My Great American Rail Journey - Part 18 - Amtrak Lake Shore Limited Chicago to Boston

In the summer of 2024, I took advantage of Amtrak's USA Rail Pass, where you get 10 trips on the train for $499. One catch is, all 10 legs have to be completed within 30 days. Another catch is all of your travel has to be done in coach. That means even sleeping on the train, I would have to do it sitting in a coach seat. For months I studied different Amtrak routes, planned which ones I wanted to ride, and what places I wanted to see along the way. Finally, I put together an itinerary I was happy with. One that would put me on 10 different Amtrak routes, take me through 36 states, allow me to see things I had never seen and go to places I have never been.

I arrived in Chicago around 3PM on Amtrak's Southwest Chief, and had a few hours in the city before boarding the Lake Shore Limited for it's 9:30 PM departure.