In the early 1990s I did a round-trip, coast-to-coast trip on Amtrak (basically NYC to Seattle and back), stopping at major cities for a few days each. I had a

In the early 1990s I did a round-trip, coast-to-coast trip on Amtrak (basically NYC to Seattle and back), stopping at major cities for a few days each. I had a USARail pass (equivalent to a Eurail pass), which at the time was only available to non-US citizens, so I was quite stoked to have 30 days of unlimited travel for a fixed cost. On the first route (westward) I took the southern route and on the return trip (eastward) I took the northern route, through Chicago. I stayed in youth hostels (except for a couple of cities where I had friends and relatives), and didn't have a fixed schedule so delays were usually tolerable. While in San Francisco, Amtrak went on strike for about a week, and my pass was extended correspondingly. An extra week in San Francisco was fun! But again, I didn't have any fixed deadlines so it was all good. All things considered, the unreliability of the system makes me loathe to travel long distances by train, unless my plans are flexible. However, one huge upside is the views, especially in the middle of the country. In fact, some train lines even exist largely to tout their views, e.g. the Rocky Mountaineer (a Canadian company). Train travel is much more leisurely, and a great way to meet people. These days many Amtrak routes are actually covered by bus, which may come as a surprise when you get to the train station and are told to board a bus. This is not immediately obvious when booking online, although you may be able to tell by reading carefully; the telltale sign might be as subtle as the icon (bus vs train) shown for that leg.