The most remarkable thing initially about the train is the utter lack of security. You could take knives, bombs, raw meat (which I would nevvvver do. never ever. whaat? me?), and really anything else your heart desired. And a lot of it. From my understanding, Amtrak allows you to have two checked bags (providing you're getting off at a station that allows checked bags, which Green River does not), two carry-on items, and two personal items. Phew. It's really more than you can carry. (and I would know) So if you need to travel somewhere with a lot of stuff and you don't want to drive, the train is the way to go. Depending on who you are, the lack of security can be disconcerting or a welcome perk.
Once you're on the train, you can exist within it's warmth the entire ride. The loveliness of that is not to be underestimated. They have smoking and stretch-your-legs stops, but I was always too lazy to get off. There are many conveniences that make your ride more comfortable, such as bathrooms (they make your ride muucchh more comfortable), a snack car, observation car, and dining car. The dining car food is edible, but I would recommend planning not to eat there. It's expensive microwave food, as our breakfast dining buddy put it. Luckily I have a wonderful mother who packed a large bag of food for me.
You can also pay to have part of a sleeper car, which I did not, but the seats themselves weren't bad at all to sleep in. Unlike airplanes, you have plenty of leg room, the seats recline far back, and a little leg rest pops up at the bottom to support you. There's a gentle sway to the train car that helped me relax and sleep. (in case you're not picking up on this, the train allowed me to be very lazy)
If you like chatting with strangers, you'll appreciate the train. The environment is relaxed, and there are always people getting on and off. Because I traveled with Justin, I didn't really talk to many strangers... which is probably how I would prefer it. People are also always in and out of the observation car, and it seems like a more talkative place. I probably wouldn't have enjoyed the experience quite as much if I had traveled by myself, although I'm sure it would have been a time for much fruitful contemplation and introspection. Providing I could get rid of all the talkative seat mates.
The observation car is quite obviously for observing the views. It has bigger windows, and the seats face outward rather than forward. There are also some tables for gathering and game-playing. For the first half of the ride (Chicago to the edge of Nebraska) the views weren't worth fighting over, but once we hit Colorado the observation car filled up right quick. For good reason. Traveling through the Rockies was gorgeous.
I noticed that the train seemed to be a popular choice for families. It makes sense- on the train your kids can roam, and you don't have to worry about driving so it's a great time to play games and talk. I think kids also get into the sense of adventure and the ability to explore.
An extra bonus, in my opinion, is that the California Zephyr didn't have wi-fi. Unless you love wasting data, that means disconnecting from the world a bit. It means hours of staring out the window, sleeping, eating, talking, and reading. Those are pretty much all of my favorite things right there.
So would I recommend traveling by train? If you have the time, yes. Why on earth would I subject myself to such slowness? Well... I recently bought a teapot that only holds 1 Liter. When it came I realized how small that actually is, I wondered aloud in the office if I should exchange it for a bigger size so we didn't have to refill it. One of my office mates, Abi, said, "nah, we need reasons to make life go slower, right?" My first reaction would probably have been- No, of course not. We need life to move efficiently. But the more I've thought about it, the truer that seems to be. We have so many tools to make our lives go faster... to the point where I think we need reasons to slow down. That's the best reason I can think of for taking the train. It's not as cheap as driving and it's certainly slower than flying, but it's just so pleasant. Take the train and remember that it's ok for life to move at a different pace.
