I had to be in Tacoma for a conference. Afterwards my wife and I took a 2-day train trip from Seattle to Chicago on the Amtrak Empire Builder. We had a sleeper car to ourselves and would eat supper in the dining car. The scenery through the Pacific Cascades and across the northern US was beautiful. We spent hours just looking out at the landscape and enjoying views of a different part of the world. Once we passed through Minnesota the world looked more familiar but we enjoyed the ride. If I did it again, I'd probably take a flight from Minneapolis instead of Chicago. It was on my wife's bucket list and was a pleasant break from the normal routine.