Great American Train Trip

[The_Troubadour]

Eternal, I live in Chicago. Let me take you out on a nice date 
Seriously tho message me on steam, I can tell you how to enjoy your stay here

 

[Catholic]

.Sorry for the late response

Seems like a large area to cover in just 10 days. You'll be spending more than half your time in a train.

For example, Denver -> Chicago is 18 hours by train.

Yep. Roughly 96 hours in a train, I believe. I have exams the day before and I have work the day after, so extending my time is an impossibility, unfortunately.

Assuming you're sticking around the National Mall, naturally the Smithsonian is a must if you like museums. Besides the big ones, I'm really fond of the Freer and Sackler Galleries, which have their specialty in Asian art, and their collection is divine. I'm afraid the Freer section is closed, but the underground Sackler gallery is still open, and I highly recommend it. Also best gift shop ever. If you can catch the metro down to Georgetown, Dumbarton Oaks museum is more out of the way, so less crowds and has a collection of Byzantine and pre-Columbian art, though I have yet to see it myself. Intended to do so when I had my interest in the Inka, but never got around to it. Georgetown is also nice for walking around and window shopping, though I'm not certain whether you're a big shopper, Eternal.  It can get mighty expensive as well, so if you go there watch your wallet, though the area itself is quite nice. If you can get out of the city proper, the Udvar-Hazy Center near Duller International Airport has an incredible collection of aircraft, including the Enola Gay and one of the space shuttles, so if aircraft is one of your interests I recommend that.

Beyond that... depends what you like to do, or what you'd like to see in general. I'm sure you know most of the big monuments in the city, they're pretty easy to get from one to the other along the National Mall.

Hell yeah, thanks for the advice! I'm a bit sick of planes, honestly, I went to the aviation museum in New Orleans, the San Diego aviation museum, and I went to Edwards Air Force base and got to climb inside an F35 bomb bay this year.

Spoiler: Proof

I loathe shopping and even if I didn't, I'm traveling with literally just a backpack on me, so there's not a lot of space for me to add new things, thankfully.

I will check out the Smithsonian, though!!

I'd love to do this, but I feel like driving it would be more fun/allow for more spontaneousness.

Totally disagree, I hate driving long distances.

You guys forgot the most important pros of using the train, namely that he can drink.

Not in America he can't.

I possess some South Carolina identification that seems to show I'm 21, by some strange coincidence.

Let me know when you're in DC and we can get into quote wars hang.  If you want, I would be able to give you a tour of the Capitol.

Wonderful! I have a friends-with-benefits kind of thing with a girl in the area that I might spend a lot of time with, and she offered me to crash at her place, but she's so unreliable that I plan to get an Airbnb despite her offer, so I'll almost definitely take you up on that.

Eternal, I live in Chicago. Let me take you out on a nice date 
Seriously tho message me on steam, I can tell you how to enjoy your stay here

Great!

 

[Catholic]

Alright pals, got my schedule finalized. Going Denver -> Chicago -> DC -> Philadelphia -> Atlanta -> San Francisco. If you want to know when specifically I'll be in each city, because you want to hang out, let me know.

Also, still looking for fun things to do in each. Nipplemelter has been a huge help for DC, but I'm still lost for the rest.

 

[Jhessail]

The Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta was surprisingly fun place to visit.

 

[Lord Brutus]

Awww. I wish I had mentioned it sooner, but the Crayola museum is in Easton, PA.  Also contains the true story of Silly Putty.

 

[Harkon Haakonson]

What an old person suggestion!

 

[Lord Brutus]

What an old person suggestion!

Only if you believe I was serious.

 

[Age of Empires ¶ Densetsu]

A nice place to visit would be the Natural History Museum in London once they build that transatlantic tunnel.

 

[Mage246]

The Spy Museum in DC is good fun for a few hours. They've got tons of cool stuff that's actually real spy gadgets from history. Might try that if you want to get away from the Smithsonians. It's in the same area, and is actually closer to a Metro station. The Smithsonian Museum of American Art/National Portrait Gallery has a middle atrium area that is great for taking a break from the museums in, so give that a try if you're feeling a bit wiped out. There's a little cafe in there, too. It's also in the middle of downtown.

 

[Almalexia]

Oh, I highly recommend the Museum of the Native American, if only for the food if nothing else. The Mitsitam Cafe is probably the best museum restaurant in the city, and while a fair amount is obviously catering to more typical western tastes, they do have actually unique flavors and genuine recipes. If you're only spending a day or two in the city, I recommend grabbing a lunch there. They are also hosting an exhibit on the Inka Road that I quite eagerly attended, in addition to some beautiful gold and silver work and Andean weaving, they have an interactive touchscreen table that tours the pre-Columbian city of Cuzco that was really neat and informative.

You may want to visit the Arlington National Cemetery. Even if you don't have people there, as I do, its grounds are truly beautiful, and you can visit a few monuments to the Unknown Soldier and to fallen presidents or heroes.

Finally, a bit of a reach, but if you get the chance to /really/ get out of the city, you may want to visit some of the Civil War battlefields. Manassas/Bull Run being the most prominent in the area. I was actually meaning to take a trip out to one or two this summer, and if you want if you're in need of a car we could potentially work something out if you're interested.

Rereading your post, I realize you may have already gotten your fill of ideas from the ole Melter, but if you still have space in your schedule, I hope this helps!

 

[Mage246]

if you're in need of a car we could potentially work something out if you're interested.

I'll bet. Ass or grass?

 

[Almalexia]

Must one choose between the two?

 

[Phonemelter]

Nipplemelter has been a huge help for DC, but I'm still lost for the rest.

Uhhhh, don't sahow my map to mae, or else he might have a disagreemebnt with me :p

 

[Areze]

Eloquently stated, my good man.

 

[Catholic]

In Chicago now. I really should not have gone for a super cheap option, else I would not be concerned about surviving.

 

[CryoNomad]

Hey friends, I happen to have ten spare days between the end of the school year in June and the beginning of my research position, so I figured one cool way to spend those ten days would be to train trip across the United States and back.

I will be spending a day+ in these following cities:
Denver
Washington DC
Chicago
Atlanta
New Orleans

Where should I visit?
Also, ideas for what to do on the train?
Should I write a blog?

That sounds really fun. I almost want to try this. Do they serve dinners and lunches on board?

 

[Baron Conrad]

I had a 24 hr delay on the Amtrak once. So be prepared.