About 10 years ago I rode the Lake Shore Limited (LSL) from Springfield to Chicago. I had a coach to Albany and a roomette from Albany to Chicago. I took the LSL from New York City to Chicago in 2006. I had a roomette.
Westbound the train leaves Worcester at 1:03 p.m. It gets to Albany at 5:35 p.m. and departs for Chicago at 7:05 p.m. It is due into Chicago at 9:45 a.m. Eastbound the train leaves Chicago at 10:00 p.m., and it arrives in Worcester at 8:16 p.m.
The train has limited food service between Boston and Albany. I recommend having lunch before you get on the train. Between Albany and Chicago the LSL has casual dinning service. I believe this means that you order your meal at a counter and then take it to a table. This is not as swish as the full service diner that ran on the train when I last rode it, but eating on any type of dinning car is an experience to be enjoyed, especially with a glass of wine or two. Accordingly, I would plan to have diner and breakfast on the train. You can see a sample menu at http://www.amtrak.com/. Click on the Traveling with Amtrak tab and follow the steps to see the sample menu. Under the same tab, by the way, is general information about what to expect on the train.
I believe the café car (casual diner) has a section to visit with fellow travelers. This is where people would gather for a chat after dinner, etc. One of the pleasures of traveling by train is meeting people from many parts of the U.S., indeed, many parts of the world. Given the weak dollar, the U.S. is entertaining a lot of overseas visitors this year. And some of them love to travel by train.
I recommend taking plenty of reading material. It will be dark within an hour or so after leaving Albany, so you will want to have something to read unless you hit the sack very early. Seeing out of the train at night when the lights are on is difficult. Or if you are not into books, you should take a laptop computer or entertainment device so that you can watch a movie or listen to music. Make sure to take a good set of earphones with you. They are necessary to listen to the movie and music. They are also "good" to tune out unwanted noise.
During the summer some of Amtrak's cars are cold. They can be like riding in a meat locker. Accordingly, I recommend taking a sweater or jumper, especially if you are like me and don't handle "cold" very well. You might also want to take a light blanket. I don't remember whether Amtrak still offers pillows for coach passengers on the LSL. You should check with them to see if they do. If they don't you might want to take a small pillow with you. It makes sleeping in a coach seat much easier.
Traveling light is good. I recommend taking your bag onto the train, as opposed to checking it, and putting it in the luggage rack over your seat or in the space provided at the end of the car. I have been traveling on Amtrak or by train in the U.S., as well as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Great Britain, since 1949, and I have never had anyone steal anything from me. Take a toilet kit with the usual stuff in it. Also, take a wash cloth and small towel in your bag. You will need them to freshen up in the morning. As I remember them, the coach toilet facilities on the eastern long distance trains are satisfactory, but they are nothing to write home about.
The LSL has been on-time into Chicago 41.2 per cent of the time to date in 2008. In June it arrived on time just 30 per cent of the time. On time, for Amtrak, means arriving within 30 minutes of the advertised. So you probably will not arrive in Chicago until 10:15 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. If the plan is to be in the Green Bay area by nightfall, you will not have a lot of time in Chicago. The next train to Milwaukee departs at 1:05 p.m. with a scheduled arrival into Milwaukee at 2:34 p.m.
The 1:05 train arrives at the Milwaukee Airport stop at 2:19, which may be the best spot for renting a car to complete your journey to the Green Bay area. I don't know how easy it is to get a car at the Milwaukee station, which is in the heart of Milwaukee, but renting a car at an airport, which is where the car rental companies are really set up to operate, is usually easier than renting near an Amtrak station. I presume that you final destination is near Green Bay since you mentioned taking a bus from Milwaukee to Green Bay.
It is approximately 120 miles from Milwaukee to Green Bay. Assuming you obey the speed limit, it is about a two hour drive. You can probably add some additional time to get to your final destination, plus an hour to get from the train station to the car rental counter, rent the vehicle, and get on the road. Let's call it three hours. This means that if the Chicago to Milwaukee train is one time, you should arrive in the Green Bay area sometime after 5:00 p.m.
The other trains departing from Chicago to Milwaukee the same day are p.m. trains at 3:15, 5:08, and 8:05. Adding the same times for travel, renting a car, and driving will give you an idea of when you would arrive in Green Bay.
I recommend spending the late morning and afternoon in Chicago, at least, and taking a later train (5:08 or 8:05) to Milwaukee. Stay overnight in Milwaukee and then enjoy a leisurely drive to the Green Bay area the following day.
Within walking distance of Union Station in Chicago there are heaps of things to see. Several that come to mind include the Sears Tower ( I heard that it has been sold but still has the Sears name attached to it), with its excellent observation deck; Michigan Avenue, with lots of trendy shops; and the Water Tower, with even more trendy shops. Also, the Chicago Commodities Exchange is worth seeing.
A number of the folks who post to this forum appear to be from Chicago and Milwaukee. They can probably make some additional recommendations of things to see and do in Chicago. Oh, by the way, don't miss looking around Union Station. It is one of the best railroad stations in America.
A couple of years ago I took the Texas Eagle to Chicago, the Hiawatha to Milwaukee, and the Empire Builder to Portland. I stayed in Milwaukee. I was pleasantly surprised. There is a nice shopping and restaurant complex in downtown Milwaukee. It has a great art museum on the waterfront, which is very nice. And the hotel rates in Milwaukee are markedly less than in Chicago.
Have a nice trip. Don't hesitate to post any follow-up questions.
Thank you for the reply Samantha.
I found that there is a Hertz rental .4 miles from the station in downtown Milwaukee with cheaper cars than the airport, coupled with the AAA discount and the Amtrak partnering with Hertz it seems like a good bet.
My other option is to spend time in Chicago on the way back. The train doesn't leave until 10pm so if I head to Milwaukee early I would have time to kill.
Obviously my big concern is the 2 days of travel, but I suppose that is part of the fun... I just found an airfare that is making me question my rail decision and I am going back and forth. It's hard to be commited on something one has never done before.
Anyway, thank you for your input, greatly appreciated.
I would urge you to try the train, and this seems to be a good opportunity to do so. Folks react differently, and it is possible you will find it not to your taste. However, as airline service (can you say airline service with a straight face) continues to deteriorate, I think increasing numbers of people are going to find it a better alternative.
(another thought added) Union Station in Chicago functionally is a commuter station buried in the basement of a high rise. I suppose it works fine for that purpose but is hardly a civic monument. However, find a station map and go to the area marked "Great Hall". This is the 1920's Union Station, from the era of grand public spaces; and it is worth seeing.
I would definitely check that out. I believe it is a Burnham and Root design. I am a big fan of that neoclassical style from the 1900's. I read Devil in the White City recently which parallels Burnham's architectural marvels of the 1893 World Expo in Chicago (the Science and Industry Building is the only remaining structure from the expo). If I have time therea are a few things I will check out there... We have our own grand hall here in Worcester. They recently renovated our Union Station (10 yrs ago). Here are some shots I took...
SHOULD MOST DEFINITELY BE VIEWED LARGE
The "old" part of Chicago Union Station, I've read, is the largest enclosed space in downtown Chicago. Not the biggest volume building (that would probably be the Merchandise Mart), but the indoor open space with the largest volume.
Well worth a visit!
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