I had a chance to stop by Chicago Union Station a few months ago during some downtime on a certain Friday afternoon. I never got around to writing about it on this blog, but I recently came across pictures of it on my MacBook and decided to write this post.
I ride Amtrak fairly frequently, as I often travel between New York City and Boston. However, I’ve never had a chance to ride Amtrak outside of the Northeast Corridor, let alone visit those other stations. Chicago Union Station was gorgeous though, and I equally enjoyed walking around the Loop area.
I was staying at the Thompson Chicago, which is on the North Side. I walked to Chicago Station on the CTA Red Line to head down to the Loop.
The Thompson was located in a great place, with many restaurants, shops, and this CTA station about a 5 minute walk away.
The Chicago Loop is pretty much a mini New York City, with some streets being wider.
I really liked the older buildings and architecture.
I also walked by the Willis Tower (Yes, I know Chicagoans. The Sears Tower. 😉).
Having lived in cities my whole life, walking around skyscrapers and dense urban areas is what makes me comfortable during travel and gives me energy. It’s a lot of fun.
Chicago Union Station is located right across the river from the Loop.
The station architecture was gorgeous. It was one of the prettiest stations I’ve ever visited.
I liked the glass roof. It gave plenty of natural light to this station.
The station hall isn’t as big as say, Grand Central Terminal. It’s understandable as it doesn’t serve as many trains and routes. Shoutout to the benches though, something Grand Central and Penn Station in New York tend to lack.
The US flag blended well with the architecture.
I could see several long-distance trains on the departure board, as well as a few shorter-distance trains servicing surrounding areas, such as Madison, Pontiac, MI, and Milwaukee.
As I said, I’ve never taken Amtrak outside of the Northeast Corridor. I should definitely think about trying out a long-distance train someday for the views and the train journey.
The platforms themselves can be accessed by going through one of the side halls. They’re a level down.
Wayfinding is provided by beautiful signs.
All in all, this station is a great place to stop by if you’re on a Chicago trip. It’s right next to the loop, and it doesn’t take much to visit. Just walking around inside and the surrounding area is a lot of fun. If you go a step further and book an Amtrak trip through here, good for you!
All photos taken by the author.
