Just ending a wonderful Empire Builder trip from Seattle to Chicago. I was all set for everything that happened because I watched your video several times. My husband kept saying, “How do you know that?!”😊 We left 3-4 hours late so I told him that it was OK because we would see Idaho in daylight. I knew there wasn’t food at the station in Seattle … and I knew it was going to gorgeous. I told him what to order on the train. We brought a power strip and duct tape I pointed things out along the way. He thinks I have super powers Thanks so much! Best wishes to you and Suzanne - hope you have as happy a life as we’ve had.
I've taken the Amtrak from NY to FL and back again many times, and love it. I always have a sleeper unit. It helps to think of it as a "glamping" experience. Bring food, a small blanket, a book,, maybe a tablet or some device, and be flexible-minded about your schedule.
Also water, boots, jacket, tent, cooking stove, food, disinfectant, water filtration, and anything else required for a heavy duty exploratory assignment. :-)
I loved this route. I did it from Portland in 2021. I didn’t want to fly during the pandemic and I was going to meet my new granddaughter and a bedroom was the perfect way to minimize contact. I ate in my room and only left my room to stretch my legs during longer stops.
I am sure the life lesson you mentioned is that you should always look for silver linings in every situation. Wow! That was some incredible landscape. Thank you for sharing it with us. Peace to all
As a huge fan and also an Amtrak Employee aboard Amtrak’s Empire Builder. Thank you for this awesome video of the train I work on!!!! Hope you had a wonderful experience!!!!!
I grew up on trains...any situation is acceptable. It is really a mindset. As an adult, I gave up flying, except for emergencies, and settled back to always give myself time and enjoy the journey, meeting new people from all over the world, and getting work done as our great country rolls by in all it differences and greatness. No other way to achieve this !
My husband was handicapped, so we've taken the handicapped room. It's a roomette for sitting and sleeping with an open bathroom on the other part of the room. You have a sink and a toilet, but no shower. Since it is on the lower level, the train car shower is near by. The open space is big enough to store a wheelchair and the extra stuff one brings with the handicapped. They will bring you your meals so you don't have to go upstairs to the dining car. Snacks and other goodies from the snack bar depend on how busy the car attendant is. I usually went over to get him those kinds of things. Tipping is real important. Price was the same as a roomette.
Good call ... taking some wine on board! I love to sit in my roomette, and sip wine. They do the driving, and I relax and enjoy seeing the country go by.
That delayed departure actually turned out to be a "Blessing in Diguise" for you guys as you got to witness some awesome scenery (to say the least.) in Idaho and elsewhere ...
Born and raised in Idaho. Sandpoint is a very nice town/area. Couer D' Alene is spectacular - northern Idaho has some fantastic scenery. Thanks for taking us along.
My first train trip included the Great Northern Empire Builder from Williston, ND, to St. Paul. This was in 1966 and the train was completely full. I was traveling in "steerage" and had to sit on a stool in the restroom for part of the trip. Still, it was an exciting adventure!
Incredible travel journal. I did the Empire Builder last year (Sept 2022) in roomette and will be doing it again in April on a 6000 mile Amtrak journey! I really appreciate your enthusiasm for Amtrak and train travel. Thanks!
"She didn't say 'Uno'" LOL(!!) 🙂 ... As always, Thank You Both for the informative and entertaining videos. Traveling always presents unexpected setbacks, and your thoughtful videos with thorough evaluations prevent countless unsavory surprises for vacationers. Very Well Done(!!) 🙂 ...
I’m currently on Amtrak’s westbound Pennsylvanian right now. This video is seriously a life saver since our engine broke down in Harrisburg and we’ve been stuck here for 2 hours and counting. Not gonna lie I wish this was longer because I still have an hour to kill before they can send another engine up here from Philly.
Amtrak is kind of in a state of purgatory right now with their engines. The P42s are way past their expiration date and are breaking down. Not to mention all the freight engines that are increasingly breaking down today. There have been significant teething issues with the ALC-42s. They are making software improvements and handling these as they come up. Hopefully, in a year or so these issues will be resolved and we will see far better reliability with the ALC-42s.
@@stevendelavaux1426 funny enough, I was chatting about this very issue with the head conductor during this whole layover. she said that all the protect power in Harrisburg also broke down, so that's why they had to send a diesel all the way up from Philly. the ALC-42s have also had many issues so she was wondering why Amtrak spends so much money with stupid things like battery-electric cars for the Empire Corridor rather than putting focus on the boring but important issues of everyday operations
@@nathanjiang100 Public Relations. Adding "Shiny & New!" to a system looks better than fixing "old & familiar", especially if they can add a few buzzwords. Battery electric? That's "Environmentally friendly" (supposedly), and "forward looking". Diesel? Not so much...
Jeb I grew up in North Idaho in Clark Fork, 20 miles east of Sandpoint on the Montana boarder. It was so wonderful to see we’re I grew up for 18 years. Made me cry, such a beautiful area!
Another great rail journey!! Thanks Jeb and Suzanne for sharing the trip! As someone who grew up in Canada - I love Winter landscapes (from the mountains to the plains)!! Don't get me wrong - Summer is great and all - but there is really something special about fresh/deep snow covering both the ground and the trees under a brilliant blue sky....and even though the late start was probably inconvenient for everyone - you really can't beat those views that would normally have been hidden in the dark (also loved the scenes you captured of wildlife near the tracks!).
The best thing about ALL my vacations, and that includes a 9 hour ride on a beat up old train that leaked exhaust into the carriage which replaced a 4 hour high speed train (in the U.K.) on a bank holiday, is having someone to share it with (28+ years). Great video, as always!! 👍🏼👍🏼
Great Video!!!! Interesting seeing the Mississippi up north, unlike my hometown of Memphis and my second home town of New Orleans. Try the City of New Orleans, very festive crowd on that train. To Chicago to Minot. Wisconsin was just beautiful on the Empire Builder. Again just a great video. Greg Adams, Springfield, Louisiana and 31 year retired Federal Express (Fedex Express) employee.
48 hours on the train is a really crazy amount of time! it's something that I would want to experience though if ever I'll visit the US. Thanks for sharing the experience Jeb!
My wife and I did the Empire Builder in 2021 from Portland to Chicago. It was the best vacation we ever did! Next time, take it from Portland so you can see the Columbia River Gorge. That was up there with Glacier for views. And Portland Union Station has a Metro Lounge. Cheers!
Can’t wait to see the rest of the series! I will be doing a similar but opposite direction trip in the fall from Miami to SF, I am excited to see what y’all get to see on the other Amtrak routes
Decades ago when I was 14, Amtrak had a route from Chicago west through Arizona with two overnights at the Grand Canyon (spectacular!) and on to and through Southern California, all the way up the West Coast with stops in LA and San Francisco and a day trip out to the islands off Washington State’s mainland and then back across passing Mt. St. Helen and on back toward Chicago. What an amazing journey. I will never forget it. I had always traveled by train from the time I was 3, and that trip at 14?..I was hooked! Trains for me! Always!
Empire Builder July 2023, CHI-SEA roundtrip. We just returned from a roundtrip on the EB and the Summer Scenery is amazing. Westbound Roomette. Eastbound Bedroom! I highly recommend the Superliner Bedroom. What was very interesting was the difference between West and East..We really appreciated the Westbound Car Attendant and Dinning staff and food but Eastbound was far and above the outbound trip. In particular our Eastbound Car Attendant Gul was amazing and could be working at the finest hotel or cruise ship but he choose to work for Amtrak. (“Jeb Score-Service” West=3, East 5!). Additionally the EB was 100% full West and East. So book early! Safe travels!
I recently did a small trip by coach and on the first day I traveled on my own and the train was 7 and a half hours late. So I did experience the train being late to my destination. But I still thought it was great. And I'm planning to do another trip on amtrak.
I have done both as well, and will agree that the roomette is definitely better than coach due to the length of the trip if you travel from beginning to end. For shorter trips, coach is awesome. I love train travel!!
I went the opposite way in about 1990. I was hoping to see a real blizzard... but the snow did not come until the day I was leaving for home. The music is very good too.
This train goes right through my town of Perham, MN every day. I've even rode on it from here to the Wisconsin Dells at one point many years ago. It varys greatly when it comes through town. It's supposed to be coming through here in the 130-330 am time frame....depending which direction. Some days it's early, some days it comes through 8 or 9 am, sometimes even later. Doesn't seem to be real consistent. I will say the one time I rode it, it was an hour and a half late. But was a new and enjoyable way to travel. Hope to do it again sometime.
just caught your video, great job. i've been on the empire builder many times to seattle on amtrak and the great northern and have enjoyed each trip tremendously. my grandpa was a conductor on the great northern version.
I just recently moved from Philadelphia to the Mpls-St paul area. Definitely next time you’re back explore STP. Its such a cool city. Also I love the videos with Susan. She is adorable!
I would love to take the full Empire Builder route one day! When I went to college in Minnesota, I'd take it to Chicago on breaks. A few summers ago my family took a road trip to Seattle and the views made me want to take a train even more to avoid the dread of driving through all the nothing of Montana's highway. The snow views you got are so beautiful, and I like the history lesson in there too! Thank you for the video!!
I live 36 miles north a bit east of Sandpoint Idaho near Moyie Springs ID. I loved that you were able to see the gorgeous views along the Kootenia river. Which has a flow route I'll leave to your curiosity. Thanks for the large amount of scenery! Beautiful music and great calm commentary.
Thank you so much for all the information and some answers that we needed, I love watching your videos where they’re at the plane or the train. Thank you.😊
As far as the question about travelling Amtrak in a wheelchair, I have some experiences with that. I have permanent muscle & nerve damage in one of my legs & although I can walk using either a cane or a brace, I sometimes use a wheelchair to avoid pain. There are wheelchair ramps that can be put in place for boarding the train. Many of the larger Amtrak stations have staff to assist disabled people with their luggage if you request it when booking your ticket. However many of the smaller stations do not have this but often other passengers will be willing to help you if you politely ask. If you are staying in the accessible room & are completely wheelchair bound you won’t be able to go to the dining car but in that case your meals will be brought to your room & if you do have enough mobility that you could potentially access the dining car but either climbing stairs or walking on a moving train is difficult for you, they will ask you whether you want to have your meals in the dining car or whether you want your meals brought to your room. I personally don’t personally have experience travelling with a service animal or travelling with a visual or hearing impairment; my understanding is that Amtrak makes accommodations for those things I as well but I can’t really speak to those.
Amtrak is notoriously late. I took the Empire Builder from Seattle a few years ago. My train left must a few minutes late but arrived in Chicago almost 10 hours behind schedule. The trip was nice.
I rode the Great Northern Empire Builder back in 1960 to Minneapolis… 2 sleeper cars with my family.. I remember the moose we saw and losing a tooth. I forgot to check if the tooth fairy left anything in the bed pocket, so for the rest of my life visualized my tooth (or reward) going back and forth along that track. What an adventure!
I've traveled AmTrak a couple of times on the Coast Starlight -primarily on a whim seeking a train adventure, since I could have driven faster - and what I learned is that I needed to abandon thoughts of agendas, itinerates, or departure/arrival times and just enjoy the experience. Thanks for taking me along on this trip; it only reinforces my bucket-list dream of an epic "circumnavigate the country" Amtrak trip on the Coast Starlight/Empire Builder/City of New Orleans/Sunset Limited routes...
With Amtrak plan your Amtrak train trip to arrive at your destination at least a day early, if not more. There are so many towns and cities to see Amtrak serves better than rolling through. It is a good idea to spend a night somewhere along the route in a small town bed and breakfast if only to enjoy their local fishing hole. Enjoy your Amtrak trip better, see America better... I rolled through so many towns telling myself I wish I could spend a day here. Well, do... Sometimes two shorter trips going the same distance as one long trip ends up being a CHEAPER Amtrak fare, outside the day spend at a bed and breakfast...
Rode empire builder twice both ways to St Louis . delayed both trips both times . they wouldn't let to coach people use the dining car on the second trip. Very disappointed . you meet a lot really great people when you ride coach. Loved every minute of it
I love riding amtrak. I have gotten a roommette plenty of times from Greensboro (yes, we live in the same city) to FL or NYC. But I find it uncomfortable to sleep laying down, Lol!! But let me sit up and that train will lull me right to sleep. Maybe one day I will run into you & Suzanne on your many trips. Thank you for sharing your amtrak trips
My first long train trip was the Denver to San Francisco route with a planned return trip. I went coach to San Francisco. Never again! As soon as I got off the train I upgraded my return trip to a roomette. Definitely worth it to me.
Don't know if you've been back to St. Paul since this video posted, but there truly isn't much in Union Depot (St. Paul). I just took my first Amtrak trip a week ago, and it involved a connection which meant I took a bus from MSP to Chicago and beat the train. I did take the De Pere to Holland, MI and business class was awesome! BUT: I'm going to give the Empire Builder a proper whack in around two weeks when I head to Chicago without connections!
I guess that it is better to take the train if you would like to see the country you are visiting and if there is enough time. I have enjoyed each second of your wonderful video. Thank you very much, Suzanne and Jeb, for sharing your wonderful documentary video with us.
In 2021, I took the Southwest Chief from Chicago to Albuquerque, and it was a wonderful experience. At one point on our way out of Colorado, we got stuck in a narrow canyon for quite some time. But the canyon was full of red clay, and it was raining, so I got to watch this weirdly beautiful splatter painting made before my eyes. Yes, Amtrak has lots of delays, but at least I'm not trapped in a tiny seat like I would be on an airplane, and you sometimes get these lovely moments.
I was really looking forward to this trip when I took it 10 years ago, Most miserable train ride I've been on. Amtrak services are basically public transit with a club car. The scheduling puts some of the best scenery at night, the stop to put on the observation car we were held captive with threats they'd pull out with out us while amazing little dinners were calling our names. We stood next to the tracks in heard like cattle for over a hour because we couldnt be on the train for the car switch. My sinuses took two weeks to recover from the crappy air(not normal). I also found myself talking to passenger next to me who confided she just got out of prison and they put her on a train, gezus! I mean there was some amazing scenery at times but I will never ride amtrak more then a hour or two.
I'm a paramedic in Sandpoint. You should spend some time in this area on your next trip out west. Priest Lake and Lake Pend Orielle is some of the most beautiful area in the nation. You saw some of it on your trip.
I took Amtrak once from Grand Forks ND to Minneapolis/St Paul. It was at night and we did have a delay to wait for freight trains to pass. I would love to travel across country from Sacramento to Buffalo NY just once.
Your first Video on the Empire Builder was my introduction to your channel, and it is still among my favorite videos of yours. At the end of that Video you mentioned releasing a video on Glacier National Park, and I have never found it. I don’t know why it hasn’t been released, but I think a lot of people (including myself) would enjoy it. P.S. thank you for the Video on the LAX In N Out Burger. I took a great friend of mine there when I visited LA and it was incredible for both of us.
You got lucky to see Sandpoint and the long bridge from the train during the day, well, morning. I live about 40 miles south of there and I get to see Amtrak run through my town if I'm up and about in the middle of the night. The Kootenai Falls Suspension Bridge in Montana is a great attraction during the summer.
i rode the empire builder in 1977 from seattle to mke . i was a dumb 18 yr. old kid. thinking back, it was a rolling museum. amtrak had a lot of rolling stock from a lot of different defunct railroads. it was quite a ride. i've ridden it from mke to msp a number of times since.. that 1st ride though....
I've taken the Empire builder many times. And never had any departure delays. I guess you just had a bad fortune with the delay in Seattle. But you're right: The fact you left late meant you got to see landscapes that I went through in the dark. So...YOU LUCKED OUT! I NEVER minded ANY delays enroute because it just means I'm on the "inland cruise" longer. Also...I've never had a problem with theft from either my bags stored downstars or at my seat (in coach).
I enjoy you travel logs you post. This is the only way I get to see the country. Thanks for posting these trips, I would to travel, but being a senior on a fxed imcome, with inflation. I will never to get this great counrty.
23:45 that town you showed is the town of Big Lake, MN. While not so notable, i graduated high school there in 2006 and had my junior and senior proms at the big building in the background. In a couple seconds you’ll show the McDonald’s I used to work at. A nice glimpse back into my past. Thanks jeb, and next time you and Suzanne are in Minnesota I’d love to show you around.
I took the Canadian from Vancouver to Toronto in 2014 and we were 12 hours late arriving in Toronto. They had to book me in a hotel for the night as I had a connecting train to Montrèal in the morning. 😁
I ❤️ all your videos Please always inform us the month and year your videos was taken so that we will know the “season” the beautiful sceneries were shot 🙏✨👍✨❤️
Whoa, thank you so much for the shoutout, I really appreciate it!!!! It's fitting that I'm typing this from on board the Amtrak Palmetto 😂
You bet! Loving your channel! Have a great trip!!
Please do a trip together. Chaos meets control. One way go the Miles path, come back the Jeb way.
@@djohn118 I would literally pay to watch this
My favorite guys to watch ride the trains!
When I went on a road trip with my dad to glacier National park we were a little surprised to see the Amtrak right above the entrance to the park.
Just ending a wonderful Empire Builder trip from Seattle to Chicago. I was all set for everything that happened because I watched your video several times. My husband kept saying, “How do you know that?!”😊
We left 3-4 hours late so I told him that it was OK because we would see Idaho in daylight.
I knew there wasn’t food at the station in Seattle … and I knew it was going to gorgeous.
I told him what to order on the train.
We brought a power strip and duct tape
I pointed things out along the way.
He thinks I have super powers
Thanks so much!
Best wishes to you and Suzanne - hope you have as happy a life as we’ve had.
Suzanne and I are so stoked to know you found our tips useful. Also, secret’s safe with us. We won’t tell him where you learned your secrets!
I've taken the Amtrak from NY to FL and back again many times, and love it. I always have a sleeper unit. It helps to think of it as a "glamping" experience. Bring food, a small blanket, a book,, maybe a tablet or some device, and be flexible-minded about your schedule.
Also water, boots, jacket, tent, cooking stove, food, disinfectant, water filtration, and anything else required for a heavy duty exploratory assignment. :-)
I loved this route. I did it from Portland in 2021. I didn’t want to fly during the pandemic and I was going to meet my new granddaughter and a bedroom was the perfect way to minimize contact. I ate in my room and only left my room to stretch my legs during longer stops.
I am sure the life lesson you mentioned is that you should always look for silver linings in every situation.
Wow! That was some incredible landscape. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Peace to all
As a huge fan and also an Amtrak Employee aboard Amtrak’s Empire Builder. Thank you for this awesome video of the train I work on!!!! Hope you had a wonderful experience!!!!!
I grew up on trains...any situation is acceptable. It is really a mindset. As an adult, I gave up flying, except for emergencies, and settled back to always give myself time and enjoy the journey, meeting new people from all over the world, and getting work done as our great country rolls by in all it differences and greatness. No other way to achieve this !
BTW, I live in Greensboro,NC, too. Thank you for the videos! 😊
My husband was handicapped, so we've taken the handicapped room. It's a roomette for sitting and sleeping with an open bathroom on the other part of the room. You have a sink and a toilet, but no shower. Since it is on the lower level, the train car shower is near by. The open space is big enough to store a wheelchair and the extra stuff one brings with the handicapped.
They will bring you your meals so you don't have to go upstairs to the dining car. Snacks and other goodies from the snack bar depend on how busy the car attendant is. I usually went over to get him those kinds of things.
Tipping is real important.
Price was the same as a roomette.
Good call ... taking some wine on board! I love to sit in my roomette, and sip wine. They do the driving, and I relax and enjoy seeing the country go by.
I take the Northeaster all the time. You can bring your own booze on board even in coach.
That delayed departure actually turned out to be a "Blessing in Diguise" for you guys as you got to witness some awesome scenery (to say the least.) in Idaho and elsewhere ...
Born and raised in Idaho. Sandpoint is a very nice town/area. Couer D' Alene is spectacular - northern Idaho has some fantastic scenery. Thanks for taking us along.
Sandpoint and CDA are beautiful. Great places to explore
I was born and raised in Boise/Nampa :)
We go every summer from Calgary. 5 hour drive
Shush!!!
@@DaveChamberlain-DTSinIdaho Yeah - good point 😁.
Jen has a very soothing voice. Great for relaxing before a long trip.
My first train trip included the Great Northern Empire Builder from Williston, ND, to St. Paul. This was in 1966 and the train was completely full. I was traveling in "steerage" and had to sit on a stool in the restroom for part of the trip. Still, it was an exciting adventure!
The Amtrak trip was both beautiful, and very interesting. Thank you Jeb and Suzanne.
Incredible travel journal. I did the Empire Builder last year (Sept 2022) in roomette and will be doing it again in April on a 6000 mile Amtrak journey! I really appreciate your enthusiasm for Amtrak and train travel. Thanks!
"She didn't say 'Uno'" LOL(!!) 🙂 ... As always, Thank You Both for the informative and entertaining videos. Traveling always presents unexpected setbacks, and your thoughtful videos with thorough evaluations prevent countless unsavory surprises for vacationers. Very Well Done(!!) 🙂 ...
I’m currently on Amtrak’s westbound Pennsylvanian right now. This video is seriously a life saver since our engine broke down in Harrisburg and we’ve been stuck here for 2 hours and counting. Not gonna lie I wish this was longer because I still have an hour to kill before they can send another engine up here from Philly.
What good timing…hope you made it and thanks for watching!
@@GreenerGrass still on the train over 4 hours late on a scheduled 9-hour train. fell a sleep for about 2 hours though
Amtrak is kind of in a state of purgatory right now with their engines. The P42s are way past their expiration date and are breaking down. Not to mention all the freight engines that are increasingly breaking down today. There have been significant teething issues with the ALC-42s. They are making software improvements and handling these as they come up. Hopefully, in a year or so these issues will be resolved and we will see far better reliability with the ALC-42s.
@@stevendelavaux1426 funny enough, I was chatting about this very issue with the head conductor during this whole layover. she said that all the protect power in Harrisburg also broke down, so that's why they had to send a diesel all the way up from Philly. the ALC-42s have also had many issues so she was wondering why Amtrak spends so much money with stupid things like battery-electric cars for the Empire Corridor rather than putting focus on the boring but important issues of everyday operations
@@nathanjiang100 Public Relations. Adding "Shiny & New!" to a system looks better than fixing "old & familiar", especially if they can add a few buzzwords. Battery electric? That's "Environmentally friendly" (supposedly), and "forward looking". Diesel? Not so much...
Jeb I grew up in North Idaho in Clark Fork, 20 miles east of Sandpoint on the Montana boarder. It was so wonderful to see we’re I grew up for 18 years. Made me cry, such a beautiful area!
Another great rail journey!! Thanks Jeb and Suzanne for sharing the trip! As someone who grew up in Canada - I love Winter landscapes (from the mountains to the plains)!! Don't get me wrong - Summer is great and all - but there is really something special about fresh/deep snow covering both the ground and the trees under a brilliant blue sky....and even though the late start was probably inconvenient for everyone - you really can't beat those views that would normally have been hidden in the dark (also loved the scenes you captured of wildlife near the tracks!).
“Set your expectations”…Great advice! I could see this going two ways…depending upon your expectations
The best thing about ALL my vacations, and that includes a 9 hour ride on a beat up old train that leaked exhaust into the carriage which replaced a 4 hour high speed train (in the U.K.) on a bank holiday, is having someone to share it with (28+ years). Great video, as always!! 👍🏼👍🏼
Always an adventure though, no matter what!
Jeb's humble and positive attitude is why I keep coming back, and Suzanne is also a top notch travel buddy. All the best, cheers guys.
Loved the longer video on this trip...the scenery and your comments justified it very well. Thank you for all your videos!
Great Video!!!! Interesting seeing the Mississippi up north, unlike my hometown of Memphis and my second home town of New Orleans. Try the City of New Orleans, very festive crowd on that train. To Chicago to Minot. Wisconsin was just beautiful on the Empire Builder. Again just a great video. Greg Adams, Springfield, Louisiana and 31 year retired Federal Express (Fedex Express) employee.
48 hours on the train is a really crazy amount of time! it's something that I would want to experience though if ever I'll visit the US. Thanks for sharing the experience Jeb!
My wife and I did the Empire Builder in 2021 from Portland to Chicago. It was the best vacation we ever did! Next time, take it from Portland so you can see the Columbia River Gorge. That was up there with Glacier for views. And Portland Union Station has a Metro Lounge. Cheers!
Can’t wait to see the rest of the series! I will be doing a similar but opposite direction trip in the fall from Miami to SF, I am excited to see what y’all get to see on the other Amtrak routes
Sounds like an awesome trip! Stay tuned!
Wow, something to look forward to! 👍
Decades ago when I was 14, Amtrak had a route from Chicago west through Arizona with two overnights at the Grand Canyon (spectacular!) and on to and through Southern California, all the way up the West Coast with stops in LA and San Francisco and a day trip out to the islands off Washington State’s mainland and then back across passing Mt. St. Helen and on back toward Chicago. What an amazing journey. I will never forget it. I had always traveled by train from the time I was 3, and that trip at 14?..I was hooked! Trains for me! Always!
I rode this one last year with my wife, such a beautiful ride through glacier national park during our dinner!
Beautiful scenic tour. Jeb and Suzanne represent Amtrak Tours very well. I enjoy watching Amtrak Tours.
Empire Builder July 2023, CHI-SEA roundtrip. We just returned from a roundtrip on the EB and the Summer Scenery is amazing. Westbound Roomette. Eastbound Bedroom! I highly recommend the Superliner Bedroom. What was very interesting was the difference between West and East..We really appreciated the Westbound Car Attendant and Dinning staff and food but Eastbound was far and above the outbound trip. In particular our Eastbound Car Attendant Gul was amazing and could be working at the finest hotel or cruise ship but he choose to work for Amtrak. (“Jeb Score-Service” West=3, East 5!). Additionally the EB was 100% full West and East. So book early! Safe travels!
Jeb and Suzanne are couple goals.
I recently did a small trip by coach and on the first day I traveled on my own and the train was 7 and a half hours late. So I did experience the train being late to my destination. But I still thought it was great. And I'm planning to do another trip on amtrak.
I have traveled in both a roomette and coach. Roomette is better but expensive. But trips were fantastic best way to travel in my opinion.
I have done both as well, and will agree that the roomette is definitely better than coach due to the length of the trip if you travel from beginning to end. For shorter trips, coach is awesome. I love train travel!!
Welcome to Chicago! Have fun while you are here!!
I went the opposite way in about 1990.
I was hoping to see a real blizzard... but the snow did not come until the day I was leaving for home.
The music is very good too.
You're very generous in your comments about AMTRAK. Can't wait for Brightline to grow and compete aggressively with AMTRAK.
This train goes right through my town of Perham, MN every day. I've even rode on it from here to the Wisconsin Dells at one point many years ago. It varys greatly when it comes through town. It's supposed to be coming through here in the 130-330 am time frame....depending which direction. Some days it's early, some days it comes through 8 or 9 am, sometimes even later. Doesn't seem to be real consistent. I will say the one time I rode it, it was an hour and a half late. But was a new and enjoyable way to travel. Hope to do it again sometime.
just caught your video, great job. i've been on the empire builder many times to seattle on amtrak and the great northern and have enjoyed each trip tremendously. my grandpa was a conductor on the great northern version.
I just recently moved from Philadelphia to the Mpls-St paul area. Definitely next time you’re back explore STP. Its such a cool city. Also I love the videos with Susan. She is adorable!
Just love seeing the wildlife
I would love to take the full Empire Builder route one day! When I went to college in Minnesota, I'd take it to Chicago on breaks. A few summers ago my family took a road trip to Seattle and the views made me want to take a train even more to avoid the dread of driving through all the nothing of Montana's highway.
The snow views you got are so beautiful, and I like the history lesson in there too! Thank you for the video!!
Such beautiful views. I've never considered a winter train trip, but with scenery like this, it seems appealing. Excellent video.
I live 36 miles north a bit east of Sandpoint Idaho near Moyie Springs ID. I loved that you were able to see the gorgeous views along the Kootenia river. Which has a flow route I'll leave to your curiosity. Thanks for the large amount of scenery! Beautiful music and great calm commentary.
Empire builder is my favorite. I was taking it from Portland to Chicago round trip 2-3 times a year.
Jeb with the Duffle Board shirt! That's literally the best thing about Seattle. HAHA
The new power cars are so cool!
Trains are sooo fascinating. I enjoyed the video thanks so much ❤
I did this route in 2013. Loved this trip. And plan to do it again
I did coach on that trip. Will definitely not do that again on this route.
Best get ready with me ever
I really enjoyed their video! Plus they are such an adorable couple! And her hair is so pretty! ❤
Amtrak long distance trains are just so often late. In the northeast they are very reliable on time.
So nice to meet your lovely wife! You guys are a great couple
Thank you so much for all the information and some answers that we needed, I love watching your videos where they’re at the plane or the train. Thank you.😊
Love the views - I like your trips on AMTRAK, Canada's VIA Rail and all your Rail Trips.
snow blanketed wonderland♡
It feels like not just a trip but a mixture of meditation and leisure. Nice work>>>Subscribed!!!
As far as the question about travelling Amtrak in a wheelchair, I have some experiences with that. I have permanent muscle & nerve damage in one of my legs & although I can walk using either a cane or a brace, I sometimes use a wheelchair to avoid pain. There are wheelchair ramps that can be put in place for boarding the train. Many of the larger Amtrak stations have staff to assist disabled people with their luggage if you request it when booking your ticket. However many of the smaller stations do not have this but often other passengers will be willing to help you if you politely ask. If you are staying in the accessible room & are completely wheelchair bound you won’t be able to go to the dining car but in that case your meals will be brought to your room & if you do have enough mobility that you could potentially access the dining car but either climbing stairs or walking on a moving train is difficult for you, they will ask you whether you want to have your meals in the dining car or whether you want your meals brought to your room. I personally don’t personally have experience travelling with a service animal or travelling with a visual or hearing impairment; my understanding is that Amtrak makes accommodations for those things I as well but I can’t really speak to those.
Amtrak is notoriously late. I took the Empire Builder from Seattle a few years ago. My train left must a few minutes late but arrived in Chicago almost 10 hours behind schedule. The trip was nice.
I rode the Great Northern Empire Builder back in 1960 to Minneapolis… 2 sleeper cars with my family.. I remember the moose we saw and losing a tooth. I forgot to check if the tooth fairy left anything in the bed pocket, so for the rest of my life visualized my tooth (or reward) going back and forth along that track. What an adventure!
Your video's are amazing! Thank you!
I've traveled AmTrak a couple of times on the Coast Starlight -primarily on a whim seeking a train adventure, since I could have driven faster - and what I learned is that I needed to abandon thoughts of agendas, itinerates, or departure/arrival times and just enjoy the experience. Thanks for taking me along on this trip; it only reinforces my bucket-list dream of an epic "circumnavigate the country" Amtrak trip on the Coast Starlight/Empire Builder/City of New Orleans/Sunset Limited routes...
With Amtrak plan your Amtrak train trip to arrive at your destination at least a day early, if not more. There are so many towns and cities to see Amtrak serves better than rolling through. It is a good idea to spend a night somewhere along the route in a small town bed and breakfast if only to enjoy their local fishing hole. Enjoy your Amtrak trip better, see America better... I rolled through so many towns telling myself I wish I could spend a day here. Well, do... Sometimes two shorter trips going the same distance as one long trip ends up being a CHEAPER Amtrak fare, outside the day spend at a bed and breakfast...
Very well said! Your words sum up the Amtrak experience perfectly!
Rode empire builder twice both ways to St Louis . delayed both trips both times
. they wouldn't let to coach people use the dining car on the second trip. Very disappointed
. you meet a lot really great people when you ride coach. Loved every minute of it
Very groovy! I love it when you both are on the trip!
I took the Silver Star last week and had a great time. Arrived 10 minutes early into Orlando!
Cosiest channel in the WHOLE OF TH-cam. I hope you guys make videos forever!!!
I love riding amtrak. I have gotten a roommette plenty of times from Greensboro (yes, we live in the same city) to FL or NYC. But I find it uncomfortable to sleep laying down, Lol!! But let me sit up and that train will lull me right to sleep. Maybe one day I will run into you & Suzanne on your many trips. Thank you for sharing your amtrak trips
My first long train trip was the Denver to San Francisco route with a planned return trip. I went coach to San Francisco. Never again! As soon as I got off the train I upgraded my return trip to a roomette. Definitely worth it to me.
Really enjoy your vidoes. Lived in Montana for 18 years before having to move back to SoCal - this really made me homesick.
Don't know if you've been back to St. Paul since this video posted, but there truly isn't much in Union Depot (St. Paul). I just took my first Amtrak trip a week ago, and it involved a connection which meant I took a bus from MSP to Chicago and beat the train. I did take the De Pere to Holland, MI and business class was awesome! BUT: I'm going to give the Empire Builder a proper whack in around two weeks when I head to Chicago without connections!
I am glad your Charger locomotive didn't give you any issues. Looks like the fixes are starting to work
I guess that it is better to take the train if you would like to see the country you are visiting and if there is enough time.
I have enjoyed each second of your wonderful video.
Thank you very much, Suzanne and Jeb, for sharing your wonderful documentary video with us.
In 2021, I took the Southwest Chief from Chicago to Albuquerque, and it was a wonderful experience. At one point on our way out of Colorado, we got stuck in a narrow canyon for quite some time. But the canyon was full of red clay, and it was raining, so I got to watch this weirdly beautiful splatter painting made before my eyes.
Yes, Amtrak has lots of delays, but at least I'm not trapped in a tiny seat like I would be on an airplane, and you sometimes get these lovely moments.
Loved the GRWM segment ❤😂
Montana is a big state. Thank you u both. Love from Australia 😊
Right? Took nearly a day to pass through it! Almost like the vast landscape in Australia🇦🇺
Great video. This convinced me to do this trip, but I live in MSP, so I'll go here to Seattle. BTW, your voice is super calming and trusting. 😊
Fun times on the train. Delays bring surprises, so lucky guys. Really enjoyed it, but book a double room next. Stay safe.
You two are honestly such a pleasure to watch. Xx
Thank you for sharing a wonderful view of this part of the US 😊
I am really surprised you are not on tv yet, I think you should have your own show.. :).. I’m 1.5 hours southwest from Milwaukee
I was really looking forward to this trip when I took it 10 years ago, Most miserable train ride I've been on. Amtrak services are basically public transit with a club car. The scheduling puts some of the best scenery at night, the stop to put on the observation car we were held captive with threats they'd pull out with out us while amazing little dinners were calling our names. We stood next to the tracks in heard like cattle for over a hour because we couldnt be on the train for the car switch. My sinuses took two weeks to recover from the crappy air(not normal). I also found myself talking to passenger next to me who confided she just got out of prison and they put her on a train, gezus!
I mean there was some amazing scenery at times but I will never ride amtrak more then a hour or two.
I remember a tv show entitles Quincy Jones, about 55 years ago! He was a loc driver of 1880's models. He had a son about 10. ...
I'm a paramedic in Sandpoint. You should spend some time in this area on your next trip out west. Priest Lake and Lake Pend Orielle is some of the most beautiful area in the nation. You saw some of it on your trip.
I took Amtrak once from Grand Forks ND to Minneapolis/St Paul. It was at night and we did have a delay to wait for freight trains to pass. I would love to travel across country from Sacramento to Buffalo NY just once.
Love your videos. Did Brunswick Maine to Orlando. Great trip. Watching from 🇨🇦
Your first Video on the Empire Builder was my introduction to your channel, and it is still among my favorite videos of yours.
At the end of that Video you mentioned releasing a video on Glacier National Park, and I have never found it. I don’t know why it hasn’t been released, but I think a lot of people (including myself) would enjoy it.
P.S. thank you for the Video on the LAX In N Out Burger. I took a great friend of mine there when I visited LA and it was incredible for both of us.
Haha, Miles in Transit is now officially a trip reporter per Jeb Brooks!
You got lucky to see Sandpoint and the long bridge from the train during the day, well, morning. I live about 40 miles south of there and I get to see Amtrak run through my town if I'm up and about in the middle of the night. The Kootenai Falls Suspension Bridge in Montana is a great attraction during the summer.
Looking forward to do this trip on Wednesday
i rode the empire builder in 1977 from seattle to mke . i was a dumb 18 yr. old kid. thinking back, it was a rolling museum. amtrak had a lot of rolling stock from a lot of different defunct railroads. it was quite a ride. i've ridden it from mke to msp a number of times since.. that 1st ride though....
I've taken the Empire builder many times. And never had any departure delays. I guess you just had a bad fortune with the delay in Seattle. But you're right: The fact you left late meant you got to see landscapes that I went through in the dark. So...YOU LUCKED OUT! I NEVER minded ANY delays enroute because it just means I'm on the "inland cruise" longer. Also...I've never had a problem with theft from either my bags stored downstars or at my seat (in coach).
I enjoy you travel logs you post. This is the only way I get to see the country. Thanks for posting these trips, I would to travel, but being a senior on a fxed imcome, with inflation. I will never to get this great counrty.
Thanks for coming along!
Gorgeous footage ! Thank you for taking us along !
23:45 that town you showed is the town of Big Lake, MN. While not so notable, i graduated high school there in 2006 and had my junior and senior proms at the big building in the background. In a couple seconds you’ll show the McDonald’s I used to work at. A nice glimpse back into my past. Thanks jeb, and next time you and Suzanne are in Minnesota I’d love to show you around.
Fantastic video, the scenery was amazing looking forward to part 2.
Jen I really enjoyed u😊 on your Amtrak journey
I took the Canadian from Vancouver to Toronto in 2014 and we were 12 hours late arriving in Toronto. They had to book me in a hotel for the night as I had a connecting train to Montrèal in the morning. 😁
Looks cozy and scenic!
I ❤️ all your videos
Please always inform us the month and year your videos was taken so that we will know the “season” the beautiful sceneries were shot 🙏✨👍✨❤️
great video
beautiful.