When it’s time, the Amtrak staffer working at the Metropolitan Lounge will alert you to your train’s arrival before taking you down an elevator that goes straight to the train platform. The snack and drink area in the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge at 30th Street Station. There’s also a coffee machine, a fridge full of bottled water and soft drinks, and some light snacks, like pretzels and muffins, on the counter. The lounge is a bit quieter than elsewhere in the station, and it has some seating that, in terms of comfort, is definitely a level up from the wooden benches in the main hall. If you arrive early at the train station, you get access to 30th Street Station’s Metropolitan Lounge, which you’ll find if you turn right immediately after entering the station through the east entrance and then go up the stairs. There were some perks from the beginning. But the significantly longer distance and the little bells and whistles made this experience feel super different from that. I’m pretty experienced with traveling by Amtrak in coach for shorter distances, on lines like the Northeast Regional and Keystone Service. (Asha Prihar/Billy Penn) The first-class ~experience~ View through the window of the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge at 30th Street Station. It was over twice the amount it would’ve cost for us to buy coach tickets, but it was also over $100 less per person than the cheapest direct flight from Philly to Indy (albeit 19 hours longer). The price tag for the roomette ended up being around $470 for both me and my partner, booking a Wednesday departure seven weeks in advance. Not the most spacious setup, but good for a daylong journey with someone you’re comfortable being in close quarters with. ![]() The cheapest (and most available) option for that is a “roomette” - a little compartment meant for one to two people that include seats that face each other and convert into a skinny bed, a top bunk, storage space for luggage, a trash can, and a sink. ![]() If you’re like me and terrible at both 1) sleeping sitting up and 2) operating without sleep, booking something in the sleeper car might just be the way to go. Not every Amtrak route has first class options, but the Cardinal has a few. The costīasically, if you’re taking Amtrak and you want a place to sleep that’s not just sitting up in your seat, you will need to book some sort of sleeper room, all of which Amtrak categorizes as first class. The trip my boyfriend and I took - from West Philly to downtown Indianapolis, three stops after the beginning and five stops before the end - lasted around 21 hours. Taking the full route from Moynihan Train Hall/Penn Station in New York to Union Station in Chicago is a 26.5-hr. The train goes in a wide U-shape through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, DC, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana before getting to Illinois. The westbound line originates in New York City three times a week, but it doesn’t travel in anything close to a straight line. ![]() The Cardinal ends in Chicago, and it takes a super roundabout way to get from the East Coast.
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