The "Land of Lincoln, Part 2", edition.

iPad shuffled to "Going in Circles", Friends of Distinction.  Did you know Marilyn McCoo and Lamont McClemore were originally in Friends of Distinction?  Back to the trip to Springfield, Illinois.  I've got my dialysis treatment set, we've got our train reservations set, and the hotel reservations made.  For the record, I prefer the hotel choices I had in Champaign-Urbana over Springfield. For some reason the college town was better, hotel wise, than the state capital. Go figure.

We tried the business Amtrak seats.  It was only $16 more per seat. It was more than worth it.  I had them for the trip there and back, but since my first leg of the trip was changed, I wasn't able to get business class seats. They were sold out. ;-(   What are business class seats?  They are in the car as the cafe car, in front of the cafe part.  They are in the first car of the train. They are leather. Way more leg room.  They have an armrest between seats.  They are wider....2 seats on one side and 1 seat across the aisle.  Complementary bottle of water and a newspaper.  And (here's the best part)..access to the Metro Lounge in Chicago Union Station.  

The Whispers. "Just Gets Better With Time". /swoon.  Back to the story.......What is the Metro Lounge?  It's a waiting room with sofas, plush chairs, tables, TV, computers, snacks, beverages, it's own bathroom, and Steve.  Steve?  You check your luggage with him and he takes care of it.  You also have concierge service and an escort to the train when it's time to board.  And yes, you board first. Oh yeah, the 2ng leg of the trip, on the particular train we were on, business class seats translated to a roomette. We ended up in a sleeper car!!  Lol. 

Whitney Houston, "I'm Your Baby Tonight".  The roomette included the beverage and newspaper and all meals.  Our ride was only 3.5 hours, so we missed dinner.  This train was headed to San Antonio.  Maybe another time.  The 2 spacious seart converted to beds. The beds were on the lower level and an upper berth. No, we didn't try it out.  But our steward, Ernesto was there whenever we needed him. :)  I heartily recommend Amtrak....if you have time.  You will probably have delays, but it is stress free travel.  

We arrive in Springfield about 1/2 hour late, but Shawn is checking in on us during the trip.  Did I mention the trains have Wifi, as does the Metro Lounge?  Anyway she picks up. We laugh when we realize the hotel is 2 blocks from the train station.  Well, it looked further on the map. Lol.  We check in, then head off to dinner. We drove to the restaurant, but then realized it was about four blocks from the hotel.  Lol. We have a fabulous dinner at Augie's then head back to the hotel, The StateHouse Inn....a block from the Illinois State capital. .  It was a long day and it was time to sleep.  We needed to get up fairly early to get breakfast and head to the local farmers market the next day.  

Eric Benet, "When You Think of Me". I'm vigilant about my fluid intake.  This is going to be the longest time I've had between treatment sessions. I'm scared. I'll be going from Thursday morning until Monday afternoon without dialysis. Amost 3.5 days. I did taste the peach sangria. Yum yum.  And I'm still passing on my beloved Bloody Marys.  One day....  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the trains have electrical outlets.  Our electronics stayed charged!

Signing off with Atlantic Star, "Send fo Me".  Oh, Will Downing will be at Chene Park tonight. Where has the time gone?  The next entry I'll describe what Shawn is doing in Springfield, Illinois. We think it's pretty cool. :)