I have been able to travel in what I consider the three main ways of traveling: car, plane and train. If I had to pick what I think the most unique form of travel one can take now in the United States, it has to be traveling by train.
For as long as I can remember, I have always had a fascination with train travel. The elementary school I went to was in Scott, Louisiana which has the motto “Where the west begins” and the town’s origins are intertwined with the building of a railroad. I can still remember hearing the train while I was in class.
The first time I went on a train was to New Orleans for a concert in the summer of 2022. I went to New Orleans with my parents and we decided that the train would be the perfect way to get there. It helps that Lafayette does have a small train station downtown.
We took Amtrak’s Sunset Limited, which travels to New Orleans and Los Angeles. Fun fact the name Sunset Limited was first used in 1894 by Southern Pacific Railroad. This fact makes the Sunset Limited one of the oldest named trains in the US that is operating.
When I first saw the train up close, I was surprised by how big the train was and how I could hear the train’s whistle before I even saw it. When we got on the train we were welcomed with stairs then we found our seats. I was filled with anticipation as soon as I walked on the train and got to my seat. While looking around at my surroundings, I was surprised by the amount of people that still take the train. I saw both old and young people, children with their parents.
One of the things that I like about the train as a form of travel is the freedom of movement that can be found. A passenger can sit in their assigned seat or go to the viewing car which was my favorite place to relax on the almost three-hour train ride. The viewing car had chairs that faced the windows so the passenger could watch the landscape change. Then there were booths where one could charge their phone. If one got hungry the cafe car was right below.
Since we were only going to another city in the same state, we did not get a sleeper car. We decided to get food from the cafe car. They had a variety of drinks, sandwiches, hot dogs and snacks. For my dinner, I chose grilled cheese and Coca-Cola. I have eaten many grilled cheeses on subsequent train trips.
One of my favorite parts about the trips is putting my headphones on and pressing play on my music. Then I just stare out the window watching Lafayette disappear behind me wondering what the next town will be. Spoiler alert it was New Iberia and I was then again surprised by the usage of the train. I love watching the sunset and for a bit the sky is in shades of pink then the sky is just pitch black.
The only time I have been to another state on the train and at this point the longest train ride I took was to San Antonio, Texas, summer of 2023. This was the second time I took a train that summer. Like all my previous train trips it was on the Sunset Limited. It was also my first time going to San Antonio. All of my previous trips to Texas have been to Houston and that one time I spent a few hours in the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
Something about traveling always makes me want to bring a few books to read and kill some time. If my memory serves me right, I packed two books in my purse. The first one was the memoir “The Princess Diarist” by Carrie Fisher and the second was a collection of humorous essays by David Sedaris titled “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim.”
While being on a train, one starts to notice a few things. For example, the group of ladies playing cards in the observation car. The single person staring intensely at their laptop attempting to get their work done.
Some passengers are on their phones while others are passed out from the exhaustion of their trip or the sound of the train slowly puts them to sleep. We always end up meeting new people and for a few hours we become friends, but we never see them again. In the end, I can not wait to see where my next trip will take me next.