California Zephyr from Chicago to San Francisco - Amtrak Across America Part One
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So good morning from a very chilly Chicago Union Station. Uh it's the end of April and I think it's 41 degrees. It's freezing cold.
The California Zeppa is touted as one of the most scenic routes in the Amtrak network or in the world. Um, and it really does live up to that reputation.
I wouldn't say it's the best night's sleep I've ever had. might say it's the worst night sleep I've ever had.
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We go back to the start of our Nomad journey and take you on our Amtrak Across America Series. We travel a total of 4 train routes in this journey over 6 weeks. California Zephyr - Part 1 https://youtu.be/xdHpvBgf8Rk?si=ZIhE4ZUi-54Yp8wM Rocky Mountaineer - Part 1A https://youtu.be/dbNtLSI73v4 Pacific Surfliner - Part 2 https://youtu.be/DuCCLYHwZ60 Coast Starlight - Part 3 https://youtu.be/Zb-QyyCAAvQ Empire Builder Part 4 https://youtu.be/GnMPAewhPWU Amtrak Top Tips - Part 5 https://youtu.be/UW9VaNFqyPo Amtrak Across America the 4 Journeys - Part 6 https://youtu.be/2sUaV8yknDg We split this journey into 4 trains Chicago to Denver Rocky Mountaineer Denver to Moab Green River to Salt Lake City Salt Lake City to Emeryville We cover a total of 2438 miles, 33 stations and 7 States. Although we broke this journey into 4 stops if you rode the full route it would take you 51 1/2 hours. We rose this in a roomette and we show you the room, service, food, toilets, beds and some top tips to make your Amtrak adventure a little more comfortable. Amtrak is about the journey, the adventure, the views. It is not the cheapest, most practical, most comfortable and it is definitely not a luxury experience. This is a train route used by regular people to get from one side of America to another and it's an adventure. Please like and subscribe to see our next video on our Amtrak Across America Series. And remember You're here for a good time, not a long time. Inflatable camping pillow sea to summit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P7J7BV8/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_5JJSPCG6WKDV942BFK1Y?linkCode=ml2&tag=globalnomadst-20 #amtrak #californiazephyr #rockymountaineer #rockiestoredrocks #trainwindowview #travel #globalnomadtravel #worldtraveller #worldtravel #slowtravel #digitalnomad # digitalnomadlife #retireearly #retireearlyandtravel #financialindependenceretireearly Video Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:45 Chicago Union Station 02:10 Metropolitan Lounge 03:02 It's time to board the train 04:15 The journey begins 05:06 The 3 levels of service on Amtrak 05:23 Room tour of our Roomette 07:58 The toilet situation 09:28 Making the room up into bunks 12:42 Top tips earplugs and eye masks 13:12 Security in your roomette 13:47 Another top tip inflatable pillows and wet wipes 15:22 The horn 16:07 How did we sleep 17:02 Arriving into Denver Union Station 17:09 The route 18:17 Rocky Mountaineer Denver to Moab (check out our video on this) 19:52 Green River to Salt Lake City 20:46 Dinner on Amtrak 22:30 Superliner Cars, observation cars and the cafe bar 24:33 Salt Lake City to Emeryville 26:50 The California Zephyr - a stunning journey 27:58 Thanks for watching Hi we are James and Helen and we are Global Nomads. We are a pair of British Expats that decided to retire in our early 50’s to travel the world full time. In 2004 we left Leicester in England to live in Davenport Florida and set up a Flower Shop. We brought our 2 Rottweilers along for the ride and they had a great life in the sun. Through all of the trials and tribulations that involves (Recession, COVID, Hurricanes, Inflation and everything else) in 2023 we sold that flower shop, our house and our car to become nomadic. We sold everything we own aside from some items in our storage unit mainly photos and a few keepsakes. We made the decision to be carry on only so while we do swap out our clothes dependent on the season and where we are going we travel light. In April 2024 we set off with 10 million credit card points and the money we had saved to become Global Nomads. We plan to use the credit card points to travel until they run out and will then start to spend our money on accommodation. So in the first 2 years or longer we will primarily be in Hiltons, Hyatt’s, IHG and Marriotts as we have Hotel status with all 4. We are not budget travelers and will fly first class if it is affordable or we can get it for points. We will take cruises to help us go from a to b or geoarbitrage as it is now called and because we want great deals with special experiences plan 18-24 months out. We then fill in the gaps as we get nearer to the time. Helen has an autoimmune disease which makes walking hard and accessing doctors and bloodwork were a major concern on our travels. We will document the process of appointments, prescriptions, bloodwork and keeping on top of all of that when you are thousands of miles from your primary care Doctor We love Formula 1 so will be at races if they match our dates and plans. Helen travels with a Nikon camera so wildlife photography is definitely a passion, as with all photography it comes with a lot of heavy gear that takes up valuable space and weight! Life is short, we intend to see everything we can while we are young….ish We are here for a good time, not a long time. https://www.facebook.com/GlobalNomads93/ https://www.instagram.com/globalnomads93?igsh=emg1ZzkybnJyOXZv Email: globalnomads93@gmail.com