Minneapolis offers stunning architecture and the nation's most extensive greenway system.

Washington Avenue in St. Louis is one of the country's best loft streetscapes.

For those who crave hills, Pittsburgh offers all the elevation you're pining for.

Got a free weekend? Like trains? Sick of unpredictable and overpriced air travel? Amtrak offers car-free Chicagoans plenty of chances to make a quick one- or two-day weekend escape with "red-eye" (overnight) trains from Chicago to several cities that are a few hundred miles away. I like traveling overnight, since it offers maximum sightseeing time at your destination and cuts back on expensive hotel stays.

Thrifty, non-fidgety sorts can travel in coach for less than the price of airfare, and typically right into downtown. Amtrak's coach seats rival domestic first-class seats on airlines, with amazing leg room and sometimes AC power at every seat. Those who prefer a little more pampering can spring for a sleeper, which offers complete privacy, a flat bed, and free meals. In either case, you'll travel without road rage or air rage, and usually without worrying much about ground transportation on the other end -- most trains arrive right downtown. One drawback is that slow trains put most of the East Coast out of reach. Another drawback is that the bicycle policies on Amtrak can be somewhat unpredictable; sometimes you can carry on, sometimes you have to box, sometimes you can't bring them at all.

Some cities worth a weekend visit (links go to train schedules):

• Memphis via the City of New Orleans
• Pittsburgh or Cleveland (a long day) via Capitol Limited
• Cincinnati (a long day); Charleston, W.Va.; Beckley, W.Va. (near the Winterplace ski resort); White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. via Cardinal
• Cleveland (a long day) or Buffalo via Lake Shore Limited
• It might be possible to arrange a long weekend, although with an early departure and late arrival, in Denver or Winter Park via the California Zephyr

("A long day" means that the schedule gets you in before dawn and leaves late at night. However, "Amtrak time" might make the day reasonable after all; use AmtrakDelays.com to see whether your train is habitually or only occasionally late.)

The many short-haul lines out of Chicago can be used for one-day trips to locations less than six hours away. Destinations include:

• Champaign via the Illini & Saluki
• St. Louis via the Lincoln Services
• Milwaukee via the Hiawatha
• Southwest Michigan's Harbor Country via Pere Marquette
• Ann Arbor and Detroit via Wolverine
• Kansas City via Southwest Chief

Megabus also offers many overnight trips for cities that are a little bit closer by, or for which Amtrak has inconvenient day schedules -- and boasts its famously low prices. Granted, it doesn't offer quite the space that Amtrak affords you, but its (mostly) clean, new buses certainly put a new face onto intercity buses. Their overnight destinations include Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati (a long day), Minneapolis, Memphis, Kansas City (a short day), and St. Louis. Day trip options include Indianapolis, Madison, and Milwaukee.

Please share your experiences with these travel options in the comments and in future blog posts here at Carfree Chicago.