Passenger Trains > Travel tips, Zephyr to Capital Limited to Silver Meteor

It will be my first time on CZ east of Reno. I would appreciate any suggestions. I travel West Coast a lot but this is my first time all the way to North Carolina. I have a few hours in both Chicago and DC, probably not long enough to do anything except get lost, so will stay in the Metropolitan Lounge I guess. Thanks for any tips. 

Willis Tower in Chicago is very close to Union Station in Chicago. 

All of Washington is at your feet just by stepping out the front door of Washington Union Station. A 10 minute walk will bring you to a lot of great places. Take a look at a Google map of Washington and do some planning. You will be glad you did.
 

Chicago.  Go outside on River  side (east) and smell the  roses. Quite pleasant. Fresh air. People watching.

In Wash DC.

US Postal museum is across the street.

​Take a ride on the new Street car right from station.  Its only 10 minute or so ride.

​Enjoy the views just from Union Station of the public buildings/Capital.


​In Chicago, take advantage of the tower view.  This is the Former Sears Tower.

​Walk a couple of blocks around the station, view the Chicago River.  You do not have to sit in the Station, get out and about.

In Chicago, you can also walk across the river (right next to the station) and board a water taxi that will take you down to the Navy Pier on Lake Michigan.  Then ride back.  Nice boat trip through some of the best architecture in town.

You'll need to check the schedule, during the day they seemed to be running on about hourly timings.

In a few hours between a nearly on time wb LSL and then the wb CZ, I was able to walk down to the Whole Foods on S. Canal St. shop,  and then walk around Sears Tower.  It's amazing how much you can do in an hour or two especially if you don't have your luggage with you.  In DC, you could walk to the National Gallery, Supreme Court, Library of Congress and/or walk down part of the Mall in an hour and be back in time for your next train.  

Both stations have places to stash your luggage and that makes a big difference.   

After spending that much time on a train, I'd want to get out and walk a bit!

Have fun on your trip!

I agree with the others about stepping outside of Chicago Union Station between the California Zephyr and Capitol Limited.  If you're looking for a quick bite to eat (or food to bring on the train), skip the Union Station food court and go to the Metra Market.  The Metra market offers a wonderful variety of foods.  It is located on street level below the Ogilvie Transportation Center which is 2 or 3 blocks north of Union Station on Madison Street.  The Ogilvie Transportation Center is Metra's Chicago station for trains operating on three Union Pacific (originally Chicago & Northwestern) lines.

You may also want to walk along Adams or Monroe Streets east towards Michigan Avenue to see Millennium Park and/or the lakefront.  Alternatively, as suggested above, stay close to Union Station, but go to the top of Willis Tower for a great view of Chicago.

Don't ask for ketchup on a hot dog in Chicago.
 

Just hope the CZ gets you into Chicago in time to make your connection !

There's a Metro station in WUS, which gives some additional flexibility to get around DC or even into Northern Virginia (Arlington Cemetery, for starters) or Maryland.  Can also be used as a shortcut to get to the western end of the Mall and sights such as the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial, the Washington Monument, or the Smithsonian museums.

Thanks for all your tips and ideas. Did my google maps "look-see" and now have more of a sense of what I'm looking for.

There's also the DC Circulator    (http://www.dccirculator.com/ ). Three of these bus routes have stops close to WUS.  The red line drives around the entire Mall and back.