Layover in Chicago

I decided to upgrade to a sleeper on the next two legs of the trip. The Southwest Chief from Chicago to LA and the Coast Starlight from LA to Sacramento.

Good thing too because a sleeper ticket allowed access to the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicagowhile I was between trains. The lounge features big leather chairs, free snacks and sodas, free luggage storage, pre boarding and generaly a nicer experience. Here's a few pictures.

The Amtrak Cardinal Hoosier State

I only got one shot of the train after we arrived in Chicago. The trip was long, 25 hours, and went through some really beautiful scenery. I took no pictures from the train but trust me, if you have the time it is a beautiful ride through Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky & Indiana before arriving in Chicago.

The train was a low profile old school train that fits in the tunnels of the Northeast. You can see a double decker Superliner in the background on the right.

Washington DC

I took the Amtrak Crescent from New Orleans to Washingyon DC. It was a low profile east coast
coast train. We went through Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia before reaching DC.

There's the US Capitol.

So many things to see here. This is Union Station in DC, two blocks from the Capitol building.

Here's an Acela train. Union station is very busy. Trains coming & going all the time. Besides Amtrak there are commuter lines from Maryland (MARC) & Virginia (VRE)

DC has a good subway system, $7.80 buys you an all day pass. The pass has a picture of Obama on it.

There's the White House

There's me in front of the White House It was cold & windy that day.

It was Cherry blossom time in DC

The Washington Monument.

The Jefferson Memorial.

Thomas Jefferson.

Cherry Blossoms next to the tidal basin next to Jefferson Memorial. I was there one day before the Cherry Blossom Festival started.

The FDR memorial.

Eleanor Roosevelt.

The Roosevelt memorial had a lot of water features. Here's one.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, one of our greatest Presidents and a traitor to his class. Thank you Mr. Roosevelt. His dog Fala is there too.

1933, not a good year to assume the Presidency, not unlike 2009.

The recently completed WW II memorial.

WW II medallion.
The Lincoln Memorial.

Abraham Lincoln, our first gay President.

The Capitol dome as seen from the National Mall.

At the American Indian Museum I saw two guns owned by Chief Joseph. You want to read a sad story, google Chief Joseph & the Nez Perce Indians. For shame America.

Joseph's are the one with brass decorations and the one below it.

This was cool. An American flag made out of bead work with the 50 states instead of stars. It also contains the names of hundreds of American Indian tribes. If you click this picture it will enlarge to show more detail.

The licence plates in DC. The don't have representation in congress, that is reseved for states, not terrtories or "districts"

The Big Easy, New Orleans.

After a night on Beale Street the last thing I needed was a night on Bourbon Street and yet there I was. I stayed at the Canal Street Hotel, not a bad place, very reasonable, free high speed Internet.

Near by I saw an ATM that hadn't worked since Katrina. I saw a lot more too.

Here's a big hotel, apparently abandoned.

Here's a sky bridge that goes from one building to another, except the other building isn't there anymore. Why not demolish the sky bridge?

Then I saw the Saenger Theatre. The Grateful Dead played there in 1980 and Yonder Mountain String Band played there a few years back during Jazz Fest. Now it sits there boarded up.

The once beautiful Saenger entrance. A sign says they're going to reopen but it's been a few years now. Jeez, let's go people.

They put nice murals over destroyed buildings at street level. Look up.

The French Quarter was alive and hopping though.

Got my picture taken with a grenade. Apparently that's a type of drink.

Dog tired.

The French Quarter.

When The Saints Come Marching In. Every picture means a $1 tip.

Bourbon Street.

Worst statue person I ever saw. He would swear at tourists that wouldn't photograph him. He assumed the Heisman Trophy pose for this picture. I don't think carrying a beer and cursing potential customers helped.

Me with one of New Orleans finest. He's the only one I didn't have to tip.

Back to the room on the trolley. There's the driver.

Here's the passengers.

The next day it was onto the Amtrak Crescent to Washington DC. Th trains that run in & out of New York City are old school. Too many low bridges to run the double decker Superliners. I was getting off at DC but the Crescent continued to NYC.

It just so happened the Crescent was pulling a private car that day. If you have the money you an hook up your private car to an Amtrak train. Don't own a private car? You can rent them. Google it, there are plenty.

There was a Superliner at the New Orleans depot. That's either the City of New Orleans from Chicago or the Sunset Limited from LA.

Interior shot of the Crescent.

Lake Ponchatrain.

The dining car on the Crescent.

Me in the dining car on the Crescent. I had dinner with a Psychologist and a transplant surgeon.

Now it's on to Washington DC.