Union Station, Chicago, Illinois

This card features the iconic Great Hall of Union Station in Chicago.

When you're looking at the view on a postcard, do you ever wonder what the surrounding area looks like?  Like on this card, for instance? Well, wonder no more! Take a look below.

I took these photos of the Great Hall while changing trains at the Station during a cross country train trip.

The enormity of the structure is quite impressive. After 10 years of construction, Union Station, including the Great Hall, was completed in 1925.

There are 18 soaring Corinthian columns, terracotta walls and a pink Tennessee marble floor.

The Great Hall is a year-round venue for events such as galas, balls, receptions, casino nights, engagement photos and commercial filming.

Union Station is the fourth busiest Amtrak station, and serves 3.5 million passengers annually.

Steam Locomotive Postcard

This really cold-looking, wintery, steamy, snowy steam locomotive card came choo-chooing in from Oleksandra in Kiev, Ukraine, recently. Love it!

Thanks very much, Oleksandra. :)

Beautiful, beautiful stamps!

South Carolina Railroad Museum

Located in Winnsboro, South Carolina. Closed last week, but I couldn't pass up this spur of the moment photo op.

If I were a true train enthusiast, I would really have been bummed to not be able to thoroughly explore everything on display....

....but it was cool to see a few of these old train cars up close and personal anyway.

Air conditioned!

Pullman car.

"United States Mail Railway Post Office"

I miss the caboose nowadays.... it's so anti-climatic as the tail end of a train passes by with that sensor doodad attached to the last car.