Union Station, Chicago

You can experience the grandeur of the golden age of train travel at Union Station, one of the few remaining majestic American railroad stations. This station was a crucial component of Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago, designed to spearhead West Loop development. In the 1940s and 1950s, over 100,000 travelers strolled across the pink marble floors of the Great Hall daily, or rested beneath its airy, vaulted ceilings on wooden benches. Today, that number has significantly reduced, and many passengers skip the hall, opting to buy tickets onboard the trains. Nonetheless, one of the highlights of the decade-long improvement project is the restoration of the Great Hall's iconic staricases and massive skylight which, according to engineers, enhances natural light by about 50 percent.

The eight-story office tower, positioned well behind the base and nearly invisible from the street, was originally intended to reach twenty stories. Another noteworthy aspect is the double "stub end" tracks, the only ones in the United States where northbound and southbound tracks for different railroads terminate at the same point.

Upon its completion, Union Station was lauded as a remarkable achievement in railroad facility planning. Today, this monumental Neoclassical station serves as the last surviving railroad terminal that nearly every cross-country Amtrak train passes through.