Traversing America coast-to-coast on amazing Amtrak
As I sit down at my friends, Suparno-Malabika’s 12th floor apartment ‘Pineway Towers’ in Silver Spring, MD to write down the jaw-dropping and fascinating experiences of the train travel from New York to San Francisco, I am reminded of J.K. Rowling.
Rowling had a passion for train ride as her parents met on a train, she wrote. Her mother was once traveling by train and was feeling terribly cold. A stranger offered her a blanket. Later she married the guy. She always wrote about her fondness for train journeys.
Why did I take this long, long train trip from the east coast to the west?
My penchant for train ride had a different reason. I grew up in a suburb near Kolkata, India where our house was very close to the railway tracks. As a child, I was fascinated as trains passed by our house hooting and puffing in the dead of night. I could hear the sounds of trains piercing the silence of the night and it took me to a world which words can’t explain!
Old-world style train travel becomes even more romantic when combined with breathtaking and stunning scenery. Before coming to the US this time, I decided to take the train to see the bewildering variety of the American landscapes—the Rockies, deserts, canyons, rivers, streams, valleys and gorges.
Ready for ride: At New York Penn station
My first stop is Chicago, the Windy City and the largest city of the American Midwest.
This would be followed by an unforgettable and breathtaking ride by Amtrak’s California Zephyr.
Helping hand: Amiable Amtrak staff at train’s door
Amtrak coach seats economical, comfortable and convenient
My final destination is San Francisco in the west coast.
(To be continued)
