Once in a while, I run across some Facebook posts that are very critical of Amtrak. Usually the complaint comes from someone who is an infrequent Amtrak traveler and is...

On one of my first long-distance trips—I think it was the Zephyr—my wife and I were sitting in our bedroom shortly after leaving Chicago when a 40ish man, impeccably dressed...

I’m asked a lot of questions about train travel. Among the most common ones, even among people who have taken long-distance train trips, is “How much should I tip the...

Chicago was cold again Friday morning: 39 degrees made worse by a gusty wind swooshing in between the buildings and cutting right through my feeble attempt to dress for the...

The tipping issue when I travel drives me crazy. I am never sure what’s expected, and I don’t ever seem to have the right denomination of bills or any change....

Almost everyone knows that, to save money, Amtrak has been cutting back on the little extras that sleeping car passengers have come to expect over the years. The token gifts...

There is a new Metropolitan Lounge for sleeping car passengers in Los Angeles Union Station. It’s certainly a welcome addition … quiet, tastefully decorated, and there are free munchies and...

I have a lot of empathy for the people who work in the Amtrak dining cars. Consider the dining car crew on the California Zephyr, for instance. They leave Chicago...

One of the things I enjoy most about train travel is meeting people. And once folks find out I’m a veteran at train travel, the question I’m asked most is...

A week or so ago, I wrote about some of the crazy things that happen to Amtrak car attendants. In fact, when I travel on Amtrak, I usually make it...