Glacier National Park September 2019 - Chicago, My Kind of Town

Chicago, The Water Tower and Prudential Towers

Chicago, My Kind of Town

Maybe not really my kind of town, but I like Chicago enough that I have re loadable Ventra Card which is the public transportation card for paying for the light rail and buses, etc. Actually for this trip Chicago was my transfer from rail travel to airline travel. I now have a favorite Chicago hotel, the Doubletree THE WIT Hotel. The staff is very friendly and they always make sure I get the spa room over looking the Chicago River - only one such room on each floor. 

Arriving after midnight on Saturday(or early Sunday morning) and staying for rainy Sunday and sunny Monday, I got a chance to get out and walk a lot mainly Centennial Park on Michigan Avenue and then further north on Michigan Avenue to visit the Miracle Mile. So the photos below are from those walks.

I am already checked in for my 12:15 PM Southwest Airlines flight home to Nashville tomorrow Tuesday so this is the last update post for this trip until I get all my trip photos posted on Reagan's Photo Galleries. I will do a final update post to let you know the photo galleries are ready to view. 

Here are 21 of the photos I took here in Chicago.

This is the Chicago River view from my hotel room

I will be home only 2 1/2 weeks before traveling to my Louisiana home for my 60th high school reunion and to celebrate my 78th birthday with family.  

Glacier National Park September 2019 - Leaving Glacier Park on the LATE Empire Builder

Last Walk Around Glacier Park Lodge with amazing views

Leaving Glacier Park on LATE Amtrak Empire Builder

I got an extra day to hang around Glacier Park Lodge waiting for my seven hour late Freight led Amtrak Empire Builder which finally arrived and departed at 4:18 PM Friday, September 20. Leaving this late and being led by a freight engine due to one of the Amtrak engines breaking down on the westbound trip to Seattle which turned in Seattle with the freight engine still leading and departed Seattle 7 hours late Thursday evening. One highlight is that we got to see parts of the country mainly North Dakota and east Minnesota which are normally traveled overnight. Main downside was arriving in Chicago very late at 11:45 pm with all the passengers connecting to other trains missing those connections and having to be re-booked on trains leaving today. For me it simply meant arriving at my hotel in Chicago after midnight.

Before leaving Glacier Park on Friday, I walked around the lodge and over to the East Glacier Village where I discovered a neat Blackfeet Indian Nation memorial park. I've also been out of the hotel here in Chicago today but will do another update tomorrow with some Chicago photos.  Below are photos from the Lodge, East Glacier Village and the Empire Builder trip.

Blackfeet Indian Memorial Park

Amtrak Station from Across the Tracks

I really like the WORDS on this plaque

"If There Is A Time for Peace May It Be Now

If There Is A Time for Consolation, May It Be Today.

If There Is a Time To Remember And Reflect With Love, May It Be Always... 

— at Blackfeet Nation Reservation."

How Glacier Park Lodge Met Us and then Returned Us
to the Train Station

These Guys had multiple jobs including shuttling us
and bringing my luggage upstairs for me
as there are no elevators in the 1913 built lodge

Waiting for the Empire Builder

Here comes the train led by a freight engine

My first nighttime stop in Havre, Montana 

Freight Engine still leading in St. Paul, MN

We met the Mississippi River in Red Wing, MN

New Friends from Boston

New Friend from Boston

As I post this update it is raining in Chicago but there are promises of much less rain Monday and Tuesday. I fly home to Nashville Tuesday. I will do one last trip update tomorrow from Chicago. And I will also let you know when I have optimized, organized and updated Reagan's Photo Galleries after I get home in week or so.