On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:23:58 -0500, Ignoramus30927 wrote:

[...] My 6 year old wants to ride Amtrak from IL to CA
(Chicago to Emeryville CA) in summer.

I first dismissed the idea, but now I like it. I doubt that Amtrak will
be around for much longer, and 7 (he will be 7 by summer) is old enough
to remember, so perhaps this ride would be a memorable experience. he
may not have a chance to do it when he grows up.

My question is, has anyone tried something like this, is there enough we
can do on the train to keep this 54 hour ride interesting?

I'm sure the whole trip would be interesting, particularly through
the mountains. But if I were doing this, I'd probably build in a
one-stay stopover in Denver; two days straight is too long for one
ride. I took a two-day train trip 3 years ago (Coimbatore to Chennai
to Kolkata) and after a while felt a little cooped up.
-jiw