chuljin's commute

[MrFSS]

I've never been to California so it's a window on another world for me.

And to think it's just a single overnight away by Amtrak. You ought to come on down! It's a beautiful trip.

Here's your Itinerary... four days by Rail, and possible overnight in Seattle before and after the Trip.

Day 1: Depart Seattle 9:45 AM on the Coast Starlight. See Puget Sound, the Columbia River, the Willamette Valley, and climb the Cascades (by daylight if it's Summer and the Train is not too late).

Day 2: Northern California, Sacramento, the Bay Area, the Salinas Valley. San Luis Obispo (with Horseshoe Curve and Stenner Creek Trestle). Magnificent ocean vistas from Vandenberg AFB through Ventura (if the Train is not too late... or if it's Full Moon!). Arrive in Los Angeles 9:00 PM (theoretically), transfer to San Diego on the 10:10 PM Train (or a Bus if later). Arrive San Diego about 1:00 AM. Catch a few hours of sleep at a nearby Hotel.

Day 3: Catch the 6:10 AM Surfliner northbound to Los Angeles, with beautiful morning views of the Pacific Ocean and Beaches. Transfer to the 10:15 AM Coast Starlight. Enjoy the Coastal Views through San Luis Obispo by daylight, and the Bay Area late evening.

Day 4: Be awake early to see Mount Shasta at Daybreak. Continue through the Cascades, then familiar territory back to Seattle at 8:45 PM (theoretically).

By spending two nights in San Diego, you would have an entire day free to enjoy that pleasant City, and ride the Trolleys and have a nice Mexican Dinner at Old Town.

Unfortunately, Amtrak provides no same-day connections for the Starlight to points in Washington State north of Seattle, in either direction. So this leg would have to be either on your own, or on the Cascades Trains with overnight in Seattle.

Coach Fares begin at $101 each way... $90.9 for AAA and $85.85 for Seniors (62+).

Just a thought...

Hey, I am sorry I missed this earlier! That was really nice of you to spell out an itinerary for me and the variation in the following post! Of course I want to do this sometime, and maybe make it into a trip to Arizona to see my Dad and my aunt that live there. Or, connect to the California Zephyr and take that to Chicago and make a loop back on the Empire Builder to home.

It helps to have someone point out the connection problems and give options for turning around and coming back without spending money on a hotel room. Boy, a few years ago when I first moved out here I remember the Coast Starlight was on the Weekly Specials page, it was so cheap, it was like 42.00 to go from Seattle to Los Angeles. Don't know if we will ever see that again. I should have a zip-down-and-back itinerary planned though in case it turns up like that this winter.

Thanks for your post and I'm sorry I missed it earlier.

As close as you are, you should consider coming to the Get Together in October in LA. We will ride trains for several days and eat a few meals together. See the Get Together sub-forum for details!

 

[HP_Lovecraft]

I wish I could commute on an Amtrak train reasonably priced. *sighs*

I never even considered a commute until gas hit $3.50, and I started looking for options.

I spend about $10 a day driving to work, and back. The Amtrak Commuter pass for SAO-WEM was only $75

So, I only need to use it for 8 days a month to break even. If I use it for 30 days, I'd save myself $200. This fact is not missed by my wife, who uses that information to justify spending $200 on clothes....

The ride is absolutely wonderful. Some patterns:

1- When its rains, there tends to be "signal delays"

2- When its hot, there tends to be "heat delays"

3- Some days, the conductor reminds me that commuter passes do not guarenntee a seat.

4- Northbound trains often have "Switch delays"

Otherwise, nothing noteworthy happens.

The exception would be last week- As the train was pulling out of SAO station, the conductor pulled the bridge in. Suddenly, a PAX came running through the station, and jumped on the moving train!

She took her seat, and the conductor spent about 5 minutes complaining that "she could have died, and we would have all been late" (sarcastically)

 

[chuljin]

Where"s Maynord G. Crebbs?

That's Maynard G. Krebs. Bob Denver, whooz more likely recalled as Gilligan, of island infamy.

Maybe if chuljin began anew he could be rid of Hawaiian riff-raff.

Nothing wrong with Hawaii, except, of course, the continued refusal or inability to scrape together the money for bridges or tunnels between SoCal and Hawaii.

 

[Cascadia]

As close as you are, you should consider coming to the Get Together in October in LA. We will ride trains for several days and eat a few meals together. See the Get Together sub-forum for details!

Hi Mr FSS, I don't know why I keep losing track of this thread. Here I am a week later. It would be super fun to go to LA for the get together, but it coincides with an annual work event which makes a lot of obligations right around that time. Maybe next year! thanks for the encouragement though.