Never have I ever… ridden a train.
Well, that’s what I used to say. I changed that a few weeks ago!
On Saturday, July 31st, my friend Nour was coming in to STL, Missouri via Greyhound bus. That’s about 100 miles from here and since no one wanted to drive into the city, my Aunt Marcie came up with a creative + fun idea to pick up Nour. We would drive about half way there to a small town on the Missouri River, and take the Amtrak into the city. (By we I mean my Aunt Marie, Cousin Darah, Cousin’s BF Micah, my Mom and me.) I was all for the idea because it would be a first for me as a passenger on the train!
The prices were reasonable, times worked out perfectly, and we had a few hours to spare while in St. Louis before our returning train ride.
My Mom was also very excited, as she hadn’t been on a train since she was very little. Yep, what can I say? We don’t get out much. It was a little adventure!
Waiting, waiting, waiting…
ALL ABOARD! Catch your seat quickly because they stop and go in a minute’s time at this “station.” I put it in quotations because it’s not really a station. More like a place to jump on a train.
We had to buy our tickets on the train and the guy said to us, “So you have 3 adults and 2 children?” We looked at him confused. He thought Darah and I were the children! That means 15 years old or younger. Not quite, and if I wouldn’t have corrected him with “No, I’m actually 21” we would’ve got a nice child discount. Too bad!
We sat at a dining table chatting and drinking overpriced refreshments. It was a small, commuter train so people weren’t fighting over the tables or anything. It was way more fun than regular seats.
After a short ride, we walked off our train and met up with Nour at the same station! It was so great to see her!
We were just a mile from the Arch, but didn’t have time to see it up close.
We walked a few blocks to Union Station. We ate lunch at the Food Court and walked around, checking out the shops and train history.
Marcie, Darah, and Micah sitting in original train seats.
We needed 6 tickets for the way back because Nour joined us! YAY! It was her first time on a train in the US.
Back at the Missouri River, we stopped at an outdoor bar with live music for a bit. It was so nice outside, especially with a mist fan blowing on me.
Strange sign
I had RootBEER. It wasn’t very good, it tasted exactly like those RootBeer candies. Too sweet.
After an enjoyable time, we headed back home to Boring Small Town, USA.
What did I think of my first experience on the Amtrak? I absolutely LOVED it! It was such a fun mode of transportation and I’d love to take a trip across country on one. In fact, I’m trying to convince my Mom that we should go visit Marcie in California and take the train. It might take a LOT of convincing to get her out of Missouri though.
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