I'll answer the easy question. All five bedrooms are on the upper level of a sleeper. Bedroom E is closest to the center of the car, and therefore experiences less motion, but it is also right next to the stairs. I would try to get Bedroom C as the happy medium. For the same points you can also book the Family Bedroom, which is on the lower level at one end of the car. Its beds for adults are exactly the same as the Bedroom. However, it has no sink, no toilet and no shower. It does extend the entire width of the train without any need for a corridor and it is one of only two rooms you can move around in at all after the beds are made up.

The above applies to the Superliner Sleepers, which you will find on all the trains heading west out of Chicago, as well as the Capitol Limited, the Texas Eagle and the Sunset Limited. The Eagle, however, has only roomettes available about half the time. If you opt for the Lake Shore Limited out of Boston, it has Viewliner Sleepers. Viewliner Bedrooms are very similar to Superliner Bedrooms, but have more headroom. For this reason, I prefer Viewliners.

Dining on Amtrak is certainly not gourmet and the menu choices are limited, but I have always been able to find something satisfactory and it is much better than camping out. I love eating while the scene constantly changes around me. And it's fun to meet other people in the diner.

I have ridden the California Zephyr from Chicago to San Francisco, the Empire Builder from Chicago to Portland and the Southwest Chief from Chicago to Gallup. I think the Empire Builder is the best. Someone else will have to tell you about the Sunset Limited, the Coast Starlight and the rest of the Chief route. My reasons for preferring the Empire Builder are it runs on time better, it goes through Glacier National Park and the ride through the Columbia River Gorge is inspiring to this desert kid. However, the Zephyr has some impressive sights as well.