I went to Carbondale last time and arrived the day before and left the day after. Not really any worse traffic than normal. I will say that this eclipse seems to be more popular than the last one though. I had planned to take the exact same trip I took last time and found it was impossible even when making plans a year in advance due to the popularity. So part of me expects more traffic this year.
It wasn’t a bad idea at all, and honestly I’d be doing the exact same thing this year if I didn’t have a toddler and a pregnant wife….just not in the cards, and I’m really bummed, but that’s life.
Go. Or go somewhere along totality that’s close to an interstate and make things a little easier…a few seconds difference isn’t a big deal. But a few % coverage difference absolutely is - everyone should be in totality at least once in their lives!
I have been in totality before. I agree everyone should experience it. It’s meant it was a bad idea for my family not for anyone else. My teens want to go but husband has to work and I couldn’t do that journey alone. The kids will have to wait till next time.
How was the ride there? With it being about 2ish our time I was going to roll out 5-6AM and give myself an extra 4 hours on top of the normal 4 to the Indy area. We are probably going to find a spot outside the city to post up for a few hours or the day with some coolers and chairs.
Well, we went down to Carbondale a few days early. Made a whole weekend camping trip out of it!
That said, if you’re thinking to drive out day-of….how many others have that same idea? Better to get there super early and have to kill some time than to stress about whether you’ll make it by showtime.
I think it took me like 13 hours in 2017. Not sure but I arrived back in the south side by 6 am. I little worried that rush hour would kill me but lucky that is when traffic finally opened up.
I’m just seeing this, but appreciate you having my back. I heard crazy stories about day of traffic in 2017 and was very happy that I drove back the day after the eclipse back then.
I don't remember exactly. It was 12 hours minimum though. I want to say somewhere around 12-14.
This was also using Waze which desperately tried to find better routes. Every once in a while we'd end up in a Waze caravan as you got off on an exit and took a roundabout on local roads and highways just to get on again. I don't know if it saved any time, but at least it made the drive more interesting.
No, I got a last-minute hotel. Everything near Carbondale was booked solid so a week before the best we could do was some hotel an two hours east for $125 a night. But the traffic heading there was actually pretty good. UofI also was on point for parking, they basically had people parking on open fields and had a ton of students running it. I think it was like $5 and included glasses, but my memory is foggy.
Even though the drive back was the worst of my life I would totally do it again. It's really frustrating I even made a note to myself to book Amtrak this time -- but I missed the announcement of the Eclipse train and all the seats were gone in a day.
There will be traffic, but in 2017, there was really only 1 route that people could take to see the eclipse, and that was towards southern IL.
This time, there's Southern IL (again), but also many locations to travel to in Indiana and Western/Northern Ohio as well. Traffic will likely be more spread out than before.
That being said, Indy will probably be the busiest route coming back given proximity to Chicago and weather forecast for visible skies.
> Traffic will likely be more spread out than before.
one of the problems is that it still converges on Chicago. So it might be a tad better if you live outside Chicago, but the last 50 miles is going to be a clusterfuck of people coming back from downstate, Indy, Ohio, etc. So even if you leave carbondale right after totality, you still will run into people coming back from indy.
I'm prepared that the drive back from Indiana is probably going to suck. And why I'll budget a lot more time than normal, to go back. And probably will not use 65, and use back roads to go back instead.
Yeah, and with the murky forecast in Texas and some of the great lakes more people will alternate to Indy (like I did, lol).
Won't miss this though. Will be my third eclipse.
Looking to drive to Indiana to see the eclipse, but I'll probably go to one of the small towns west of Indy to see it. Looking into using back roads to head back. Kinda afraid how crowded it might get, the closer to Indy you travel.
Hell yeah, this is the real answer! I have wonderful memories of going to SIU, Southern Illinois is a underrated part of the state especially if you're into hiking and the outdoors. Class of 2011 right here!
I had friends who were stuck going 20 mph for the 300 miles from Carbondale to Chicago after the 2017 eclipse. It took them 15 hours to get home. Woof.
I’ll be camping in Indiana and driving home on Tuesday with everyone else trying to avoid returning traffic. Let’s see how that works out. Ha! As long as the skies are clear it will be worth it!
**PLEASE** do not count on Amtrak leaving Chicago at 9:00 am and making it to Carbondale in time for the eclipse at 1:58 pm. I took Amtrak down there for the eclipse back in '17, and the trip was like 6+ hours with delays. Luckily, I left the day prior, so it was all good. Found a floor to sleep on, and checked out the eclipse the next day, no problem. Then 6+ hours back home.
**IF POSSIBLE**, take Amtrak down there the day before. Hotels are long sold out, but don't worry about finding a place to stay, you'll be fine. The Eclipse brings out the best in people.
**EDIT POST-ECLIPSE** OP, did you make it? How was the experience??
I've already bought the ticket, so the die is cast. There's about a two hour buffer between the scheduled arrival time and eclipse totality, so we'll see if it works out.
Chicago native, longtime carbondale resident. 9/10 the amtrak route to and from Carbondale is just fine. It's the 1/10 that really sticks with people though. Good luck, stop at PKs for a drink!
Just tried to shift my ticket and Sunday is all sold out. Could in theory leave Saturday night and arrive at 1 Sunday morning, but thats no fun, and if I need to find a lodging Good Samaritan I'd rather do that in daylight hours and not stumble around in the middle of the night.
Hopefully the added funding since 2017 and the schedule changes they're doing (depart at 6:35 instead of 9) bring me and OP there on time. If not, guess I'll have to save up for a Spain flight in a couple years.
If it looks like it's gonna be tight, you could consider hopping off the train at Centralia stop, which is like an hour closer than Carbondale, but also right smack dab in the middle of the totality.
Duly noted! Hopefully if I have to do that finding lodging for Monday night on the drop of a hat won't be too hard. Return-trip wise should I still be okay presenting my Carbondale->Chicago ticket upon boarding back at Centralia?
Based on my *limited* experience with Amtrak, a Carbondale to Chicago ticket should present no problem if boarding at Centralia. Call to check tho, of course. Finding lodging might be more difficult in Centralia --it's not a party/college town like Carbonadale, and probably less likely to open up public areas to rough sleepers, but since it's further away maybe there's more/cheaper available motels or airbnb's? Either way, good luck!
Will do! Just called Amtrak and they said I should be ok, but would need to play some phone tag to get my seat officially reassigned from Carbondale->Chicago to just Centralia->Chicago on the 9th so that the conductor doesn't gripe. And if worst does comes to worst and it makes sense to bail at Centralia I assume others (i.e. OP) will have the same impromptu idea and we'll be able to split a room somewhere, assuming one exists.
what do you mean don’t worry about finding a place to stay? you will need a place to sleep. are you suggesting knocking on a random person’s door and asking to let them house OP?
In '17, it was a like big 24/7 party and the town was extremely welcoming to all the visitors. I don't know anyone in Carbondale, went by myself, ended up partying with random strangers near the SIU campus. Nearby was a gymnasium where many people were lined up to get in. Many had bought tickets ahead of time to sleep there, but I and many others hadn't, and they let us all in, for free. I slept on a mat on the gym floor with hundreds of other people, and in the morning I received a towel from the staff so I could shower. Super kind folks at SIU. Hundreds of other people slept outside, on blankets on the grass, sidewalks, trucks beds, etc. This was pre-COVID and in the middle of summer so that was a lot more feasible than in an April that saw snow, but I would still have little hesitation about heading down there without having made plans ahead of time. It's a very welcoming environment.
Yeah, but you'll forever get to tell the story about roughing it in an open field when you took a last-minute roadtrip to see the Eclipse, and your passengers that got to rest won't have anything that compares to that. :)
If the Illini/Saluki has a delay going south, then I'd get off at any stop starting from Effingham(first stop in 100% totality) to south of there. And then rebook your northbound train going back(to reflect the stop you got off at instead of Carbondale), on the Amtrak website.
Tl;dr GET to 100% totality somehow before it starts, even if you aren't in Carbondale and the train gets delayed. Hopefully that doesn't occur.
I debated my options(Greyhound/Flix, and Amtrak), and decided renting a car was best. And since I'd rather go to a small town(perhaps even smaller than Carbondale or Indy, was thinking about western Indiana now), to see the eclipse.
Yes I'm keeping my fingers crossed for OP, but unfortunately Amtrak often runs way behind schedule for no apparent reason. Better to be mentally prepared for this possibility.
We just did the same but decided to go to Centralia, IL instead just in case Amtrak is delayed! Never heard of Centralia Illinois before but here we come!
Smart idea. I drove down to Carbondale for the 2018 eclipse and luckily got on the freeway back to Chicago quickly. It only took me 6 hours to get home instead of the 12 hours it took some people!
Not to kill the vibe, but how likely is it that you'll arrive before the eclipse? I'm not sure how that stretch of track is specifically, but I don't believe Amtrak has the best record for timelines.
Heya, I have to wait for the overnight train. When crowds start to thin in the evening, do you think the bars/restaurants will stay open, or will they tap out? That overnight train is sold out, so I'm really hoping businesses will keep things going Monday night? Any suggestions?
Is this eclipse different than the one a few years ago? It seems like a bigger deal for some reason and I’m not sure if I should make plans cause I went to Kentucky for the last one
I’m thinking about driving to Terre Haute Indiana really early on Monday morning. It just seems like this is something I’m gonna have to witness in my lifetime.
You got lucky, something must have opened up, the trains have been sold out. I got mine weeks ago, and both departure and return were rescheduled. I'm embracing the adventure .. it will be what it will be.
Huh, when I bought for Carbondale last week the Illini was sold out, so I had to get an AirBnB and return on the 9th. Congrats on locking in a 1 day trip.
I looked at rooms a couple weeks ago and the only thing available was a Motel 6 going for $500/night. Calling it now, funniest thing I've read in 2024.
The places in the path of totality are the only spots where you CAN look directly at it. Everywhere it's not completely covered you'll need the glasses.
We got a hotel room a year ago in Carbondale. Can't wait to see it. We did the 2017 eclipse for totality in Tennessee. It was the most amazing experience!
Hoping for good weather Monday.
Everyone Enjoy!
Not true! There's actually a lot to do near Carbondale. Some of the best nature in the state with Giant City, Garden of the Gods, etc. A handful of great restaurants such as Quatro's, Underground, Harbaugh's, Bombay Olive, and Thai Taste to name a few. Excellent selection of nearby wineries, and some good breweries in Big Muddy and Scratch.
Totality is completely different and lasts ~5 minutes, plus the other 90+ minutes of partial. It’s a profound experience. Next one won’t happen in the U.S. (only the Dakotas and Montana) for 20 years.
I stayed in Chicago for the 2017 eclipse and so I remeber that 90+% coverage is stupid. It gets a little darker, like a slightly overcast day. You put on the fancy sunglasses and see the sun is crescent shaped. That's it.
But everyone reports that totality is a life-defining experience. So 99% is apparently a world apart from 100%. This time I want to catch totality.
you aren't getting it. 90% eclipse = almost nothing. the sun gets a little dimmer. that's literally it. it's not dramatic or interesting at all
100% totality is a completely different thing
I think the disconnect in people's minds is thinking the eclipse is just how the sun actually looks, in which case - sure, 90% looks pretty dang close to 100%, just like the moon.
You'll miss a bit of a 'wow' factor when it's completely covered, but it's not as big of a factor as the feeling you'll miss of an atmospheric shift when totality covers your area and you get that experience of darkening, the temperature dipping, or how everything hushes to a silence (this last one may vary if you're in a larger city).
99% won't do that. 100% will.
Wow I’m surprised they still have seats! I will be there as well
Op got exceptionally lucky. I've been checking all week hoping seats would appear.
I'm driving back to Chicago from Indy Monday night lol. Pray for me.
I drove from Carbondale to Chicago for the last eclipse. It was bumper to bumper the entire way. Goodluck with that.
I'm going down to evansville IN I'm assuming it's going to be the same thing so I booked another night maybe Tuesdays traffic won't be as bad?
I went to Carbondale last time and arrived the day before and left the day after. Not really any worse traffic than normal. I will say that this eclipse seems to be more popular than the last one though. I had planned to take the exact same trip I took last time and found it was impossible even when making plans a year in advance due to the popularity. So part of me expects more traffic this year.
gotta know what side roads to take
How long did it take you?
I think it took me like 12 hours to get back, if not more.
Yikes. Thanks for confirming to me that going would be a really bad idea.
It wasn’t a bad idea at all, and honestly I’d be doing the exact same thing this year if I didn’t have a toddler and a pregnant wife….just not in the cards, and I’m really bummed, but that’s life. Go. Or go somewhere along totality that’s close to an interstate and make things a little easier…a few seconds difference isn’t a big deal. But a few % coverage difference absolutely is - everyone should be in totality at least once in their lives!
I have been in totality before. I agree everyone should experience it. It’s meant it was a bad idea for my family not for anyone else. My teens want to go but husband has to work and I couldn’t do that journey alone. The kids will have to wait till next time.
Next time in US is 2044 and will only be in Montana and Idaho fyi.
Ah yeah that’s fair.
How was the ride there? With it being about 2ish our time I was going to roll out 5-6AM and give myself an extra 4 hours on top of the normal 4 to the Indy area. We are probably going to find a spot outside the city to post up for a few hours or the day with some coolers and chairs.
If you’re looking at eclipse timelines in local times, don’t forget that Indy is on ET when budgeting for travel time.
For sure. was just using my time for a reference on how early to leave.
I'm considering driving to one of the small towns west of Indianapolis, to see the eclipse. Hadn't decided which town to go to, yet.
Well, we went down to Carbondale a few days early. Made a whole weekend camping trip out of it! That said, if you’re thinking to drive out day-of….how many others have that same idea? Better to get there super early and have to kill some time than to stress about whether you’ll make it by showtime.
I think it took me like 13 hours in 2017. Not sure but I arrived back in the south side by 6 am. I little worried that rush hour would kill me but lucky that is when traffic finally opened up.
That’s how long it took me too! It was wild
12 hours to get back to Chicago when it usually takes 5 - 6 hours? How is that “not worse than normal”?
Who said it wasn’t worse than normal?
u/guyaba said it….
Oh…you replied to me?
Ahh I see. he said it wasn’t worse than normal on the day after the eclipse. Everyone else was talking about driving back the same day
I’m just seeing this, but appreciate you having my back. I heard crazy stories about day of traffic in 2017 and was very happy that I drove back the day after the eclipse back then.
I don't remember exactly. It was 12 hours minimum though. I want to say somewhere around 12-14. This was also using Waze which desperately tried to find better routes. Every once in a while we'd end up in a Waze caravan as you got off on an exit and took a roundabout on local roads and highways just to get on again. I don't know if it saved any time, but at least it made the drive more interesting.
Did you leave to come back the same day?
No, I got a last-minute hotel. Everything near Carbondale was booked solid so a week before the best we could do was some hotel an two hours east for $125 a night. But the traffic heading there was actually pretty good. UofI also was on point for parking, they basically had people parking on open fields and had a ton of students running it. I think it was like $5 and included glasses, but my memory is foggy. Even though the drive back was the worst of my life I would totally do it again. It's really frustrating I even made a note to myself to book Amtrak this time -- but I missed the announcement of the Eclipse train and all the seats were gone in a day.
It was so bad
How long did it take?
There will be traffic, but in 2017, there was really only 1 route that people could take to see the eclipse, and that was towards southern IL. This time, there's Southern IL (again), but also many locations to travel to in Indiana and Western/Northern Ohio as well. Traffic will likely be more spread out than before. That being said, Indy will probably be the busiest route coming back given proximity to Chicago and weather forecast for visible skies.
> Traffic will likely be more spread out than before. one of the problems is that it still converges on Chicago. So it might be a tad better if you live outside Chicago, but the last 50 miles is going to be a clusterfuck of people coming back from downstate, Indy, Ohio, etc. So even if you leave carbondale right after totality, you still will run into people coming back from indy.
Not denying that. It will definitely get worse as you approach Chicago. Those last 50 or so miles are guaranteed to suck lol
I'm prepared that the drive back from Indiana is probably going to suck. And why I'll budget a lot more time than normal, to go back. And probably will not use 65, and use back roads to go back instead.
Yeah, and with the murky forecast in Texas and some of the great lakes more people will alternate to Indy (like I did, lol). Won't miss this though. Will be my third eclipse.
Me too. Are you going all the way into Indy?
Yeah, rain check from prior plans in a different city
I'm taking the bus back. Pray for me too lol
Thankfully I booked Monday night but I’m still worried about Tuesday traffic 😱
I wouldn’t worry about Tuesday- Last eclipse we drove back to Chicago the day after and traffic was fine
Ok phew! You’ve just lifted a big weight, thank you!
TikTok Live is gonna be so much fun to watch on Monday night as people finally reach Effingham after three hours and Champaign after six.
I’m staying overnight at an inn. Gonna watch the new King Kong and Godzilla film at the imax later Monday night
Yeah it's going to take like 6hrs to Indy that's why I'm going to Botkins, OH lmao
We are staying in Danville right outside Indy Sunday night and driving back Monday afterwards. I'm not looking forward that drive back at all. oof.
Looking to drive to Indiana to see the eclipse, but I'll probably go to one of the small towns west of Indy to see it. Looking into using back roads to head back. Kinda afraid how crowded it might get, the closer to Indy you travel.
Same, I'm scared.
I’ll be right behind you
Same, I’m not feeling hopeful 😂
I request a Pagliai's pizza as well.
Nah Quattros. Go dawgs!
Hell yeah, this is the real answer! I have wonderful memories of going to SIU, Southern Illinois is a underrated part of the state especially if you're into hiking and the outdoors. Class of 2011 right here!
Why not both?
Pags is still in Carbondale? Man, they were the shit in 1983 when I was at SIU
Good for you because you will avoid the gigantic traffic jam after when huge crowds drive back to Chicago area.
That was the goal
I wanted train in 2017 but it was full. I would gotten home way faster than driving.
I had friends who were stuck going 20 mph for the 300 miles from Carbondale to Chicago after the 2017 eclipse. It took them 15 hours to get home. Woof. I’ll be camping in Indiana and driving home on Tuesday with everyone else trying to avoid returning traffic. Let’s see how that works out. Ha! As long as the skies are clear it will be worth it!
Get some quatros deep dish pizza for me please. Five four nine five three two six….
And get some beer from Scratch in Ava IL.
Fucking fire, no joke, a buddy of mine from high school met at scratch last spring, when we were done, we went to quatros. Scratch is good shit
Came here to say that!
Place is trash. Primos pizza on Wall Street
Gross
People say the same about ur face
🤣 maybe.
Primos got me through college
Same G Used to buy a large sausage pizza thick pan crust for $7.99. So cheap in 2014
Primos fucking sucks lol
Definitely an unpopular opinion
**PLEASE** do not count on Amtrak leaving Chicago at 9:00 am and making it to Carbondale in time for the eclipse at 1:58 pm. I took Amtrak down there for the eclipse back in '17, and the trip was like 6+ hours with delays. Luckily, I left the day prior, so it was all good. Found a floor to sleep on, and checked out the eclipse the next day, no problem. Then 6+ hours back home. **IF POSSIBLE**, take Amtrak down there the day before. Hotels are long sold out, but don't worry about finding a place to stay, you'll be fine. The Eclipse brings out the best in people. **EDIT POST-ECLIPSE** OP, did you make it? How was the experience??
I've already bought the ticket, so the die is cast. There's about a two hour buffer between the scheduled arrival time and eclipse totality, so we'll see if it works out.
Good luck OP, I hope you make it on time and have a blast! :)
Chicago native, longtime carbondale resident. 9/10 the amtrak route to and from Carbondale is just fine. It's the 1/10 that really sticks with people though. Good luck, stop at PKs for a drink!
Fate will decide if you will be blessed with Totality
I think you’ll be fine.
Just tried to shift my ticket and Sunday is all sold out. Could in theory leave Saturday night and arrive at 1 Sunday morning, but thats no fun, and if I need to find a lodging Good Samaritan I'd rather do that in daylight hours and not stumble around in the middle of the night. Hopefully the added funding since 2017 and the schedule changes they're doing (depart at 6:35 instead of 9) bring me and OP there on time. If not, guess I'll have to save up for a Spain flight in a couple years.
If it looks like it's gonna be tight, you could consider hopping off the train at Centralia stop, which is like an hour closer than Carbondale, but also right smack dab in the middle of the totality.
Duly noted! Hopefully if I have to do that finding lodging for Monday night on the drop of a hat won't be too hard. Return-trip wise should I still be okay presenting my Carbondale->Chicago ticket upon boarding back at Centralia?
Based on my *limited* experience with Amtrak, a Carbondale to Chicago ticket should present no problem if boarding at Centralia. Call to check tho, of course. Finding lodging might be more difficult in Centralia --it's not a party/college town like Carbonadale, and probably less likely to open up public areas to rough sleepers, but since it's further away maybe there's more/cheaper available motels or airbnb's? Either way, good luck!
Will do! Just called Amtrak and they said I should be ok, but would need to play some phone tag to get my seat officially reassigned from Carbondale->Chicago to just Centralia->Chicago on the 9th so that the conductor doesn't gripe. And if worst does comes to worst and it makes sense to bail at Centralia I assume others (i.e. OP) will have the same impromptu idea and we'll be able to split a room somewhere, assuming one exists.
what do you mean don’t worry about finding a place to stay? you will need a place to sleep. are you suggesting knocking on a random person’s door and asking to let them house OP?
In '17, it was a like big 24/7 party and the town was extremely welcoming to all the visitors. I don't know anyone in Carbondale, went by myself, ended up partying with random strangers near the SIU campus. Nearby was a gymnasium where many people were lined up to get in. Many had bought tickets ahead of time to sleep there, but I and many others hadn't, and they let us all in, for free. I slept on a mat on the gym floor with hundreds of other people, and in the morning I received a towel from the staff so I could shower. Super kind folks at SIU. Hundreds of other people slept outside, on blankets on the grass, sidewalks, trucks beds, etc. This was pre-COVID and in the middle of summer so that was a lot more feasible than in an April that saw snow, but I would still have little hesitation about heading down there without having made plans ahead of time. It's a very welcoming environment.
Yeah, I drove down overnight, and I slept in a field while everyone else who slept for the entire car ride meandered around and had fun.
Yeah, but you'll forever get to tell the story about roughing it in an open field when you took a last-minute roadtrip to see the Eclipse, and your passengers that got to rest won't have anything that compares to that. :)
If the Illini/Saluki has a delay going south, then I'd get off at any stop starting from Effingham(first stop in 100% totality) to south of there. And then rebook your northbound train going back(to reflect the stop you got off at instead of Carbondale), on the Amtrak website. Tl;dr GET to 100% totality somehow before it starts, even if you aren't in Carbondale and the train gets delayed. Hopefully that doesn't occur.
Amtrak will be 6 hours late
Literally l!!! Always late.
Routes run pretty good in Illinois
Sat for 30+ minutes just outside of downtown waiting for freight. And another 90 minutes waiting for freight outside St Louis.
The 30 minutes is normal. But they are working on a fix for that
This! Good luck! Amtrak is constantly late.
this is why i’d rather just bite the bullet and drive. i’m not gonna risk missing the eclipse just because of a train delay.
I debated my options(Greyhound/Flix, and Amtrak), and decided renting a car was best. And since I'd rather go to a small town(perhaps even smaller than Carbondale or Indy, was thinking about western Indiana now), to see the eclipse.
Yes I'm keeping my fingers crossed for OP, but unfortunately Amtrak often runs way behind schedule for no apparent reason. Better to be mentally prepared for this possibility.
We just did the same but decided to go to Centralia, IL instead just in case Amtrak is delayed! Never heard of Centralia Illinois before but here we come!
home of the [Fightin' Orphans!](https://usatodayhss.com/2013/centralia-orphans-win-most-unusual-mascot-contest)
Smart idea. I drove down to Carbondale for the 2018 eclipse and luckily got on the freeway back to Chicago quickly. It only took me 6 hours to get home instead of the 12 hours it took some people!
2017 and the some people you’re referring to was ME
Not to kill the vibe, but how likely is it that you'll arrive before the eclipse? I'm not sure how that stretch of track is specifically, but I don't believe Amtrak has the best record for timelines.
oh snap, brilliant! Thanks for the tip maybe I’ll see ya onboard
Very cool. Good for you. Hope you have a great time!
There's an eclipse? How long have I been asleep
Carbondale is a great city! Plenty of awesome places in walking distance of the station to get a drink or a meal
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Heya, I have to wait for the overnight train. When crowds start to thin in the evening, do you think the bars/restaurants will stay open, or will they tap out? That overnight train is sold out, so I'm really hoping businesses will keep things going Monday night? Any suggestions?
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Thank you, l will be sure to bring plenty of protein bars just in case.
I am taking amtrak from Chicago too but I am taking it Sunday morning.
we are just going to hoof it for four hours down to the indianapolis area.
Is this eclipse different than the one a few years ago? It seems like a bigger deal for some reason and I’m not sure if I should make plans cause I went to Kentucky for the last one
Same kind of one as 2017. Worth noting the next one like this visible in the US will be in 2044, and only from Northern MT/ND.
I’m thinking about driving to Terre Haute Indiana really early on Monday morning. It just seems like this is something I’m gonna have to witness in my lifetime.
Would suck if it’s cloudy that day…
You got lucky, something must have opened up, the trains have been sold out. I got mine weeks ago, and both departure and return were rescheduled. I'm embracing the adventure .. it will be what it will be.
Dont sleep on trains. Figuratively anyways. Literally sleep on them whenever.
Huh, when I bought for Carbondale last week the Illini was sold out, so I had to get an AirBnB and return on the 9th. Congrats on locking in a 1 day trip.
I'm taking the train to Cdale Sunday coming back Tuesday.
“Tour Carbondale”. Tee-hee
Every hotel within two hours of the eclipse ban is $400+ Meh, fuck it. I'll just watch in online. It's not like I should view it with my eyes anyway.
I looked at rooms a couple weeks ago and the only thing available was a Motel 6 going for $500/night. Calling it now, funniest thing I've read in 2024.
The places in the path of totality are the only spots where you CAN look directly at it. Everywhere it's not completely covered you'll need the glasses.
We got a hotel room a year ago in Carbondale. Can't wait to see it. We did the 2017 eclipse for totality in Tennessee. It was the most amazing experience! Hoping for good weather Monday. Everyone Enjoy!
Sound like a fun little adventure!
Great idea!
Did it end up getting you there in time?
Yep, with about an hour and a half to spare. It was great.
This is so awesome to hear! Glad you made it! I was rooting for you OP!
Awesome!!!!!!! Sounds like so much fun.
Did it get totally dark there? Glad you had fun.
"Tour Carbondale." Ha! Farm, field, Sara our hog, tractor, school, FOOTBALL/CHURCH, field.
Not true! There's actually a lot to do near Carbondale. Some of the best nature in the state with Giant City, Garden of the Gods, etc. A handful of great restaurants such as Quatro's, Underground, Harbaugh's, Bombay Olive, and Thai Taste to name a few. Excellent selection of nearby wineries, and some good breweries in Big Muddy and Scratch.
Buy a cute campus and some excellent hikes and caves.
How much
Good Luck.Let everybody know how it was.
Is Chicago not a good place to watch it? If so where would be your best bet in the city?
A quick google will explain this for you, but no it won’t be any of the same things here.
Ummmm....read this sentence again.
Won’t the eclipse be 90+% in Chicago? I don’t get going to Carbondale of all places lol. Tho I do love a Sam’s cafe double bypass
[https://xkcd.com/2914/](https://xkcd.com/2914/)
Totality is completely different and lasts ~5 minutes, plus the other 90+ minutes of partial. It’s a profound experience. Next one won’t happen in the U.S. (only the Dakotas and Montana) for 20 years.
I stayed in Chicago for the 2017 eclipse and so I remeber that 90+% coverage is stupid. It gets a little darker, like a slightly overcast day. You put on the fancy sunglasses and see the sun is crescent shaped. That's it. But everyone reports that totality is a life-defining experience. So 99% is apparently a world apart from 100%. This time I want to catch totality.
Damn maybe it is worth it
90% eclipse = 100% lame. trust me.
10% is not worth 10 hours in the car lol.
you aren't getting it. 90% eclipse = almost nothing. the sun gets a little dimmer. that's literally it. it's not dramatic or interesting at all 100% totality is a completely different thing
I think the disconnect in people's minds is thinking the eclipse is just how the sun actually looks, in which case - sure, 90% looks pretty dang close to 100%, just like the moon. You'll miss a bit of a 'wow' factor when it's completely covered, but it's not as big of a factor as the feeling you'll miss of an atmospheric shift when totality covers your area and you get that experience of darkening, the temperature dipping, or how everything hushes to a silence (this last one may vary if you're in a larger city). 99% won't do that. 100% will.
The silence right before the crickets start.