Hello, Everyone

Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Jan 20, 2016
Messages
940
Location
East San Diego County
Hello, Everyone

Although my wife Pat and I are new to AU, we are long-time AMTRAK riders. Over the years we’ve traveled cross-country on Empire Builder, California Zephyr, Coast Starlight, Capitol Limited, and (our favorite train) Southwest Chief. Our “home station” is downtown San Diego’s historic mission-style station dating from 1914. It is from here that we will catch a Pacific Surfliner to Los Angeles Union Passenger Depot, where our rail adventures actually begin. For each of our AMTRAK trips, we make it a point to write down our observations and experiences, which later appear in trip reports that are posted on-line. (Most of our earlier trip reports can be seen at the On Track On Line site.) From now on, all of our trip reports will be submitted to AU.

Eric (and Pat) in East San Diego County
 
Welcome!

How lovely to be able to start all your trips on the Pacific Surfliner! :) That is on my bucket list, but I will have to go all the way across the country to ride it!

I will look forward to reading your trip reports and wish you and your wife many happy travels!
 
Welcome Eric and Pat! Look forward to reading about yall' s travel adventures!

I always thought San Diego was a wonderful little Navy Town when I was stationed there many moons ago and then it got "discovered" and became an expensive tourist destination! (IINM it still has what is considered the best overall climate in the US!)

I used to ride the Train to LA out of the Santa Fe Depot too, and caught the Super Chief out of LAX when I was transferred Cross Country.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
For those of you unfamiliar with the Pacific Surfliner, it begins paralleling the ocean about 30 minutes after leaving San Diego. On a clear, sunny day, the view is right out of an AMTRAK advertising brochure. (In some places, the right-of-way comes so close to the shoreline that, when the tide is in, the waves seemed to breaking right next to the roadbed!) Surfers are a common sight as well as seals sunning themselves on the little rocky islands just off shore. Passing through the resort communities of Del Mar, Solana Beach and Cardiff-by-the-Sea, you get good views of activity on the beaches. About 5 minutes before reaching San Juan Capistrano, the tracks curve inland and you have your last view of the ocean for the rest of the trip to Los Angeles. (Sometime when company is visiting, we’ll treat them to a trip up to San Juan Capistrano onboard the Pacific Surfliner primarily so they can see the ocean view, which they get to enjoy both going and coming.)

Eric in East San Diego County
 
Back
Top