters. In terms of safety the staff are all very attentive and will swap seats if someone is a bother or pest, and will eject the extra rowdy and drunk from the train completely.
Once in Chicago you will be a short Lift/taxi ride from any of the hotels downtown or the near north side and my last trip like this from Union cost 12$ a couple of months ago. 3 blocks directly east of Union Station is a Hilton, with a Marriot another block up. A room anywhere near downtown for 200$ is a total steal, so double check any fine print & location. The trade off for cheaper future train tickets is more expensive hotel reservations, which can fluctuate because of conventions and things like sporting events, so having flexible dates helps.
It's important to note that getting around Union Station at rush hour can be a challenge because several hundred thousand folks are going to be coming out or going in. Primarily that means that it's just slower if you are going in the reverse direction. It's just lots of people who want to get someplace, so they are generally indifferent to someone trying to get to their hotel.
In terms of safety the station has its own police unit assigned to it permanently, and I passed through it at all times of day for years. You will be with a whole trainload of people so provided you don't dally you should be able to exit with them and get to your destination without any drama at any time of day. In terms of vibe- past 7pm the stores/restaurants at the station mostly close and it might feel a little shut, and there will be restaurants open up at street level. When it gets past 9pm is when the place empties out and its gets a little weird. But there is a bunch of cops around at all times, and when it's empty is when you can actually see them doing the rounds. So late at night is is more of a feeling, and that feeling is keep alert.
In over a decade of using the train station, between myself, the spouse and all of our friends, one person got flashed. But feelings are an important part of a trip so know that for a 20$ bill you can just reward/pay/bribe a 'Red Hat' porter to haul your bags out to a taxi with you. It's also nice if you are just tired, or just don't want to navigate the maze to get up to the street level. And if it's late and you are feeling patient you can ask Amtrak and they will roll out a security escort up to the taxi stand on the street.
posted by zenon at 4:36 PM on August 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
Zenon's description of Union Station accords with my limited experience. But I wanted to add that if you book a private room on the train, you'll automatically be entitled to use the "Metropolitan Lounge" at Union Station, which is a private waiting area that the general public (and coach passengers) don't have access to. It's not super fancy, but has comfortable seating and free soft drinks, and the entrance is monitored by an Amtrak employee who checks tickets.
Also: It's one of the most grand and beautiful train stations in America! Well worth seeing. I spent a while just wandering around taking photos.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 5:57 PM on August 10, 2023
Also: It's one of the most grand and beautiful train stations in America! Well worth seeing. I spent a while just wandering around taking photos.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 5:57 PM on August 10, 2023
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Chicago's public transport is generally pretty good, for the U.S. (I'm a person who lives in a city without many transit options so I'm quite easy to please, but it's not bad, really), and there are lots of hotels within walking distance of Union Station, and even more a train stop or two away.
Really the only way to find out if this is doable for you specifically is to get on Amtrak and play with dates and routes and get on google maps to see which hotels are near Union Station in Chicago.
posted by cooker girl at 2:56 PM on August 10, 2023 [1 favorite]