That Time I Traveled by Train Like it Was 1959
I'm definitely not the only kid who was obsessed with Pullman trains growing up. But I am probably the only one who, later in life, got paid to ride on a meticulously restored 1950s Pullman railcar for the May issue of Bon Appétit magazine. Earlier this year, staff photographer Alex Lau and I boarded a vintage train car (operated by Pullman Rail Journeys) in New Orleans, and spent the next 20 hours toddling towards Chicago, eating and drinking like midcentury kings. Dreams come true every day, folks.
Alex lau1/17All Aboard!
Feeling pretty giddy boarding one of Pullman Rail Journey's luxury railcars on a steamy afternoon in New Orleans.
Alex Lau2/17Squad Up
Jack, Danny, and Iggy—a hospitality dream team—were the porters looking after us on our 20 hour journey to Chicago.
Alex Lau3/17Happy Hour
Jack informed us that beverage service would begin at 1:45pm sharp (the train left the station at 1:40pm). We weren't late.
Alex Lau4/17Out the Window
The only thing better than watching the landscape whip past the window of a train? Watching the landscape whip past the window of a train with a Bloody Mary in hand.
Alex Lau5/17Salad Days
Club sandwiches and salmon caesar salads for lunch, with still-warm chocolate chip cookies and whipped cream for dessert. Amtrak dining car, eat your heart out.
Alex Lau6/17It's the Little Things
Danny brought out two glasses with my beer (one empty, one filled with ice) and as he rolled the ice from one to the other, I realized that he was chilling the glass for my brew—a nicety I've never been extended at a stationary restaurant.
Alex Lau7/17Details, Details
Everything—from the bars of soap in the bathrooms to the beer glasses—was branded with the old school Pullman logo.
Alex Lau8/17Looking Forward, Looking Back
The mesmerizing view from the back of the train, the south receding into the distance.
Alex Lau9/17Rest for the Wicked
A post-cocktails-and-lunch, pre-cocktails-and-dinner nap.
Alex Lau10/17Shaken, Not Stirred
Jack, ebullient as always, presenting one of his "famous" gin martinis during cocktail hour.
Alex Lau11/17Strangers on a Train
The dining car could seat 20, but there were only four other passengers on the trip to Chicago. The server-to-diner ration was very high.
Alex Lau12/17Eat and Roll
Roast beef tenderloin with madeira sauce, potatoes Romanoff, and buttered asparagus. Kitschy-cool, completely delicious, and easily the best meal any of us had ever eaten in motion.
Alex Lau13/17Rise and Shine
We rose early (no small feat; Jack has a heavy hand with the nightcaps) to catch the sunrise from the dining car...
Alex Lau14/17Welcome to Hoth
...to find ourselves in the frozen tundra of central Illinois, which had been slammed with 18 inches of snow while we snoozed in our berths.
Alex Lau15/17Java Zone
Fortunately, there was plenty of hot, strong coffee to lift our spirits.
Alex Lau16/17Eggs, Any Style
And breakfast. Lots and lots of breakfast.
Alex Lau17/17Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow
Stepping off the train in Chicago's Union Station, wearing a few more layers than when I started my journey, ready to face subzero climes (and the real world) again. Sigh.
