For our regular trip to Olympia to see my mom, we opted for the choo-choo. Again. The good ol' Amtrak Coast StarLATE. Now, our luck vs the Timetable hasn't always been great. Once, downright MISTERABLE (an 8 hour delay just shy of Gaviota?) but I have to say, this trip, up and back, while not without glitches, was a LOT of fun.
We even did a couple of videos! See it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SesRd8a71Uw&t=18s...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05Keu166vKY&t=13s
We got dropped off at the local Gold Line station with all our baggage at 7AM (early enough to avoid the hassles with deranged homeless freeloaders) and got to Union Station nice and early. Since (courtesy of my sister and her zillion rewards points) we were taking a sleeper Roomette, we had access to the High Roller Enclave in Union Station. Free beverages and snacks and a quiet place to wait and a shuttle to the train! All perks of being in a sleeper. Yeah, it is a LOT more expensive, but NICE.
At the appointed hour we and our bags were hauled to the platform and ensconced in the Roomette. The "ette" is emphasized. It's TINY. As we found out when we bedded down for the night. Oh, and unless your backs are 50 years younger than ours, and you're 100 pounds lighter, don't EVEN THINK about trying the upper fold down bunk. Damn near killed me getting in and out. Especially for the mandatory 3am pee.
Then, there's the food. REAL food. Cooked TO ORDER in a REAL kitchen and delvered hot to your table in the dining car. From a REAL menu with several choices. Lunch could be a fresh made burger, a grilled ham and cheese, mac and cheese, and a vegan option. And kid sized stuff too. And a beverage--beer, coffee, tea, sodas. And not mini-cans. Actual, proper cans of beer or soda. And more than one!
Dinner is even better. The Amtrak Signature Flat-iron steak is cooked to your order, fresh steamed veg, potatoes. Or Salmon with rice and veg, or another vegan option. Or more. Tasty and filling. Oh, and a glass of wine. REAL wine.
Breakfast is another treat. Omelette, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, grits, all kinds of good stuff.
OK, it's now served on plastic Amtrak logoed plates, not the actual chinaware of the good ol' days of the Super Chief or the Daylight, but NOT IN A STUPID TV DINNER TRAY ON A FOLD OUT PLATFORM THAT'S BEEN JAMMED INTO YOUR BELLY BY THE JERK IN FRONT OF YOU.
Another perk is that you get seated at a booth for 4 people. You get to eat and chat with complete strangers who are as equally relaxed as you. When's the last time you EVER chatted with someone on a plane? Assuming you could hear them?
Oh, did I mention that the TSA isn't there? No strip search, carryon scans, shoe and belt removals, no indignaties. We DID have a guy with a sniffer dog check everyone and their bags out, but he and the dog were friendly and efficient and we didn't have to stand in a snaking line for the privialge.
The waitstaff are friendly and helpful and have devloped the skill of Train Surfing while carrying trays of food. And speaking of staff, each sleeper had a Car Attendant to make your trip better. They are on call 24/7 if you need them (but give 'em a break, don't call 'em at 3AM unless it's an emergency).
The restrooms are clean and roomier than a plane and there's even a SHOWER if you need it!
So, if THIS alone doesn't justify your spending 34 hours traveling (although, if you add in the time it takes to get to and from LAX and SEA/TAC it's not THAT much longer) what does?
The SCENERY. It's spectacular. Actual scenery, not the tops of clouds viewed through a window that's about the size of a mail slot. And through real sized windows. And in almost eerie silence, punctuated by the occasion train horn as she blows for crossings and the rumble over switch points. The whole world just floats past. It's mezmerizing and soporific and a few other big words. You'll find yourself dozing peacefully, gently (usually) rocking back and forth. An no doors rip off at 60,000 feet, no babies screaming because their ears hurt, no fat slob next to you hogging the "shared" arm rest. Just you and maybe a partner sharing the experience, chatting away or just staring.
Some of the stuff you see is ONLY visible from the train. Like the Pacific Coast from Gaviota up to near Lompoc. Unless you have access to the vast Hollister Ranch or Vandenburg missle base, there is NO WAY TO SEE THIS.
Likewise the evergreen rainforest from Klamath Falls, OR to Eugene. Even in June, there was snow, full rivers and lakes, amazing stuff!
Oh, and a Travel Tip! When you book your seat or room, remember the old acronym POSH. Posh came from the old sailing ship days. When the English were sailing back and forth to India to maintain The Raj, the windward side of the ship was the better side. The trade winds blew across the ship and the Portside Out got the fresh air as did the Starboard Home side. Hence POSH, which now means luxurious. For the Coast Starlight, bood your seat/room on the LEFT side going up the coase and RIGHT side going down. That will give you the great views, especially along the coast above Santa Barbara.
Now, at the start, I called the Coast Starlight the "Starlate." This is the downside. Stuff does happen along the way. Unlike a plane, you can't just pass another train unless there's a siding for one of you to wait. This can cause delays. The 8 hour delay we had one time was unusual--both locos died and we had to wait for them to find, dispatch, then couple a new one! But this trip was pretty good.
Going up, we were usually AHEAD of time until we got to Salem, OR. We had to stop because, up ahead, in the VERY carefully language of Amtrak, "a tresspasser had come into contact with a train" and we'd have to wait for the investigators. This put us a whole 6 minutes late into Olympia.
Our other glitch was unforseen. A pipe in the kitchen burst!!! That shut down cooking, sending the crew into scramble mode. They actually have a system in place and for lunch they took sandwich orders (ham, tuna, turkey, veggie) and had Subway boxes with a drink, chips, and a cookie delivered to the train in Salinas. In San Luis Obispo, they had pizza delvered to us! Yeah, we weren't too happy, but what can you do. Imagine if you were on a plane? Besides, we ALWAYS travel with a Bag o'Food and had Terminator Stout Mustard and Apricot Stilton Cheese to add to our sandwiches, making even the usual dreary Subway food good.
On the way home, the train arrival in Oly was delayed about 15 minutes, then another ½ hour entering Portland. All-in-all, we were about an hour late, but made up some of that by the time we hit LA. Tell me you've never had a plane delayed or cancelled!
The visit up there was nice. Mom is 96 and feeling it, still living on her own. We spent a lot of time going through the Family Archives (tubs and tubs of every scrap of paper or photo collected by 6 generations of California relatives) but we found some gems. I think Mom needed to, in a way, relive her life. sigh...
We also got to spend a little time with my sister and her hubby and hear their tales of RVing it down 395 and up 101. Always good to swap stories!
We even managed a jaunt down to Centralia, our favorite antiques shopping spot and I found Marianne a great looking turquoise ring for our anneversary. Yup, 44 years since this appeared in the Pasadena Star News:
Anyway, it was a worthwhile trip, and next time you take a long trip, check out the Amtrak. It's really worth the time and occasional trouble.
