I get a headache every time I log onto Facebook. It’s become a vast wasteland of clickbait articles and unreliably sourced news pieces. I'm just not willing to waste my time being misinformed in an era where receiving valid information has become so crucial.

One particular evening, while scrolling down my feed, an article caught my attention that I just couldn’t ignore. It was titled “Across the US by Train for $213.” I was highly intrigued by this. I expected it to be horseshit, but I was willing to surrender 5 minutes of my life to see what the catch was.

I glanced over the article and to my surprise, you actually could travel across the U.S for only $213. The feat requires riding the train from Emeryville, CA to Chicago, transferring to another train, then continuing on to New York City, a trip totaling four days. The idea of being on a train for four days sounded like sore asscheeks and musty armpits. I personally use aluminum-free deodorant and you only get about 6 hours of protection with that stuff. There’s no way I’m going four days without a shower.

The trip sounds so brutal that the author hadn't even done it himself. He purchased a 15 day rail pass, granting him the comfort of getting on and off the train. That little piece of information was the key to sparking my whole adventure.

I’ve traveled abroad to about 20 countries, but as an adult, never really took the time to explore my own backyard, the United States. The 15 day pass just didn’t seem like enough time, but after a visit to the Amtrak website, I learned that they offer a 30 day and 45 day pass, as well.

I let the idea marinate before pulling the trigger, making sure that this was something I really wanted to do, rather than acting on impulse. After about two weeks, I made my mind up and ordered the 30 day rail pass. At a total cost of $689, it would allow me to travel up to 12 segments within 30 days, a segment being anytime you get on a new train or bus, regardless of the length of that trip.

I figured 3-4 days per city would be sufficient. I would start in Portland, Oregon and end in San Diego to visit my family and friends. Based off of that, I created a route that would reach the east coast before returning west.

Below is an interactive map of the route I took. The legend displays the names of the trains in the order that I road them.

The more I travel, the less planning I do for my trips. I've learned to just figure things out along the way. But because of the time constraint, I made my bookings ahead of time. With the rail pass, you have to make reservations for the trains in advance because surprisingly enough, people actually still travel by train in the U.S. and seats can fill up.

To make my trip more interesting, I decided to bring my bike along with me, as opposed to catching Ubers or relying on public transportation to get around. My bike would give me the freedom to move at my own pace. I feel like bike travel is the best way to explore a new place. You can take in the scenery while enjoying the sounds and smells of the city. Best of all, it costs me nothing to ride. However, there was a $20 fee per train to bring my bike along, but I figured I would spend more than that on Ubers and day passes and the freedom was worth it. That tacked on another $160 to my trip.

I wanted to pack lightly, so as usual, I used the same 40 liter backpack that I take on all my trips. Since I was bringing my bike along, I decided to also carry my panniers with me. I could use them to store food and other excess stuff since a 40 liter bag is kind of small.

I feel like the United States is one of the most expensive countries that I’ve traveled in. In an effort to save money, I stayed in hostels and a few Airbnb’s along the way. Having my own room in a hotel would have been so handy on several occasions during this trip, but that just wasn’t in my budget.

Portland to Oakland/San Francisco

I didn’t really know what to expect for the train rides, many of which lasted longer than 17 hours. That seemed like so much time to kill. I created this romanticized fantasy in my mind where I would be seated by a window, laptop propped up on the fold out table. Mac DeMarco would be playing in my headphones as I sat back and relaxed. The passing landscapes outside the window would create the perfect back drop as I typed away on this blog or wrote in my journal (sidenote: I realized that I left my journal at a hostel in Vegas. There was so much personal stuff in there. Fuck).

That dream quickly burned to hell as soon as I got on the first train. There were these two babies running up and down the aisle, crying, yelling, playing, as their parents sat back and forced the whole train compartment to collectively babysit. The conductor eventually threatened to kick the family off the train if they didn't control their kids. The parents got the message.

Other than that, the ride, itself, was very therapeutic. The train swayed back and forth and kind of just rocked me into a numbing sleep-state. You get the lowest quality of sleep sitting in a coach seat, but the time still passes, nevertheless. I also packed some food and beer with me and there was a power outlet to charge my phone. That was all I really needed. Before I knew it, we had arrived in Oakland.

This was the only time I used public transportation during this entire trip, and it was only because there was no other option. I had to catch the BART from Oakland to San Francisco. But first, I spent some time biking around Oakland to get a feel for the city.

The city of San Francisco is amazing. It’s one of those cities that has character. The weather was perfect during my stay. I envisioned it being really hilly because of the Full House opening sequence, so I was surprised when I realized that it wasn’t that difficult to bike around.

The best part of San Francisco was that I unexpectedly ran into a good friend of mine who worked with me this past ski season. He was preparing to go back home to Chile within the next few days, so I was gifted with one more opportunity to hang out with him. I think we were so excited to see each other again that we over did it. We split a 12 pack of some really high-percentage beers before going out that night. I remember being so drunk that I temporarily fell asleep in probably the shittiest restaurant in Chinatown. We were starving and it was the first place we came across. No other customers were in there, which should have been a clear indicator, but we couldn’t wait any longer. I had to drink like three pitchers of water to revive myself for the rest of the night.

Emeryville to Salt Lake City

Ok, so I lied. I had to catch the BART again in the opposite direction, from San Francisco back to Oakland. From Oakland, I biked to Emeryville to catch the train to Salt Lake City. This was easily the worst leg of the entire trip. Not because of screaming babies or a lack of comfort during the 17 hour ride. The problem was that I arrived in Salt Lake City at 3:05am. There isn’t even anything to do in Salt Lake City at 3pm, so just imagine getting there early in the morning. I stayed in the Amtrak station until they closed and kicked me out. Then I went over to the Greyhound station and bummed it there until about 9am because it was cold and I couldn't check into my hostel until the afternoon.

Salt Lake City is the perfect place to raise a family or if your only hobbies consist of outdoor activities like skiing, hiking, biking, etc. Outside of that, there isn’t a damn thing to do there. I biked around the entire city in one day and I was ready to go. They have weird alcohol rules and not really much of a nightlife. For example, restaurants and breweries can only serve beer on tap that’s 4% and under. At liquor stores, you pay for beer individually, by the bottle, so the price of a 6-pack comes out to like $15. I was so disappointed with myself for not packing any ski gear with me. The only thing that saved my time in SLC were the people staying at the hostel with me. There were only about five of us, but it was the perfect combination. One night, we had a BBQ and stayed up until almost 4am drinking beer and cracking jokes. It's amazing how you can connect with complete strangers and feel like you've known them your entire life.

Salt Lake City to Denver

I think this leg of the trip was 15 hours and it was the most scenic portion of the journey. The train traveled along the Colorado River, passing beautiful mountainous regions, as we slowly climbed elevation toward the Mile High City.

View of a portion of the Colorado River from the lounge car.

I fell in love with Denver instantly. I could see myself living there. It’s the perfect combination of city and nature. You don’t have to travel very far to reach peace and escape the bustle of the city. There are tons of beautiful parks, bike trails and you can see the Rocky Mountains off in the distance. Plus, the city is virtually flat, making it easy to bike around. Let's not forget to mention the added bonus of legal marijuana. It’s a very vibrant city.

The Toys R Us of marijuana dispensaries.

Kendrick Lamar dropped Damn while I was in Denver, so I took a trip down to a dispensary, picked up some bud, then biked around the city listening to the album. It was a glorious day.

I stayed at a hostel I found on Airbnb, meaning it really was a house with bunk beds. It was filled with a bunch of young professionals from various cities across the U.S., who had all relocated to Denver and were looking for more permanent housing in the city. You could tell that Denver is really growing and thriving. I feel like there are many opportunities there.

Denver to Chicago

Chicago was another city that I instantly fell in love with. I always thought big cities weren't for me, but Chicago wiped that idea away. I immediately picked up on the energy it carried. It’s diverse, there’s great food, so much is always going on and the pace of the city was perfect. I realized that I was judging every city based on its bikeability and in Chicago, I found it easy to get all around by bike.

Being a fan of the television show Shameless, I thought it would be cool to go visit the house that the Gallagher family lives in. I didn’t realize that they actual film that portion of the show in the third worst neighborhood in Chicago. I biked to the house and glanced at it as I got the hell out of there. Didn’t even stop to take a picture.

While in Chi-town, I had to give The United Center a visit. I walked right up to the Michael Jordan statue and placed a curse on the Chicago Bulls in their home arena because they were going up against my Celtics at the time. The Bulls went on to drop three games at home in that series. Not going to take credit, but I’m just saying…

Chicago to New York

I gave myself four days in New York because it’s NEW YORK. I had no idea that each borough was like a city within the city. There’s no way I could visit them all so I limited myself to Brooklyn and Manhattan.

I absolutely love New York, but there’s no chance in hell that I would ever live there. It’s just too much. There’s too many people, too much traffic, too much concrete. No thanks. The drivers there are the worst, but it’s not their fault. The traffic is so bad that naturally, you have to have a “by any means necessary” mentality while trying to reach your destination. I saw a driver, stuck in traffic, decide he was just going to make his own rules and drive in the lane toward incoming traffic just so he could make the light. I nearly got hit so many times while biking through the city, but as stupid as this sounds, it was such a thrill.

I thought Portland was the hipster capital of the world, but then I visited Williamsburg.

I had to pay homage to the Diplomats, my favorite hip hop group growing up, so I spent some time in Harlem. I was so shocked to see that shopping center on the corner of 125th and Lenox. Gentrification spares no one.

New York to Atlanta

After New York, I started working my way down South. I had to get a taste of southern hospitality in Atlanta. I was most excited about being in a city where I wouldn’t be a minority for once. Atlanta was a nice change of pace after leaving the chaos of New York. It was a bit slower, more relaxed. It was pleasant being able to enjoy that fresh southern air. I definitely took it easy here. To be honest, I had gone out just about every night during this trip (except for Salt Lake City) and my body felt like it. Atlanta was no exception, though. I enjoyed the nightlife, just at a toned down level, Most of my time was spent chilling out at parks, enjoying the sun and having mini picnics.

Chilling out by the Lake at Piedmont Park

Honestly, when I got to Atlanta, I had just settled the arrangement for my new living situation for when I move back to Portland. My excitement for my fresh start kind of made me ready for the trip to end, but I had to carry on and finish.

Atlanta to New Orleans

Totally by coincidence, I ended up in New Orleans for the first weekend of the New Orleans Jazz Festival. I contemplated going, but jazz really isn't my thing and I wasn't that thrilled with Usher being one of the biggest headliners, so I decided not to drop $80 on a ticket. The cost for this trip was really adding up and I had been blowing money like my last name was Rothschild.

After one night on Bourbon St., I told myself that that was enough, but some how, I ended up there every single night.

New Orleans is one of my favorite cities. It’s so rich in culture and history. I ate seafood every single day. The people are so friendly and welcoming.

My cousin was in town for the Jazz Festival, so I got to meet up with him and have dinner one night.

I was supposed to go to a Second Line, one of those local parades with a brass band and people dancing in the street, but it rained so hard that day, so it got cancelled. Overall, New Orleans was one of my favorite stops on this journey.

New Orleans to Houston

Literally the only photo I took in Houston. I was checked out at this point. Hermann Park.

I was so ready to get back to Portland after New Orleans and that attitude carried over into Houston. I didn’t do anything but bike around the city and eat. I only spent two days in Houston, so my time was limited compared to the other cities. I was really pissed off at how thin the street lanes were, making it impossible to feel safe biking on the roads and the sidewalks looked like the Hulk just walked around punching the shit out of them. Aside from that, the city is very beautiful and clean. I was expecting it to look like the “Still Tippin” music video.

Houston to Los Angeles/ San Diego

It felt good to see the Pacific Ocean again.

In order to complete my trip within the valid dates of my rail pass, I had to fast track and catch a train from Houston to LA, a 34 hour ride. A sleeper car would be most ideal in this situation, but Amtrak charges like $500 for one, so they can kiss my ass. I downloaded the first five seasons of Trailer Park Boys and rewatched some of that. I also used the time to create this blog entry, fulfilling my train-writing fantasy. The ride honestly wasn’t that bad. I basically had to endure one full day and two nights of sleep. There also were many stops along the way to get off the train, stretch and enjoy some fresh air.

Once I got to Los Angeles, I caught my final train down to San Diego, completing my journey.

I feel like the train is a forgotten form of travel here in the States. It’s a different style of traveling for sure. It’s more comfortable and less stressful than flying. You have more personal space, you can get up, move around, or remove your shoes if you want.

Out of all the trains I took, only one was late departing, but even then, I still ended up arriving on time.

I covered a total of 25 out of the lower 48 states, allowing me to see areas of the country that I’ve never encountered before. I met countless people from numerous parts of the world and different walks of life. This was a very valuable experience for me.

Unfortunately, while riding one of the trains, I saw a flyer stating that the federal government has proposed to cut funding to Amtrak. If that happens, many routes will be eliminated, making cross-country rail travel impossible. It gave me a sense of appreciation for completing this journey because sadly, trips like this may soon become a thing of the past.

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