4 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

One of my catch phrases is that the second most important thing to a railfan is eating. I've outlined elsewhere what meals we should expect to get while aboard the trains, but how about in each city? Breakfast is generally at your hotel of choice, as many hotels include it depending on their policies and your loyalty program status. But we will be together for lunch and dinner.

Chicago

As long as time permits with many making same-day connections through Chicago, some consideration needs to be given to where we might eat. Generally in the past we have had quick meals at the rail station food courts in either Union Station, or diagonally across the street at Ogilvie Transportation Center if we have more available time. A 2 PM departure for the westbound California Zephyr rules out a sitdown type of place since we should be in the Metropolitan Lounge and prepared to board by 1 PM.

Likewise with the eastbound arrival of the California Zephyr potentially late and the need to connect the same afternoon or evening, those who have the time could play it by ear and decide last minute where to go.

Salt Lake City

We arrive in SLC very late Sunday night, and depart 48 hours later on Tuesday night.

Monday lunch will be at the food court at Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City. Approximately 2 hours allotted for this, including walking from and to the TRAX Green Line.

Tuesday lunch, as long as we follow the current itinerary, has 2 hours allotted between arrival from the morning FrontRunner trip down to Provo and the afternoon FrontRunner trip to Ogden. So we must stay close. I am not sure of what is available in the immediate station area, but the Gateway complex is nearby.

That leaves two dinners in Salt Lake City on Monday and Tuesday evenings. One possibility may be the Old Spaghetti Factory (OSF) in Trolley Square. OSF is the western equivalent (very similar but unrelated -- both have the trademark trolley car in the dining room) to Spaghetti Warehouse, which we last did in Memphis in 2011. We ate in an OSF last in 2010 in Portland. The Salt Lake City branch of this restaurant is close to the TRAX Red Line on its eastern segment towards the University of Utah. MENU

As for a second dinner, that remains to be determined. Perhaps we can find a nice but afforable steak place.

Reno

If things go correctly, we should arrive in Reno mid-morning on Wednesday, and leave the same afternoon. Unless we are more than several hours late westbound, we should have ample time for lunch. There are several casino hotels with sitdown restaurant service or buffets within walking distance of the Reno Amtrak station.

Denver

With the eastbound California Zephyr calling at Denver Thursday evening at 6:38 PM, one could assume that we will eat dinner before arrival having taken an early seating. If not possible, we would have to plan to eat after we arrive.

Friday's lunch will be within our travels, more than likely in downtown Denver. Roughly 2 hours is available for this, but it may not be needed. We can eat somewhere along the 16th Street Mall, more than likely fast food of our choice. There are storefront restaurants along the street, or clustered within the Tabor Center and Denver Pavilions. We can walk or use the free MallRide Shuttle if we find a particular place we want to visit. See the restaurant listings for 16th Street Mall, Denver Pavilions, & Tabor Center here.

Friday evening we are entitled to dinner after boarding the eastbound California Zephyr. There's always the option too of skipping the train dinner and eating within Denver but close to the station if the train is running late.
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Which brings us back to Chicago, already covered above. And that's the home of Steve, who I am sure is already checking Yelp and other sources for some decent dining suggestions for us.

[steve4031]

In Chicago there are two options to consider. Lou Mitchell's is a nice coffee shop restaurant. They really are not equipped to handle a large group. But if some people want to go there it's goo assuming you get there by 12 pm. Beggars pizza is at the corner of Jackson and Clinton. It has a serving line where everybody can go through and select and buy their own food. There is usually plenty of seating so we have a good chance of sitting together at this place.

[KevinKorell]

Hopefully whatever we plan comes together. With recent delays on the California Zephyr, things could be very different. For example, should the eastbound Zephyr be late leaving Denver on our way to Chicago, then an off-train meal rather than eating very late at night on board becomes more attractive. Likewise, a late train between Reno into Denver would assure plenty of time for an onboard dinner.

[KevinKorell]

Steve and I have had ongoing offline discussions regarding meal locations in Salt Lake City, Reno, and Denver. For SLC, we know that Old Spaghetti Factory will be one of the nights. It would be on our TRAX day, so that we can ride the Red Line to the closest station a block from that restaurant. For the second night, a decision has been inconclusive. We may very well leave it up to the individual, which often results in smaller groups still eating together at different locations. As other have mentioned, Denver is hard to plan because of uncertainty of the eastbound California Zephyr's performance. Some have mentioned that there are plenty of places that can be walked to from the station, and time availability may dictate quicker meals that may not be sitdown variety. Reno again offers us many selections, some of them freestanding and some in casinos. We can evaluate those choices in travel, once we are certain we will be arriving in Reno before lunchtime comes and goes.

[pennyk]

Sounds good to me. My guess is that I am the pickiest eater in the group. I will do my best to "go with the flow" and not complain too much.