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Chicago and the Amtrak Three Rivers

Amtrak's Three Rivers line travels once daily between New York City and Chicago, via Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It is an overnight trip of about twenty hours and the train is a Viewliner, the single level train that is part of most east coast lines that offer sleeping cars. The Viewliner offers the standard and the deluxe sleeping compartment, the standard with toilet and the deluxe with full lavatory and significantly more room. There are also television screens in the compartments, showing tapes of television shows and one or two movies daily. At the end of the sleeping cars, there is usually coffee and juice available.

Unfortunately, the Three Rivers does not have a full dining car, only a snack bar. Although those traveling in the sleepers receive a free breakfast and lunch at the snack bar, the choices are rather limited. Nonetheless, the ride is very pleasant, with some spectacular scenery, such as that at Horseshoe Curve, a 19-mile U-shaped marvel of modern engineering between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. If you are heading east, make sure you sit on the right side of the train for the best view, or the left side when heading west.

The Three Rivers arrives at Chicago's Union Station, another grand downtown train station, completed in 1925 after ten years of construction. Since there are no direct cross-country train routes in either central or northern United States, Chicago is the transfer hub for many transcontinental travelers and, as such, is the fourth busiest Amtrak station.

If you have a few hours to spend in Chicago, head out to Navy Pier via the Water Taxi. These boats travel the Chicago River, between Union Station, Sears Tower, Navy Pier and the Museum Campus, including the Field Museum (home of the reassembled dinosaur "Sue"), the Aquarium and the Planetarium. There are steps right outside Union Station (on the river side) leading down to the dock, and tickets can be purchased there. You can purchase single or round-trip tickets or a day pass. Navy Pier is at 600 East Grand Avenue, Chicago (800)595-PIER.

The Navy Pier boasts a 220 foot high Ferris wheel, which looks pretty scary from the ground. However, the Ferris wheel is a slow-moving, seven minute ride, complete with a taped commentary on the various sites that can be seen while up in the air. The views are incredible and the movement is slow enough that you can take pictures. The Ferris Wheel is open Sunday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday until midnight.

Also on Navy Pier is the Chicago Children's Museum always fun for those with kids, and the Smith Museum of Stained Glass, the only museum dedicated solely to stained glass. This museum includes both secular and religious stained glass, most of which is from the Chicago area, and all of which is breathtakingly beautiful. Definitely worth a visit.

You can also get around Chicago via the Free Trolley System, which now runs throughout the year. The trolleys run on weekends only until Memorial Day, and throughout the summer and fall they run daily. For schedule and route information, call 1-877-CHICAGO.

Chicago is a great place to get a steak or other meat dish, and Miller's Pub, a convenient downtown restaurant, has been serving great steaks and ribs for the last fifty years. Miller's menu also includes many Italian dishes, served in very large portions. On the walls are autographed photographs of practically every sports, entertainment and political celebrity who has passed through Chicago. There is great service and very good food here, and the prices are quite reasonable. Miller's Pub, 134 S. Wabash Avenue (at Adams), (312) 263-4988. Open daily, 11 am to 3:30 am.

Find out about city tours in Chicago

There are guidebooks that give you practical information, there are guidebooks that give you a sense of place but very few give you both. However, Secret Chicago: The Unique Guidebook to Chicago's Hidden Sites, Sounds, & Tastes is just such a book. Written by Chicago newspaper reporter Sam Weller and published in 2000, this book will provide most of the information you need to have an enjoyable visit to Chicago. Mr. Weller provides information in a layout different from most other guidebooks, and since information is divided into 100 categories, such as where to get certain types of food and where to find restrooms while shopping, you can go right to the topics that interest you.