Am I missing anything by leaving from Sacramento instead of Emeryville on CZ?

[Marcus]

I am taking my first ever Amtrak ride on the CZ in December, riding coach, and am really looking forward to it! I am currently supposed to leave from Emeryville, but would now prefer to leave from Sacramento. I will be in Vegas beforehand, and can get a free room there instead of paying for an expensive room in the Bay Area. My flight would give me about 2 and a half hours to get from SAC airport to the station, and taking the bus between the two would be perfectly fine by me. Would I miss anything special if I miss this 2 hour stretch of train ride? I have been to San Francisco, but not Oakland/East Bay by the way.

I have never been to the Sacramento Amtrak station obviously, but am I correct to assume that there is a convenience store nearby to pick up drinks and snacks for the ride?

Finally, since the current fare from Sacramento is less than what I paid to book from Emeryville earlier, I should not be charged anything, right? I have a very hard time hearing on the phone, as I am hearing impaired. Would I better off changing the ticket in person versus using the "modify trip" option on the website?

 

[Pinot51]

If you're headed north, you won't miss a thing as it will be dark when leaving either station. If you're headed south it would still be fairly dark leaving Sac at 637am but there is some nice scenery after you pass Fairfield going along Carquinez Strait towards Emeryville.

 

[grounded flyboy]

I assume you are taking the CZ eastbound rather than north/south. It leaves SAC at 11:00am. Sounds like a good change of plans to me. Modify online. You won't get cash back but you will get a voucher for the difference. You have a year to use that voucher on another adventure.

 

[Asher]

I don't think you will miss anything important. There is a bus from the airport that is a lot cheaper than a cab. Last time I used the cab it was about $30.00 . I'm fairly sure there is a convenience store close by the station. I like the Vegas hotel, fly into Sac. early and board there. I've done that from Los Angeles.

 

[TinCan782]

If you're headed north, you won't miss a thing as it will be dark when leaving either station. If you're headed south it would still be fairly dark leaving Sac at 637am but there is some nice scenery after you pass Fairfield going along Carquinez Strait towards Emeryville.

The OP stated he's on the CZ, not the CS.

 

[zephyr17]

Not really that much. Highlights for me between Emeryville and Sac are running along the shore of San Pablo Bay and Carquinez Strait between Richmond and Martinez and crossing the Carquinez Strait after Martinez.

 

[tp49]

Closest convenience store that would be open both weekday and weekend would be the Rite Aid at 9th and K Streets. It's about a 10 minute or so walk from the station. If you're mobility-impaired you can take either the 30 or 38 bus from the Amtrak station to 9th and J Street where it will be a block away.

 

[Marcus]

To all of you... Thank you very much! This is just the information I was looking for!

As suggested, I modified online and did get the $7 voucher for future use. I will be taking the Yolobus from Sacramento airport to J Street, I believe, which will be substantially cheaper than using a cab or even UBER/LYFT. I will absolutely go to the Rite Aid that was mentioned to get water/soft drinks/snacks, etc.

There was almost something romantic, I guess, about leaving from the Bay Area, which is really the starting point of the route going eastbound. But my main thing was to see the beautiful scenery of the Sierras and into Colorado. I am taking the train to Denver by the way. The chance to save the money of a Bay Area hotel and just go from Sacramento airport to the Amtrak station was too good to pass up. Having already seen the sights of San Francisco a couple of years ago, it was a little easier for me to swallow missing the first couple of hours of the journey.

For the record, my best friend and I are taking the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle next spring, and we have a roomette booked for that. It will be fun to actually chat with some fellow travel fans in the dining car!

Thank you again for your help!

 

[tp49]

I will be taking the Yolobus from Sacramento airport to J Street, I believe, which will be substantially cheaper than using a cab or even UBER/LYFT. I will absolutely go to the Rite Aid that was mentioned to get water/soft drinks/snacks, etc.

If you're coming downtown from the airport on Yolobus (42A) then you can just get off that bus at 9th and J to go to the Rite Aid.

 

[SanDiegan]

There is also a Starbucks right next to the station, located in what's left of the old Railway Express. Vending machines in the station waiting room as well.

 

[chakk]

For many years there were two dozen Navy ships (including a battleship) of WWII vintage moored in Suisun Bay near Martinez and readily visible from the CZ.

Now, most of these ships in the "'Mothball Fleet" have been scuttled. The battleship was moved to a museum.

There are now just 3 ships remaining in the Mothball Fleet in Suisum Bay, when I passed by on #6 last week.