Thursday June 26: (D)
Our private railcars are on the rear of Amtrak train #4, the Southwest Chief, awaiting guests’ arrival and a 6:45 PM departure from Los Angeles. Guests are greeted by our host in magnificent Los Angeles Union Station, and escorted to the private cars. Here we enjoy a gala welcoming champagne reception and multi-course dinner as our train eases out of the station on the beginning of its journey across the Southwest. Guests living in Orange County or the Inland Empire may board at Fullerton, Riverside, or San Bernardino.
Guests wishing to retire after dinner will find their rooms made down for the night. Bars in Colonial Crafts and Silver Solarium will remain open until Midnight for those guests wishing to enjoy the passing night scenery and the excitement of beginning a unique and fun advenure. During the night our train makes stops at Barstow, Needles, Kingman, and Williams.
Friday June 27: (B-L)
This morning we are traveling through the land of the Mogollon Rim and forests of Ponderosa Pine. Mornings here, even in Summer, tend to be cool as our altitude approaches 7,000 ft. Breakfast buffet in the Silver Lariat will be available from 7 to 9 AM. Our train races eastward through Winslow, Holbrook, and Gallup, in the heart of Navajo country. We reach Albuquerque shortly after noon. This is a servicing and inspection stop for the train, and we will be here for about 40 minutes. The new transportation center, built to resemble the Alvarado Hotel which stood on this site until 1970, serves as an intermodal hub in downtown Albuquerque. Members of various native American nations sell their wares on the station platform.
Luncheon will be served immediately upon departing Albuquerque. We will continue on to Lamy, where the line to Santa Fe branches off. Here we will be met by a Santa Fe Southern locomotive which will take our private cars into downtown Santa Fe. Arrival in Santa Fe will be approximately 4:00 PM. After check-in at La Fonda we’ll have the afternoon to explore the charms of Old Santa Fe. Parts of the present building date from 1913, although there has been a hotel on this site for several hundred years. In the late ‘20’s it was acquired by the Santa Fe Railway which in collaboration with the Fred Harvey Company undertook a dramatic expansion and upgrading. Architect Mary E. J. Colter was instrumental in the project, and the present owners have retained most of the details she lavished on the building. Dinner is on your own.
Saturday June 28: (B)
Today you can relax and explore downtown Santa Fe with the many handicraft shops that are within a short walk of our hotel. Also be sure to visit the town plaza that will be packed full of Indian vendors that come into the city from all around New Mexico for the Saturday market, to sell their wonderful handicrafts and jewelry. Santa Fe is a shoppers paradise for many Indian made items that you cannot get any where else in America.
Sunday June 29: (B-L-D)
The morning is yours to sleep in or just relax in the Santa Fe Plaza which is less than a block from our hotel. Be sure to visit the Georgia O’Keefe Museum, just a short walk away. After checkout, luggage will be transferred back to the train in preparation for the return trip to Los Angeles. Our train departs downtown Santa Fe at 12:30 PM. Luncheon will be served upon departure. We’ll be added to the Southwest Chief at Lamy, approximately 17 miles southeast of Santa Fe, about 2:25 PM.
Monday June 30: (B)
Breakfast will be available from 6 AM until 8 AM. Enjoy the ride down Cajon Pass and relax watching commuters battle the freeways on their way to work as you enjoy another cup of coffee at your seat in the Vista-dome. Our train is scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles at 8:20 AM. Our adventure ends where it began, at magnificent Los Angeles Union Station.
Prices include: All meals while traveling aboard the private cars, including snacks, hors d’oeuvres and full bar service. Bar service will be available in Colonial Crafts, Silver Lariat, and Silver Solarium. Meals will be served in Silver Lariat.
Prices also include hotel accommodations in Santa Fe, all tours and transfers between our hotel and our train. Attendance at the Santa Fe Opera is optional at additional cost. We can assist in obtaining tickets if you desire.
Colonial Crafts, a 1949 Pullman sleeper-lounge built for the Pennsylvania Railroad. In addition to an inviting and spacious lounge Colonial Crafts features 3 double bedrooms sleeping two, each room with an annex containing toilet and sink, and a drawing room accommodating up to 3 guests, again with annex containing toilet and sink. Guest amenities include a large shower, and beverage service in the lounge.
Silver Rapids, a 1948 Budd roomette-bedroom sleeper, also built for the Pennsylvania Railroad as its contribution to the California Zephyr equipment pool for transcontinental service. Silver Rapids features eight roomettes accommodating one person each, and six double bedrooms, each accommodating 2 persons. Bedrooms each have an annex containing a toilet and sink; roomettes have a sink in the room. If two couples or a family are traveling together two rooms may be opened ensuite. A shower room has been added. Limited hot and cold beverage service is available.
Silver Solarium, a 1948 Budd Vista-Dome sleeper-lounge-observation car built for the California Zephyr. The observation lounge in the boat-tail of the car is a pleasant place to enjoy the passing scenery as we hurry on our way through the west. Silver Solarium accommodates 24 guests in its Vista-Dome. Sleeping accommodations include 3 double bedrooms, each accommodating 2 guests, and 1 drawing room, accommodating up to 3 guests. The drawing room and bedrooms each have an annex that includes toilet, sink and shower. Under the dome is a bar, which is an excellent spot to gather for a late-night libation.
What's New?