We have booked a sleep-car bedroom for a ride on Amtrak’s Southwest Chief, which leaves Chicago on Wednesday, September 3rd and arrives in Los Angeles on Friday, September 5th.
It’s an approximate 43-hour trip, covering roughly 2,265 miles with 31 stops. The Southwest Chief is known for its scenic views, including the Painted Desert, Red Cliffs of Sedona, and the Grand Canyon.
The trip is described as:
We’ll take you across the mighty Mississippi through 8 states — past wheat fields and ranches, missions and pueblos, mountains and deserts. Carving through curving canyon passages only a few feet wider than the train itself, you’ll see spectacular landscapes and pristine vistas not visible from interstate highways.
ITINERARY
We’ll leave from Chicago’s Union Station on Wednesday, September 3, 2025 @ 2:25 p.m.
And arrive in Los Angeles’ Union Station on Friday, September 5, 2025 @ 7:57 a.m.
SLEEPING
Our bedroom looks like this, where the seating on the left side converts to bunk beds:
And I’ll be climbing up the ladder to the top bunk for sleeping. You probably figured I was a top.
EATING
See the current traditional dining menu.
Bob and I both love a good omelet, so we’ll definitely be having one of these one day, if not both days! (Note: We will also be adding a hyphen between “three” and “egg” in our order.)
We’ll be flying to Chicago to catch the train, spend 3 days in the L.A. area once we get there — for a family event — and fly back from LAX to RDU.
Here’s a taste of the experience, which shows the bedroom and the dining experience. (Complete aside: Jeb is adorable, which isn’t important, but my goodness doesn’t it help?)
Depending on how much plugging in / charging you need to do, consider a small extension cord with multiple outlets. You’ll have one outlet near the sink (IIRC) and one by the seats. Nothing for the upper berth.
In Jeb Brooks’ review of this particular Amtrak train/route, he talks about “the 3 Ps” to take on train, the first of which is “power outlet.” 🙂 (Automatically starts at that section of the video.)