Hi Sue!
Wish I'd noticed this thread sooner. I ride the Surfliner frequently (perhaps unhealthily so
, at least once per weekday and often on the weekends), and (on longer [1.5+ hours] trips), often in BC, so I am qualified
to confirm what others have said, and add a little more detail.
Train Layout
The diagram at the link you mentioned *is* a little dated, in two respects:
- Rather than always pointing north towards San Luis Obispo as the diagram suggests, the engine actually points away from Los Angeles; i.e. when going from Los Angeles to either San Diego or Santa Barbara/SLO, the train 'goes forward' (engine pulling) in layman's terms, and when going from San Diego or Santa Barbara/SLO to Los Angeles, the train 'goes backwards'.
- The cafe car is between the business car and all the coach cars, not between two coach cars as in the diagram.
Probably an easier way to remember is that the business car is the one right next to the engine. More specifically in your case, at San Diego it will be the 'leftmost' (from the point of view of looking from the station towards the train), and likely be directly straight forward from the gate onto the platforms (you'll see what I mean when there). Or look for a person in a smart vest who is obviously an Amtrak employee, but not a conductor (no cap); that'll likely be your BC attendant. Another perk of Surfliner business class that's only available in San Diego is that you have your own line.
Where to sit
Assuming that you want to be on the ocean side, facing forward, as most people do: when you get upstairs, face so the engine is behind you and all the other cars before you, then take a seat on your left side facing in that direction.
Amenities
Always on offer and essentially all-you-can-consume (within reason), starting in the morning: fresh-brewed Green Mountain coffee, apple juice in rectangular stab-the-foil-with-the-pointy-straw boxes, prepackaged cinnamon rolls, prepackaged small muffins, usually two (but sometimes only one) of the following varieties: blueberry, oat bran, chocolate. That day's newspaper, sometimes USA Today, but usually the local of wherever that trainset started its day (which may or may not be where that particular train number started its run: I've seen Santa Barbara newspapers on an evening train out of San Diego, because it started its day in the early morning in Santa Barbara). Because your trip is the first of the day for that set, though, it's likely to be the San Diego Union-Tribune.
So complimentary breakfast in BC is more room-temperature continental than proper hot full breakfast (but see also the cafe exposition below).
Additionally on offer after noon (in case you decide to take a later train): a single approx. 8-oz (yes, even of sodas) serving of water, Stone Cellars white (chardonnay) or red (don't remember the particular kind) wine, or various kinds of soft drinks, including Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, and some lemon-lime soda (Sierra Mist, I think...I've never observed closely); as well as a snack pack containing white corn tortilla chips, salsa, rosemary crackers and cheese to spread thereon with an included knife, a small packet of dried fruit, a cookie either oatmeal raisin, lemon cream (my own favorite), or butter cookies, and either an individually-wrapped stone-hard Mentos or a generic translucent hard candy with a flavor resembling mint.
Cafe
No matter where you sit in the BC car, there is only one way out (the other looks at the back of the engine), and this next car is the cafe car. In the typical orientation, the stairs down to the cafe will be at the other end. So go through the only door that opens
, then almost the full length of that next car, and down the stairs on your right (also made prominent by a glowing purple sign that says 'Sea View Cafe'.
There's a menu online
here. In looking at it, it's the immediately previous version: a few prices have gone up (canned soft drinks now $2; chuljin's famous cheese and crackers now $3.75, etc.)
Of all the things on the menu, I have had all of the following (not all in one sitting, of course), and would recommend any of them: the breakfast bagel, the cheese and cracker tray, the jalapeño cheeseburger, the cheese and cracker tray, the hummus (which comes with pretzel chips...note that they seldom have them, though), and the cheese and cracker tray. You may notice I'm a fan of the cheese and cracker tray.
It is usually what I have with my business class AmWine, foregoing the snack pack or saving it for later.
Enjoy your trip!
Do let us know if you have any other questions. I'll try my best to answer, perhaps even from memory.
Chris
