Summer, Spring, Winter, Fall: The Amtrak Downeaster is a fun and easy way to travel from Maine to Boston. I was able to take a trip on the train thanks to my son…or actually his friend. You see we were invited to his friends 9th birthday which involved taking the train to Boston for the day. We boarded the Downeaster at Portland’s Transportation Center which is only minutes from the downtown area. There was plenty of parking available though the train was full for the Saturday 8:25 am departure. The train runs seven days a week with a couple of departure times daily. The kids loved the dining car which offered boxed meals for the morning commute such as breakfast sandwiches, muffins and bagels. I enjoyed a coffee and the beautiful scenes that fluttered past the window as I sat comfortably in the coach section.A train host made sure that everyone was enjoying their trip and broke out in a round of “Happy Birthday” for our friend. There were eight stops from Portland to Boston if you were interested in getting on or off at other locations. The passengers all seemed to be enjoying themselves, the scenery and mostly the fact they didn’t have to deal with traffic. I am sure this is a big plus for business travelers during the work week.Riding the train was kind of a nostalgic way of traveling and was definitely everyone should try at least once!