San Diego, CA

[June the Coach Rider]

I am coming into SAN on the final Surfliner arriving at 12:40am. I am wondering if there will be taxis readily available to take me to my hotel? Where will they be? I am staying at the Howard Johnson Hotel Circle, anyone know if this is an OK place to stay?

 

[GG-1]

I am coming into SAN on the final Surfliner arriving at 12:40am. I am wondering if there will be taxis readily available to take me to my hotel? Where will they be? I am staying at the Howard Johnson Hotel Circle, anyone know if this is an OK place to stay?

Aloha

Looking at a map it is a fair way south of the train station, Some of the area between the station rough. Depending on what you will be doing another location might be better

Sorry I do not know the city well but I did attend several conventions there.

 

[trainman74]

I am coming into SAN on the final Surfliner arriving at 12:40am. I am wondering if there will be taxis readily available to take me to my hotel? Where will they be? I am staying at the Howard Johnson Hotel Circle, anyone know if this is an OK place to stay?

I can't speak to the taxi situation at that hour. Hotel Circle is a decent, safe place to stay -- as the name implies, it's an area consisting of pretty much nothing but hotels. If you're in the area for a convention/meeting taking place at a Hotel Circle-area hotel or other facility, you're in very good shape; however, it's not all that close to the area tourist attractions (especially without a car).

 

[June the Coach Rider]

I am actually meeting friends in San Diego who will be doing the driving. I just have to get to the hotel in the middle of the night. I appreciate knowing that Hotel Circle is a safe area as I am a single "older" lady and would not want to be staying in an unsafe area.

 

[John Bredin]

Never been to California, but Google-mapping reveals that San Diego Old Town station (OLT) is significantly closer to Hotel Circle -- about 1.5 miles from the Howard Johnson on Hotel Circle -- than the main San Diego station (SAN).

Of course, that doesn't answer the original question as much as it begs for it to be rephrased. :unsure: What's the taxi situation like at OLT? Some more Googling finds references to a taxi stand & queue at OLT, but that doesn't mean there'd be cabs there at 12:3x a.m. (Other Googling found that the Howard Johnson in question doesn't have a courtesy van, which put the kibosh on my first abortive suggestion. :giggle: )

 

[June the Coach Rider]

Never been to California, but Google-mapping reveals that San Diego Old Town station (OLT) is significantly closer to Hotel Circle -- about 1.5 miles from the Howard Johnson on Hotel Circle -- than the main San Diego station (SAN).
Of course, that doesn't answer the original question as much as it begs for it to be rephrased. :unsure: What's the taxi situation like at OLT? Some more Googling finds references to a taxi stand & queue at OLT, but that doesn't mean there'd be cabs there at 12:3x a.m. (Other Googling found that the Howard Johnson in question doesn't have a courtesy van, which put the kibosh on my first abortive suggestion. :giggle: )

Thanks for this info, I did check into the OTL station, but it is just a platform, there is no building or anything. If I was arriving at any other time besides the middle of the night this might be the place to go. I checked and the SAN station is manned at that hour, so being a single female, I feel better with a station that is manned.

 

[San Diegan]

Yes, there will be an abundance of taxis waiting for the final Surfliner at downtown San Diego. After detraining, you go through the station to Kettner Street, and the taxis will be lined up across the street, to your left (northeast side).

The ride to Hotel Circle will take about 10-15 minutes at that hour, and cost between $20-$25.

Old Town is much, much closer and the stop there is at the Old Town Multimodal Transit Center but because of the late hour (and the fact that all transit buses from that center will have stopped running for the night by that time) there probably will not be taxis waiting. (Not that many people get off the Surfliner there at that hour.) There is a phone to call a taxi dispatcher along Old Town Avenue, but as you are a female traveling alone, I recommend the downtown San Diego station even if the taxi fare will be substantially higher.

Have no worries about the location of the Howard Johnson being unsafe. It's on the Hotel Circle south frontage road, alongside the Interstate 8 freeway, and is one of numerous hotels on both sides of I-8. As long as you have friends driving you, you have no concerns. Without a car, though, you would be facing a long walk just to get to a bus stop to begin a journey. Hotel Circle is not generally a place where people stay who don't have access to a car.

Happy traveling!

 

[GG-1]

Aloha

Anther thought: Someone from the area that is familiar with the cab companies in the area could provide contact information so that as you get close you can call and be sure a cab is there waiting for you. This might also open up the Old Town station option. I agree with the other poster that I would not expect a taxi to be waiting there at that hour unless it is waiting by appointment.

 

[June the Coach Rider]

Yes, there will be an abundance of taxis waiting for the final Surfliner at downtown San Diego. After detraining, you go through the station to Kettner Street, and the taxis will be lined up across the street, to your left (northeast side).
The ride to Hotel Circle will take about 10-15 minutes at that hour, and cost between $20-$25.

Old Town is much, much closer and the stop there is at the Old Town Multimodal Transit Center but because of the late hour (and the fact that all transit buses from that center will have stopped running for the night by that time) there probably will not be taxis waiting. (Not that many people get off the Surfliner there at that hour.) There is a phone to call a taxi dispatcher along Old Town Avenue, but as you are a female traveling alone, I recommend the downtown San Diego station even if the taxi fare will be substantially higher.

Have no worries about the location of the Howard Johnson being unsafe. It's on the Hotel Circle south frontage road, alongside the Interstate 8 freeway, and is one of numerous hotels on both sides of I-8. As long as you have friends driving you, you have no concerns. Without a car, though, you would be facing a long walk just to get to a bus stop to begin a journey. Hotel Circle is not generally a place where people stay who don't have access to a car.

Happy traveling!

Thanks for the information. I am relieved to know there will be taxis waiting at the SAN station. the price for the taxi is very reasonable seeings how I am from Massachusetts, and nothing is reasonable. :giggle:

I was going to check my bags when I leave EUG on the CS, but it shows that SAN only has baggage service until 7pm. Anyone know different on this? I tried to call the station, but no one answered and Amtrak said the same thing.

 

[San Diegan]

Yes, there will be an abundance of taxis waiting for the final Surfliner at downtown San Diego. After detraining, you go through the station to Kettner Street, and the taxis will be lined up across the street, to your left (northeast side).
The ride to Hotel Circle will take about 10-15 minutes at that hour, and cost between $20-$25.

Old Town is much, much closer and the stop there is at the Old Town Multimodal Transit Center but because of the late hour (and the fact that all transit buses from that center will have stopped running for the night by that time) there probably will not be taxis waiting. (Not that many people get off the Surfliner there at that hour.) There is a phone to call a taxi dispatcher along Old Town Avenue, but as you are a female traveling alone, I recommend the downtown San Diego station even if the taxi fare will be substantially higher.

Have no worries about the location of the Howard Johnson being unsafe. It's on the Hotel Circle south frontage road, alongside the Interstate 8 freeway, and is one of numerous hotels on both sides of I-8. As long as you have friends driving you, you have no concerns. Without a car, though, you would be facing a long walk just to get to a bus stop to begin a journey. Hotel Circle is not generally a place where people stay who don't have access to a car.

Happy traveling!

Thanks for the information. I am relieved to know there will be taxis waiting at the SAN station. the price for the taxi is very reasonable seeings how I am from Massachusetts, and nothing is reasonable. :giggle:

I was going to check my bags when I leave EUG on the CS, but it shows that SAN only has baggage service until 7pm. Anyone know different on this? I tried to call the station, but no one answered and Amtrak said the same thing.

I have never checked a bag from LA to San Diego on the late-night Surfliner, but I know you can. After arriving in San Diego, the baggage people line the bags up right outside the terminal door near the platform and passengers go up, show their tag(s), and take their bags.

I am not sure where you got the 7 p.m. information, since I have ridden the night-time Surfliner out of San Diego at 8:30 and it offers checked baggage.

 

[June the Coach Rider]

Oh I am glad to hear that they could have checked baggage. I got the 7pm from Amtrak.com under the station location and click on hours and then baggage and it says 5:30am to 7pm.

 

[June the Coach Rider]

As a follow-up to my question and trip. There were several taxis waiting for the last CS and even though the ticket office is closed, you can walk thru the station to get to the taxis, I was fortunate enough to find a great baggage person who actually drove me and my luggage around the building and right to the taxis.

The Howard Johnson is truly in a safe area, but it is in dire need of an upgrade. My room was at the end of the upstairs walkway. It was very difficult walking with a cane as it is not smooth and very uneven. So if anyone is staying here, make sure you are stable at walking. There is an elevator and that was a plus for me.

 

[DET63]

I am coming into SAN on the final Surfliner arriving at 12:40am. I am wondering if there will be taxis readily available to take me to my hotel? Where will they be? I am staying at the Howard Johnson Hotel Circle, anyone know if this is an OK place to stay?

Aloha

Looking at a map it is a fair way south of the train station, Some of the area between the station rough. Depending on what you will be doing another location might be better

Sorry I do not know the city well but I did attend several conventions there.

Actually, the hotel is about 4 miles due north of the main station.

 

[Maglev]

In my quest to travel the entire Amtrak system, I have planned a day trip from Los Angeles to San Diego and back. Is the Old Town Transportation Center or the Santa Fe Depot a better station if I want to walk around and have lunch?

Mahalo!

 

[trainman74]

In my quest to travel the entire Amtrak system, I have planned a day trip from Los Angeles to San Diego. Is the Old Town Transportation Center or the Santa Fe Depot a better station if I want to walk around and have lunch?

There are a few restaurants in the Old Town area, but you'll find a much larger selection of places to eat near the Santa Fe Depot, which is downtown.

 

[MIrailfan]

Taxis stop at Old Town and Santa Fe Depot regularly.

Old Town has restaurants near it, as does SantaFe Depot.