Amtrak

A great method of transport to Chicago if you’re planning on hanging around downtown for the time you’re there. Leave the driving to them and forget the hassle and expense of parking in the downtown area. You can always hop on a bus or the L, or hail a cab if you must get around to more out of the way places or if you’d rather not walk far.
It’s comfortable and roomy in Coach seating. You may get up and walk and stretch as often as you like. While on our return leg, we wanted to have dinner in the Dining Car and by doing so, we were seated with another couple, Shelly and John from Ohio, and we had a very pleasant conversation with them over dinner. We met as strangers and left as friends.
It would be an exceptional train ride if certain people would take their ‘ad nauseum’ cellphone conversations to a more lively area of the train instead of imposing their noise upon those passengers around them who are trying to either sleep or read.

This is about Amtrak’s parts of Union Depot. I recently completed two round-​trips on the Empire Builder that started and finished at Union Depot, and thought I’d share my experience.
First, the main desk to check-​in, check your bags, or buy tickets is at street level, by the Kellogg street entrance. If you already have your ticket printed, and don’t have bags, you can skip this part… unless you are in a sleeping car, in which case you have to talk to the staff to get the code to get into the sleeping car lounge on the concourse level, two escalators above.
The staff were friendly and helpful, even on the busy times.
The concourse level is beautiful, restored to a look that dates to a century ago or so. When you exit the escalator and go through the doors to the concourse, you veer a bit to the right as you walk to the opposite wall in order to reach the sleeping car lounge. If you are going by coach, you can walk to your left to the end of the concourse. Get yourself near a window and you may see the train arrive!
The sleeping car lounge is fairly comfortable, though it may be hard to find a seat if there are a lot of passengers. Complimentary filtered, cold water and hot coffee are available. While there is a desk for an Amtrak staff member, I never saw one seated there. Instead, they came a few minutes before the train was to arrive to escort you to the top of the access to the platform. If you don’t walk with the other passengers from the lounge, you’ll need to show your sleeping car ticket to the Amtrak staff member guarding the door. Sleeping car passengers get to wait beyond the door until the arriving passengers detrain.
If you are lucky, the single escalator will be going down when you head to the platform (they do reverse it, but one downside to being in the first group to board is that you may get there too soon); otherwise, you can take the stairs. There is also an elevator, but I left that for people who really needed it.
A tip: If you are heading east, and want a sleeper, book train 28. The Portland section is at the end of the train, so you have a shorter walk. Likewise, if you are arriving from points east on a sleeper, book train 7, since you are closer to the escalator. There is only the one access point at the western end of the platform.
The platform is well-​lit, but the Empire Builder is a long train. Also, remember that the platform is exposed to the elements. There is a roof, but that doesn’t stop the temperature or the wind. You’ll probably want your jacket while you walk to your car.
The one problem I noticed for first-​time arrivals at Union Depot is that they didn’t know how to get to the street. This is something I blame Union Depot for more than Amtrak. There should be clear signs with large arrows indicating the way to the escalator, and another big sign should be outside the doors to Kellogg indicating to street level and curbside pick-​up. There’s a sign saying baggage claim, but that doesn’t always mean street level; it does at Union Depot, though.
On the whole, Amtrak’s staff were helpful. I would have preferred the sleeping car lounge be closer to the gate itself, and better signs will help, but arriving or departing at Union Depot is a nice experience.