Traveling in Style!

I have an interesting train trip coming up. It’s built around the Spring meeting of the board of directors of NARP, the National Association of Railroad Passengers, to be held at the end of April in Washington, DC.

My plan is to fly straight to Washington, attend the NARP meetings, then take the train back across the country to the West Coast – Washington to Chicago to Los Angeles – catching a flight back to Maui from there.

What makes this particular train trip especially interesting is the overnight ride from Washington to Chicago. I’ll be aboard one of two vintage rail cars attached to the rear of Amtrak’s regularly scheduled Capitol Limited.

The Royal Street, is a classic bullet-shaped observation car, the kind that was always the last car of the train. It has five double bedrooms, a buffet area and a lounge.

The other, named the Pacific Union, is what’s known as a 10-6 sleeper, meaning it’s configured with 10 roomettes designed for a single passenger, and six larger bedrooms which accommodate two people. Both of these wonderful cars are being provided by American Rail Excursions.

You know what? If there’s a better way to travel, I haven’t found it!