San Diego

[redsandal]

We will be arriving at LAX on the SWC on Christmas morning, taking the Pacific Surfliner down to San Diego getting off (and back on as we are doing round trip later in the week) at SAN. We'll be staying at the Best Western at 707 Pacific Beach Drive. Need to get a cab to/from. A bit concerned as we'll be arriving Christmas day. Suggestions? Recommendations on cab company? Thanks a ton!

 

[guest]

We will be arriving at LAX on the SWC on Christmas morning, taking the Pacific Surfliner down to San Diego getting off (and back on as we are doing round trip later in the week) at SAN. We'll be staying at the Best Western at 707 Pacific Beach Drive. Need to get a cab to/from. A bit concerned as we'll be arriving Christmas day. Suggestions? Recommendations on cab company? Thanks a ton!

Many taxis, holiday or not, are always available across the street (Kettner Boulevard) from the Santa Fe Depot (Amtrak station). Fares are set uniformly for all cabs; you'll be directed to the taxi at the front of the line.

Fare to Pacific Beach will be hefty, probably close to $30 plus tip. No surcharge for a holiday, but the drop is $2.80 for the first eighth or tenth of a mile, then $2.60 (I believe) for each additional mile.

The driver will probably take you north on I-5 to Grand Avenue west, to Mission south a few blocks and then west to the end of Pacific Beach Drive i.e. the Pacific Ocean where your hotel is.

An alternate route, more scenic and probably the same price, would be Pacific Highway through Mission Bay north to Mission Boulevard all the way to just south of Grand, then left.

Don't worry, the taxi drivers are pretty honest in San Diego, compared to most other towns.

 

[PackerBacker]

Why not get off at Old Town just to shorten your ride. Save a taxi phone number in your cell in case no cabs are available at your stop.

 

[hmy1]

Some of the morning trains from LA stop in Old Town, which would be a little closer to PB, saving you time and money if you don't have any checked luggage. The cab stand is on the east side of the tracks, towards the state park. I would think, but am not sure, that there will be enough activity in Old Town on Christmas day by the time you arrive to justify taxis waiting at that stand.

If you're a mass transit type of person, another option is to get off at Old Town and then take the #30 semi-express bus to PB. It would travel the same route as the taxi mentioned earlier. You'd get off just after it turns onto Mission Blvd. from Grand Ave. and then you'll have a four or five block walk to the Blue Sea Lodge. You can also take the slower #8 bus from Old Town that would drop you off just a block from your hotel. Both buses only run every 30 minutes on weekends. There will be a 2 for 1 promotion on Christmas day, so total fare for two people will be $2.25.

FYI the SWC frequently gets into LA early, sometimes as early as 7:15am, so you can simply hop on an earlier Surfliner train to SD and be dipping your feet in the ocean earlier than scheduled.

Let us know what you ultimately decide to do and how it turns out. Enjoy your vacation in our city.

 

[johnny.menhennet]

Some of the morning trains from LA stop in Old Town, which would be a little closer to PB, saving you time and money if you don't have any checked luggage. The cab stand is on the east side of the tracks, towards the state park. I would think, but am not sure, that there will be enough activity in Old Town on Christmas day by the time you arrive to justify taxis waiting at that stand.

If you're a mass transit type of person, another option is to get off at Old Town and then take the #30 semi-express bus to PB. It would travel the same route as the taxi mentioned earlier. You'd get off just after it turns onto Mission Blvd. from Grand Ave. and then you'll have a four or five block walk to the Blue Sea Lodge. You can also take the slower #8 bus from Old Town that would drop you off just a block from your hotel. Both buses only run every 30 minutes on weekends. There will be a 2 for 1 promotion on Christmas day, so total fare for two people will be $2.25.

FYI the SWC frequently gets into LA early, sometimes as early as 7:15am, so you can simply hop on an earlier Surfliner train to SD and be dipping your feet in the ocean earlier than scheduled.

Let us know what you ultimately decide to do and how it turns out. Enjoy your vacation in our city.

I've taken the SWC/PacSurf combo too... every time I've taken the SWC west, it has been about 45 minutes late getting into Fullerton. Even though we are ticketed to LA, you get off at Fullerton and catch the 7:50 (from Fullerton) to San Diego. You will need to go across the bridge for that. That train will stop at Old Town, and there WILL be taxis. Enjoy the trip!

 

[guest]

Some of the morning trains from LA stop in Old Town, which would be a little closer to PB, saving you time and money if you don't have any checked luggage. The cab stand is on the east side of the tracks, towards the state park. I would think, but am not sure, that there will be enough activity in Old Town on Christmas day by the time you arrive to justify taxis waiting at that stand.

If you're a mass transit type of person, another option is to get off at Old Town and then take the #30 semi-express bus to PB. It would travel the same route as the taxi mentioned earlier. You'd get off just after it turns onto Mission Blvd. from Grand Ave. and then you'll have a four or five block walk to the Blue Sea Lodge. You can also take the slower #8 bus from Old Town that would drop you off just a block from your hotel. Both buses only run every 30 minutes on weekends. There will be a 2 for 1 promotion on Christmas day, so total fare for two people will be $2.25.

FYI the SWC frequently gets into LA early, sometimes as early as 7:15am, so you can simply hop on an earlier Surfliner train to SD and be dipping your feet in the ocean earlier than scheduled.

Let us know what you ultimately decide to do and how it turns out. Enjoy your vacation in our city.

I've taken the SWC/PacSurf combo too... every time I've taken the SWC west, it has been about 45 minutes late getting into Fullerton. Even though we are ticketed to LA, you get off at Fullerton and catch the 7:50 (from Fullerton) to San Diego. You will need to go across the bridge for that. That train will stop at Old Town, and there WILL be taxis. Enjoy the trip!

YES

Do get off at Fullerton no matter whether you are early or late. It's easier to connect the southbound Surfliner there, compared to LAUS; less confusion and far fewer people to jostle with. (This doesn't work, of course, if you have checked baggage to LAUS.)

And assuming you will be able to catch one of the first 3 southbound Surfliners on Xmas Day, by all means detrain at Old Town (again, unless you've got baggage checked through to San Diego downtown). The taxi fare will be cut by almost a half, and there should be several taxis on the East side (the side of the State Park and the street, and NOT the side where the vast parking lot lies under the freeway overpasses.

There is also a phone hotline for taxis in the event there is no cab. But I would think there will be cabs as this is a transit center.

I would not recommend hauling your luggage aboard either the 30 or 8/9 buses for the final leg. That's a bit of hassle at the end of a tiring trip. I take mass transit all the time, but even I wouldn't wait for the buses on Xmas Day, when they run a minimum schedule.

Reward yourselves, take a taxi.

 

[thully]

I'm going to be taking the SWC and transferring to the Surfliner to SAN next week as well. If I get off at Fullerton and check bags to SAN, will my bags be transferred at Fullerton or will I have to wait for them to come on the next Surfliner from LAX? It would be a hassle for me to come back to the station later to get my bags, and if I end up upgrading to a roomette I'd prefer to not have my larger bag with me due to the limited space (I carried it with me on the LSL in a roomette back in September and found myself regretting it). Has anyone who has taken the SWC and transferred at Fullerton had experience with this?

 

[guest]

I'm going to be taking the SWC and transferring to the Surfliner to SAN next week as well. If I get off at Fullerton and check bags to SAN, will my bags be transferred at Fullerton or will I have to wait for them to come on the next Surfliner from LAX? It would be a hassle for me to come back to the station later to get my bags, and if I end up upgrading to a roomette I'd prefer to not have my larger bag with me due to the limited space (I carried it with me on the LSL in a roomette back in September and found myself regretting it). Has anyone who has taken the SWC and transferred at Fullerton had experience with this?

I believe that checked baggage to San Diego on the SWC to the PS gets transfered at LAUS because that is the designated transfer point, even though passengers often make the transfer at Fullerton.

So if you do check it all the way through to San Diego, yes, I believe you would need to claim it later in San Diego.

How big is your bag? Could you not leave it downstairs in a sleeping car? That is an additional alternative to either cramming it into your roomette (sometimes not possible) and checking it.

 

[thully]

I've never been in a Superliner sleeper car before - do they have room for baggage on the lower level? Also, could I just check my bag to Fullerton, grab it there, and carry it on the Surfliner despite my ticket being to SAN via LA? In any case, I may very well end up riding coach (I'm only going to upgrade if I can do so on-board at low bucket, as opposed to the $750 they want for it now)...

 

[guest]

I've never been in a Superliner sleeper car before - do they have room for baggage on the lower level? Also, could I just check my bag to Fullerton, grab it there, and carry it on the Surfliner despite my ticket being to SAN via LA? In any case, I may very well end up riding coach (I'm only going to upgrade if I can do so on-board at low bucket, as opposed to the $750 they want for it now)...

Yes, the lower level of all Superliner cars, sleeper and coach, have large luggage storage areas on the lower level. If you only have one big bag and a carry-on, you can easily leave the big bag downstairs (with it locked) and just keep the carry-on with you on the upper level.

And yes, you could check the large bag to Fullerton, but if your transfer time is tight to cross over the tracks and catch a southbound Surfliner, you might be taking a risk of not making it on time, depending on how quickly they unload the bags at Fullerton and make them available to pax (That would leave you an hour or until the next southbound PS.)

 

[PackerBacker]

Is the bridge at Fullerton, used for transferring from the SWC to the southbound Coast Starlite, handicap accessible?

 

[GG-1]

Is the bridge at Fullerton, used for transferring from the SWC to the southbound Coast Starlite, handicap accessible?

Aloha

Yes it is but the elevator on each side is slow.