SAC lounge?

We are coming in on the CZ#5. Arriving at two something.. But we have a ten hour layover before boarding the Starlight. On the starlight,we only opted for coach. On the CZ we are roomette. Are we still allowed to use the lounge? Would like to check our luggage and go see some sights.

ericjeeper said:

We are coming in on the CZ#5. Arriving at two something.. But we have a ten hour layover before boarding the Starlight. On the starlight,we only opted for coach. On the CZ we are roomette. Are we still allowed to use the lounge? Would like to check our luggage and go see some sights.

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It's not really a "Lounge". Just a separate area in the still under construction waiting room.

You can "day check" your luggage ( standard price is $4 per bag) with the Amtrak agent.

If the Zephyr arrives on time ( iffy) you can go visit the Outstanding California Rail Museum ( closes @ 5pm) and Old Town which are next door

to Union Station.)

Or you can buy a Coach ticket to/from Davis, ( probably stay in your room, check with your SCA) and enjoy visiting this beautiful little College town and having dinner before catching the Starlight @ the nice old ex SP Station,very nice agent there, she'll hold your luggage for free while you explore).

I've been through Sacramento a few times this summer and the station itself, really leaves alot to be desired. Hopefully it will look great when it is finished.

The area around the station is.... kinda iffy. I mean directly around the station. There is a starbucks next door to the station and there were multiple people sleeping in the starbucks, it was like a homeless shelter in there. I mean no disrespect to homeless people, but it just seems to be an issue.

Now a short walk from the amtrak station is the "Old Town" area which is very touristy but has some really great finds. The Wells Fargo Museum is there, free of charge (mostly a gift shop with some displays), there is an old costume shop that has alot of really cool vintage clothing, an antique store that has pretty much every railroad book that has ever been written, and when I was there I saw some excellent street performers out as well. Oh yes and the Delta King Riverboat is docked there as a bed and breakfast.

As for the Californian State Railroad Museum (it's in the Old Town Area, very easy walk from the Amtrak station), it's probably the best Railroad Museum I've been to, possibly tied with Railroad Museum of PA. Excellent Displays in great condition. One of the Golden Spikes is on display there (there are actually 2!) along with the only surviving SP "Cab Forward" Locomotive. They have an excellent display of Railroad Dining Car China, and well I could go on and on. It's worth the visit for sure.

Since I'm writing a whole book on Sacramento... In Old Town there is an excellent locally owned coffee shop / restaurant called "Steamers." They have an excellent Breakfast selection (full breakfast, eggs, hashbrowns, etc,) good coffee and pastries and the place is clean and the workers are friendly.

How much time would be needed to thoroughly enjoy the railroad museum? A day, or possibly two, or three?

I started 'thoroughly' enjoying the railroad the second I walked in. It really is a must see.Spend as much or as little time as you have.

slither said:

How much time would be needed to thoroughly enjoy the railroad museum? A day, or possibly two, or three?

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On my first visit, I felt like I saw everything the indoor Museum had to offer in about half a day. That was enough time to watch the movie presentation, walk through upstairs and downstairs exhibits, talk to some of the docents, and enjoy the various exhibits. There were a few things I glossed over, but I felt like I fully experienced the museum.

On a later visit I spent the whole day there, with a break for a leisurely lunch in Old Town.

If you skipped the movie and concentrated on the main displays, you could see a majority of the museum in about 2 hours without "rushing through." I think I would be pretty frustrated if I had less than 2 hours,

slither said:

How much time would be needed to thoroughly enjoy the railroad museum? A day, or possibly two, or three?

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It's not a huge museum. I was a member before and would typically spend 90 minutes to 2-1/2 hours at the exhibits. However, my kid could spend a long time at the train tables upstairs. They also have an extensive collection of toy trains.

There are also excursion train rides starting April 2, but only on weekends and holidays.

Ok went to the museum. Was very nice,the shops in old town consist of candy shops and import junk and tee shirts. So here we sit in the depot...

Did you find something good to eat? There are a couple high end (expensive) restaurants in Old Town. The good news is that 14 is running on time. You may even be on board and seated before midnight.

How far north are you coming?

Had some excellent Thai food. We left the depot on time, but arrived 30+ minutes late the Klamath.

I was not impressed at all with the conditions on the CS..far from clean. Compared to the CZ it was not something I will look forward to doing again.

On our CHI to SAC trip..... I have read many times how the SCA will introduce themselves.. Heck it was on the second day before we even figured out who ours was.. He managed to hide very well I reckon.

I will say the food was fantastic.

Keep in mind that there can be wide variability between routes (which you experienced) and wide variability between days on a route. You don't know if the conditions you had represent differences between routes or days. It's possible that on a repeat journey, the Starlight would be clean and the Zephyr dirty, and the Starlight attendant might be hard to find. It's also possible, and not altogether unlikely, that both trains would be clean, with attentive attendants.