Chicago was the first leg of our California Zephyr trip. Robin and I met at the Atlanta airport on Friday July 7th for a 2:30 flight to Chicago. It was a fairly short flight and we flew first class so we could have a little more leg room.

All I could think about after getting to the Chicago airport was where the nearest bathroom was, but it took Robin about 20 seconds to see the Lego vending machine. It was hard, but I did convince to use the restroom first.

After checking into our room at the Hampton Inn in downtown Chicago we took Uber to Gino’s Italian restaurant for their, must have, deep dish pizza. It was a beautiful evening, low 70’s, and we got a table outside along the sidewalk. It was fun talking and just watching all the different people walking by. Our server recommended an appetizer since the deep dish takes 40 minutes – so we did. Thirty minutes later our server comes up and says the kitchen lost our appetizer order and that she was rushing it through. Ten minutes later when she brings our appetizer she informs us, that she forgot to enter our pizza order and she was rushing it. Our server was upset with herself she comped our entire meal, which was nice but Robin and I didn’t care because we sipping a beer enjoying ourselves.

Saturday morning in Chicago was cool and overcast – with rain predicted. We decided to go to the Field Museum of Natural History and what a treat. We spent a little over 6 hours at the museum and saw these exhibits – Evolving Planet, Dinosaurs, Sue the T. Rex, Fossil Prep Lab, Meteorites, Gems, and Geology.

We also saw a special exhibit on life’s greatest mystery: Death. The ways that we experience death, celebrate life, and wonder about what’s next are part of what makes us human— yet it’s also a subject we often push aside. At the Field Museum’s newest exhibition, you can explore perspectives on death and life through culture, science, and art.

Before heading over to the Union Station on Sunday we made a short visit to Millennium Park. Millennium Park is a 24.5 acre public park located in the Loop community area of Chicago near the Lake Michigan shoreline. The park opened in 2004 intended to celebrate the third millennium and features a variety of public art.

It was January pf 2023 when I decided I wanted to take a train adventure and started to do some research. Robin had traveled on the western section of the California Zephyr and suggested that might be a good trip – Chicago to Emeryville, CA. After doing my research I bought my ticket on a sleeper car in February – departure date of July 9th. Shortly after buying my ticket Robin said he wanted to go and then, of course, Greta didn’t want to be left out so she hopped on the train when we pulled into the Denver station on Monday morning. Many life things happened from February, when I bought the ticket to July. Robin started a new job with the National Park Service in Macon, GA, bought a house, sold a house and moved – all in May to July 7. Greta spent an epic two weeks in France and got home just a before the train rolled into Denver. This wonderful trip had three distinct parts; Chicago, Amtrak and Camel Valley and it was so much fun spending time with Robin and Greta.

Sunday morning, just before noon is when Robin and I decided to head down to Union Station in Chicago for our 2PM departure on the California Zephyr train to Emeryville CA, just out side San Francisco. Our hotel was only a couple of blocks away, but we wanted extra time to see the fabulous Union Station.

The present Chicago Union Station opened in 1925, replacing an earlier union station built in 1881. The station is the fourth-busiest in the United States, after the Pennsylvania, Grand Central Terminal and Jamaica station in New York City, and the busiest outside the Northeast Corridor. It handles about 140,000 passengers on an average weekday, including 10,000 Amtrak passengers.

The Amtrak person at the check-in station recommend checking one or both of our bags because the roomettes were small and our wouldn’t fit. She said there was a small luggage hold area in each car, but it tended to get full quickly. We decided to pull a few items from my bag, put them in Robin’s bag and check mine. Amtrak had a very nice lounge where we could store our luggage and enjoy some snacks and drinks while we waited for the train.

Our roomette was on the upper level, which in my opinion offered better views. The stairs were very narrow and steep. The dining car and observation car were both located on the upper level. Each car had a bathroom located on the upper level but, the showers were on the lower level.

Sleeping was a little tight in the roomette for two adults – there wasn’t enough to sit upright on the top bunk, which made it feel a little claustrophobic.

A few images as we followed the Colorado river.

Our, incredibly wonderful, friends Janis and Stephen Pavlik picked us up at the Amtrak train station in Emeryville, CA on Tuesday evening at 6PM – we arrived, 2 hours late. We were all hungry but desperately needed a hot shower and a change of clothes – so Janis and Stephan drove us to our hotel in San Francisco and generously waited while we all got cleaned up before heading out for dinner.

Stephen had gotten a recommendation for this Mexican restaurant – La Nueva Perla. They said the ambiance wasn’t great but the food was fantastic. Greta and I both had the pork carnitas and it was delicious. The pork was soft and tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. The flavors could have also been influenced by the fact, this was our first, sit down meal, in non-moving, place.

Stephen and I got up the next morning, Wednesday, at 5AM to take Robin to the airport, which was only a few miles from our hotel. Robin had to get back, on Wednesday, because of his new job. Stephen and I went to Dunkin and had a coffee and donut and hung for a while so Greta and Janis could sleep a little longer. My conversations with Stephen were natural and easy like we had never lost touch, when in fact it had been 16 years since we have seen each other.

After leaving San Francisco we headed to Zachary’s, in Santa Cruz, for breakfast. All of their breads are home made and their sour dough starter is purported to date back to the Alaskan Gold Rush – a must visit if you’re ever in Santa Cruz.

After seeing all of Pavlik’s historic spots when they were younger we headed for Carmel by the Sea. I can’t even begin to describe the beauty of this area – the ocean, cliffs, and houses built on the sides of the cliffs – totally breath taking. I was sorry Robin had to leave early but was glad to have Greta with me to witness all the beauty.

The bed, in the guest room, I was in was fitted with flannel sheets and a down comforter, with the window open at night, I was got chilly – great sleeping conditions for me. Mornings were like heaven, Stephen had coffee made and the Tour de France on the television by 6AM. It was fun watching so epic mountain stages with fellow cycle fans.

Thursday the Pavlik’s drove us done to Big Sur and what a beautiful treat that was.

Chef Stephen cooked all of our meals and they were delicious – so nice to have a cooking break. Our meals were served in the formal dinning room or hand delivered out on the back deck over looking the valley.

Friday morning, while Janis and Stephen were busy with family matters, Greta and I went for a hike in the Garland Ranch Regional Park. The park was only a few miles from the Pavlik’s house and has many hiking trails. We did a portion of several trails including the waterfall, Mesa and Snively’s Ridge, which had a very steep, 15% grade, section. We hiked past the Mesa pond and ended up with a little over 5 miles.

Folktale Winery – Janis and Stephen have been Chapter 1 members of Folktale for 16 years and because of the long term membership they get many benefits at the winery, which is only a few miles from their house. Chapter 1 members have special designated parking and are greeted at the door, with a flute of chilled sparkling wine. The evening was cool, the wine was excellent and musician just started playing Georgia on your Mind when we walked in – the makings of a perfect evening.

Janis and Stephen had a party to go to in Santa Cruz, which Greta and I were invited too, on Saturday afternoon. The host had several bands lined up to play, one of which was Stephen and his friend. The party and the music was suppose to have started at 2PM, but the traffic on the highway to Santa Cruz was all backed up. A lot of people and some band members were late getting to the party. The plan was for Janis to drive Greta and I to San Jose, about 33 miles away, so we could catch the shuttle to San Francisco for our early Sunday morning flight home. We did stay at the party long enough to see Stephen play, but barely long enough for Janis to get us to the shuttle. I felt really bad for Janis because she was driving fast and fretting the whole way. We did make the shuttle and Janis was able to get back to the party – happy ending!

Greta and I had Greek Uber eats dinner in our room, scheduled a 4AM Uber and relaxed until 3:30AM the next morning. We made it to the airport and got home with no problems. It was a great trip and I enjoyed traveling with my children – THE END.