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Old Dec 6, 2018, 11:23 pm
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Boraxo
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Originally Posted by Exiled in Express
The view is from the train, not the stations. There are longer stops approximately every 6 hours where you can get off for some walking on the platform and fresh air.

Going the full distance I would definitely go for the roomette for comfort. The advantages of Amtrak coach over airline coach diminish greatly after 10 hours or so.
+1 Stations are generally not too scenic - they stop long enough to take off the garbage and load more food... you can buy something in the station but I certainly wouldn't risk venturing much beyond

Personally I recommend the bedroom if you have 2 or more people - plenty of room to keep all of your luggage with you and some have a private bathroom though it's pretty small. Roomette would be fine for solo travelers

Originally Posted by ColdRain&Snow
I'm a frequent traveler on the Western trains, actually riding the Builder tomorrow Seattle to Chicago. If you're intent on doing the westbound trip, scheduling it during the summer months when days are longest will ensure maximum scenic intake. You will be traveling along the Mississippi and Glacier Park boundaries on days 1 and 2, respectively, both in the early evening hours. If you can do the eastbound trip, all the better as you will get the GP and Mississippi running in full daylight.

I'd say the top scenic highlights are the Columbia River Gorge (PDX)///Cascade Mountain crossing (SEA), alpine Montana (Whitefish//Glacier Park), and the running along the Mississippi shoreline for quite a ways.
+1 - the view departing Seattle was interesting...Glacier Park was amazing (though you'll miss it if you sleep in heading eastbound) and the trip through Minnesota is good. The best part heading east is that you sleep through the most boring parts of Eastern Washington and North Dakota oil country.

Personally I felt 2 nights was a bit too long for me as I didn't sleep great with all the bouncing/noise and the menu gets old after a day. So if I do it again I will probably exit at Whitefish and enjoy the park.
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