We left LCH 8-15-2015 on the SL (1 hour Late) in a roomette. We learned that you now have to ask your SA for ice. Our SA, Ramon Vergara, was exceptional. Is there someplace I can post about his wonderful service? We also learned that the dining car menu is the same on all trains now (no regional specials). But the food is always good. We arrived at LAX 5 hours late. Our SA brought us snacks and later beef stew while we sat in Pamona, Ca for 3 hours. We took the R 10 bus to Santa Monica Beach, which was beautiful, but crowded. We left on the SWC on time. This was our first time to ride it. It seems rougher than the other trains. We arrived at Dodge City, KS, 3 hours late. We stayed at the La Quinta Inn because we received 5000 AGR points from Rocketmiles. This was our first visit to Dodge City. We loved it. The visitors bureau staff was very friendly. The museum, the trolley ride and the hotel was great! We rode downstairs coach for the 1st time from DDG to Rat (zone boundary). It was very nice and quiet. We then switched to a bedroom (another first). Of course, we are now spoiled to that. The scenery was really pretty-mountains, desert, and wildlife. We were impressed that the dining car staff starting serving breakfast at 5:00 a. m. since we were on time for our 8:15 arrival into LAX. We left our bags at the Metro lounge, which is nice. We spent the day touring LA on double-decker buses. Our favorite stop was the La Brae Tar Pits/Museum. Our SL trip back to LCH was fine and on time.