jenwomon

We just left the ship in Copenhagen and had a mixed experience in Red Ginger. It was the loudest and most crowded restaurant on the ship and the service wasn't as good as the other restaurants, but we thought the food was fantastic. We went on the final night, and wish we had eater there multiple times on our cruise.

We're going to France & Brussels in June, not changing our travel plans because of threat of terrorism.

This doesn't mean I'm a risk taker, I'm actually risk averse, but I recognize that something horrible could happen to me any day, while I'm at my office, like so many killed on 9/11 or in Oklahoma's Murrah building, or driving my car, which is statistically much more like to kill me than terrorists.

I have just one life to live, and I want to live it to the fullest. So I'll continue to go to Europe, NY and maybe even Oklahoma one day (maybe).

My heart goes out to those killed in Brussels, and their families and friends dealing with those losses.

And Josie - feel free to ask any advice about your plans for Chicago. I've lived here all my life!

Enjoy the ride! We did the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle earlier this year. It was fantastic. Volunteers from the National Park Service board at certain points to talk about the parks, I highly recommend attending those lectures.

Because you have a sleeping room, you will have a very helpful porter who is assigned to your car and she/he can help with the luggage. There is a lot of luggage space on the Empire Builder, and if you have a sleeping room, they are pretty flexible about the stated weight requirements.

I'll make one suggestion for your time in Seattle - go to the top of the Columbia Center for a great view of the whole area - it really helped us see the big picture and plot our limited time in Seattle.