Well this was my first time riding a train. To be honest, I didn't have any place to go but decided to do it for the experience. Based on the research I had done and the reviews I had read before my trip it far exceeded my expectations. Yes, the station is old and needs to be upgraded, but it was CLEAN! I was expecting a bunch of homeless people hanging around, but not a one in sight. I didn't interact with a lot of employees but the guy where you check in at was awesome (I forget his name but he was a black guy). One of the conductors was kinda having a bad day, but I think he realized he came off on me wrong because I could tell he was trying to win me over during the rest of the trip. I did met this older black gentleman, he is a volunteer he is super super nice, in fact he should be getting paid and I told him that! I think his name is John, never less look for a picture of him I will post. The train is pretty clean and the bathroom is super clean! I learned quite a bit about riding the train that's I never even knew. LoL One last thing in my opinion the experience would be better if Amtrak dimmed the lights durning the ride, especially at night. This would help when trying to nap and or see out of the windows.