We traveled on the Lakeshore Limited in January 2010 on our way from Los Angeles to Syracuse, NY. The Lakeshore Limited connects Chicago with Boston, MA and New York City, NY. We departed from Chicago en route from Los Angeles aboard the Southwest Chief, which arrived 6 hours prior to our departure from Chicago to Syracuse.

We boarded the train in Chicago's Union Station around 9:00pm. Union Station is a large classic Art Deco train station right in the middle of downtown Chicago. It is both a beautiful building and an inspiring place to board a train. Those with sleeper accomodations have a special lounge with TVs, coffee, juice and larger chairs. Those traveling coach board at the gate in a standard waiting area. After boarding the train dinner was not served the first night, but we were treated to wine and cheese in the dining car.

Accomodation

The Lakeshore Limited uses the Viewliner sleepers, which have a different configuration from the Superliner that we had on the Southwest Chief. The biggest difference between the cars is that the Viewliner is only one level, while the Superliner is two. The second difference is that there are no bathrooms in the cooridors of the car, you have to use the toilet in the roommette or the room. This is weird for a couple of reasons. First, the rommette has windows that face the cooridor, so the only privacy you have is the curtains, which don't always stay closed. We were able to see a few men peeing in their rooms just by looking out our own window. Second, toilets often smell and the roomette isn't that big. It doesn't take much of an imagination to see how this can be bad. Roommettes on the Viewliner are more spacious than the Superliner. Again, there are two facing chairs. Next to one chair is a coat rack , next to the other chair is a toilet and a sink. The top bed moves up and down on a track. There is also a baggage storage area at the top of the roommette, which is very useful if you have a backpack.

Having a sink in your room is a real convenience, but the toilet thing is just weird. Honestly, I'd prefer to share a toilet with the other passengers than have to use the bathroom right next to where I sleep. We were really glad this trip was only 13 hours, cause it would get really gross having a toilet in your room for a 3 day train ride. If you are traveling as a single, you may want to consider whether you should share a room with a stranger considering the tight space and that you will have no privacy in the room. You may be more comfortable in coach depending on the length of your journey.

The toilet inside the Viewliner Roomette. There are windows in the roommette that face the cooridor, so you have to make sure the curtains are closed.	The sink is above the toilet, nicely tucked away when not needed.

Meals and drinks are inclusive with accomodation in a sleeper car. Depending on the distance of your trip, you may receive Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. The menu provides various types of meat as well as vegetarian options. Although the portions are large, the quality is so-so. Overall though, it is decent food for a train and exceeded my expectations. Remember, even though the sleeper cars come with many benefits over the coach seats, they are still not regarded First Class.

Scenery

One of the benefits of the Lakeshore Limited is its route along Lake Erie. However, we departed Chicago in the evening and by the time we awoke the next morning, we had already passed most of the lake. Our morning led us through the towns of New York bordering the lake and into the city of Buffalo. Following Buffalo, we we passed through the old industrial city of Rochester on our way to Syracuse. Miles and miles of snow covered woodlands presented us with a relaxing journey through some of the oldest towns in the United States. When finally arriving in Syracuse at around 11:45am, the train was too long for the station platform. We were asked to wait a moment so the train could pull forward to let us off of the last car. However, a serious error on the part of the conductor led the train to depart the station without letting all the passengers off. Next thing we knew, we were on our way to Rome, another hour up the tracks. After we all gave the conductor a piece of our minds, he apologized and told us another train was waiting in Rome to take us back to Syracuse. After changing trains in Rome and returning to Syracuse, we were off the lakeshore limited, a little over an hour past our intended arrival time.

The train station in Syracuse is used both by the bus and train and serves as a regional transportation hub. There are busses from the station directly to downtown Syracuse, as well as Syracuse University. After getting our checked baggage, we were on our way. We hope to try taking the train all the way to New York, City and arriving in Penn Station sometime soon.

Travel Tips

• Luggage is restricted to 50 pounds and Amtrak is very strict about it.
• The toilets are in the roommettes
• Meals are included with the sleeper
• Depending on when your train leaves, the scenery you will enjoy will change