West coast trip

[happy2meetu]

My wife and I are planning a trip to the west coast and back and want to use only trains. After much research we have narrowed it down to two routes. We are looking for advice and suggestions about these. The first route would be Chicago to Los Angeles on the Southwest Chief, then to Emeryville on the Coast Starlight and back to Chicago on the California Zephyr.

The second route would be from Chicago to Portland on the Empire Builder, then Portland to Emeryville on the Coast Starlight and on to Chicago on the California Zephyr.

One question I have is how much time should I allow between segments for connections? For example is 4 hours enough or should I plan on getting a room between each one and are there acceptable hotels near the stations?

 

[tomfuller]

I like plan 2 better. Would you believe that the Empire Builder 27 arrived in Portland early 3 days in a row? This is no guarantee that this trend will continue.

Arriving in Portland sometime before 11AM with a departure on the Coast Starlight @2:25 PM seems to be a safe bet.

I suggest taking the Coast Starlight south only to Sacramento or maybe Davis to catch the CZ eastbound. There is no need to go all the way to Emeryville unless you want to spend a night in San Francisco.

If you really want a break on the CZ portion of the trip, spend 24 hours in Glenwood Springs. There are 2 great old hotels within walking distance and the world's largest hot spring fed pool is there as well.

The connection between the SW Chief and the CS can be tight if the SWC is late.

If you got stuck at the LAX station I would take a Surfliner up to Santa Barbara and spend a night there. There are better hotel options in Santa Barbara than near the LAX station.

 

[KmH]

On those routes any connection included in a reservation with at least 60 minutes scheduled between trains is guaranteed.
If a train is late and you will miss a connection: https://www.amtrak.com/at-the-station

A guaranteed connection does not ensure that such a connection will always be made. In the case of a missed guaranteed connection, Amtrak will provide alternate transportation on Amtrak, another carrier, or overnight hotel accommodations, at Amtrak's discretion.

 

[Train2104]

The first option requires at least a night in the Bay Area, as the Zephyr leaves too early to make any LD train connections. If you do it, give Amtrak CHI-EMY as one segment and pick the Southwest Chief-Coast Starlight, which should come up as one of the choices. This guarantees the connection (so if you miss the Starlight, Amtrak will send you to EMY at no extra cost, likely via the San Joaquin)

For the second option, both connections are guaranteed if you make the second connection at Sacramento, so no overnight is necessary. You'd still have to book it in two pieces though.

 

[BCL]

You're thinking of out and back without any sightseeing? You could go to San Francisco if you have a day or two.

You can research whether some of your connections are guaranteed. If the connection can automatically be pulled up by the reservation system, then it's guaranteed. If you have to specifically request specific trains, then it won't be. In the case where a train is late, that could be the difference between Amtrak putting you up in a hotel room vs your being declared a no show without any compensation.

Your first proposed route works just fine. The connection time is under 2 hours though. If it's late, there may be limits on how long they hold the train. They'll definitely make an attempt to get you to your destination.

 

[BCL]

If you're looking to hole up for the night in Emeryville, there are four hotels within varying walking distance of the station. The closest is Hyatt House, which is just across the pedestrian bridge over the tracks. Then there's Four Points, Courtyard, and Hilton Garden Inn. I used to work in the area and have also helped visitors book. I've been to business meetings at Hyatt House and Hilton Garden Inn, although both were under different names. The Courtyard is pretty nice. It's next to the freeway, but the noise insulation is such that I heard no noise. I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn after a party, and could hear freeway noise from our room overlooking the freeway.

 

[me_little_me]

On those routes any connection included in a reservation with at least 60 minutes scheduled between trains is guaranteed.

If a train is late and you will miss a connection: https://www.amtrak.com/at-the-station

A guaranteed connection does not ensure that such a connection will always be made. In the case of a missed guaranteed connection, Amtrak will provide alternate transportation on Amtrak, another carrier, or overnight hotel accommodations, at Amtrak's discretion.

Unfortunately, that is not the whole story. If you have a sleeper reserved and you miss your connection and have to be put up overnight, that doesn't mean you will get a sleeper on the next day's train because they may not be available. Yes, they will compensate you for the difference with a voucher but that doesn't help you will enjoy that train when you are expecting a bedroom and only coach seats are available.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

I would second the idea of stopping to do some sightseeing (unless you already were planning on doing so).

Secondly, although I really like the route you've chosen - I'll be doing the same thing next month - I don't think I'd choose to be on a train that long for my first-ever long distance trip. You mentioned in the other thread that neither you nor your wife have taken a long-distance train trip before. Although this forum is full of train lovers, many people who try long distance train travel and did not care for it. If one of you gets tired of it or bored... you're in for a LONG 5-6 days or so.

Is there a particular reason you need to take such a long trip this year? You might consider trying just one of the routes you mentioned, & see how you like it before committing yourself to such a long journey.

 

[OBS]

Agree with evrything the PP said. I would emphasize that that involves A LOT of train riding with no break in between segments. I would reconsider that part especially.

 

[Palmetto]

On those routes any connection included in a reservation with at least 60 minutes scheduled between trains is guaranteed.

If a train is late and you will miss a connection: https://www.amtrak.com/at-the-station

A guaranteed connection does not ensure that such a connection will always be made. In the case of a missed guaranteed connection, Amtrak will provide alternate transportation on Amtrak, another carrier, or overnight hotel accommodations, at Amtrak's discretion.

Unfortunately, that is not the whole story. If you have a sleeper reserved and you miss your connection and have to be put up overnight, that doesn't mean you will get a sleeper on the next day's train because they may not be available. Yes, they will compensate you for the difference with a voucher but that doesn't help you will enjoy that train when you are expecting a bedroom and only coach seats are available.

At that point, I would just fly onward. Been there, and done that.

 

[happy2meetu]

Maybe we will rethink a little although we want to get our tickets as soon as possible for the best rates on sleepers. We just figured "what could not be fun about being on a train for 6 days?". We enjoy scenery and time together. The purpose for the trip is mainly the train but I can see how a little sight seeing could be fun. Having no vehicle kind of put me off on that a bit.

 

[happy2meetu]

Also, thank you so much for all the help so far.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Many of us take Long Distance train trips and stop for sightseeing and R and R without using a vehicle.

One of our members and his wife take along bicycles and some members even Hike and Campout during layovers!

 

[snvboy]

Have you considered doing your trip in reverse? It may give you better scheduling for seeing Rockies/Cascades/Rockies in Daylight.

Chicago > Emeryville (or Sacramento) > Portland (or Seattle) > Chicago.

My best friend and I did this trip in October. We even got lucky (how often is it good luck to have a late train) with a late Coast Startlight that was delayed enough for us to see Mt. Shasta at sunrise ( https://snvboy.exposure.co/brocation-2015).

I think this would also give you better protection if you wanted to make same-day connections in Sacramento and Portland. Or take a day in Portland - it's a fun city and very accessible.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Depending on your time and budget, how about the Builder to SEA, then the Starlight to LAX, then back to E-ville on Amtrak California and then the Zephyr back to Chicago. That way you will get a Full Pull on 3 of Amtrak's most scenic routes.

 

[BCL]

Depending on your time and budget, how about the Builder to SEA, then the Starlight to LAX, then back to E-ville on Amtrak California and then the Zephyr back to Chicago. That way you will get a Full Pull on 3 of Amtrak's most scenic routes.

I'd clarify for the OP that there's only one direct train (Starlight) between the Bay Area and LA, and none of the other ways to book such a trip on Amtrak are done without at least one bus segment. I'm not even sure how many permutations there are for such a trip, involving the Pacific Surfliner, San Joaquin, Capitol Corridor, and/or buses. I helped someone book such a trip (from Orange County), and northbound was the Surfliner and a really long bus ride from Santa Barbara to Emeryville. Southbound was the San Joaquin to Bakersfield, a bus to LA, and the Surfliner.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

Like you guys, I love just sitting on the train and watching the scenery. I usually don't even read any books, watch any movies, or anything - I'm happy to watch the scenery go by for days. Some people like watching scenery, but get bored after 2-3 hours. I have several relatives who travel by train regularly, but they won't even consider an overnight trip because after a few hours they're ready to get off the train. Some people on this forum could undoubtedly live on a train indefinitely. For me, as much fun as it is, after about 2-3 days I'm simply "done" with that and looking forward to doing something else. You probably have a limit too - everything gets old after a while.

Some cities are very easy to see without a car. In particular, Portland has a great tram / train system to take you just about anywhere in the city. Spending a few days in Portland would be a great way to take a break on the train.

If you don't like cities, Glacier National Park is easily reached on the Empire Builder. It's also fairly easy to visit without a car, especially if you stop at West Glacier. There's a bus system that can take you all around the west side of the park. You could also see Yosemite via the Coast Starlight, but that does involve a bus ride of a few hours. You could easily see the Grand Canyon via the Southwest Chief. I've never done it, but there's a short (1-2 hour?) scenic train from the Amtrak station to the Grand Canyon. Again, the Grand Canyon has a bus system, so you won't need a car there either. However, car rentals are often very easy from several train stations too.

If you like amusement parks, several California trains can take you to Anaheim, where you could get a cab to Disneyland.

Those are just a few ideas off the top of my head. If you're sure you want to take the train round trip, a stop anywhere along the way for 2-3 days can make a big difference in how you feel about being "cooped up" on a train.

 

[BCL]

While many locals don't necessarily agree, San Francisco can be visited without a car. It does tend to eat up a bit of time using public transportation, but San Francisco's MUNI does cover the city pretty well. The issue that locals have is with service/schedule reliability. The Amtrak bus ride to/from Emeryville is pretty short. From San Francisco the ferry service to/from Marin County is pretty good.

While I live in the area and appreciate it for what it is, nobody would mistake Emeryville for a tourist town. It is a pretty vibrant place for industry and shopping now, which is a far cry from what it was 30 years ago when it was more into manufacturing. I suppose the most touristy thing in town is to drive by Pixar and take a photo by the entrance, but otherwise it's not open to the public.

 

[happy2meetu]

Perhaps it would be best to describe ourselves a bit. We are in our early 60's and tend to be a bit sedentary (I walk with a cane). We enjoy being with one another and talking or just staring out windows or playing silly games on phone or tablet. We both like a good book. We figured riding a train would be the best way to vacation without going anywhere in particular and do nothing but relax. Not being experienced we don't know if 6 days on a train will drive us stir crazy. We are now considering an overnight maybe in Portland to break the days but really would not expect to see much of the city. We thought this would be an easy trip to plan. So, I guess what are the pitfalls of being on a train for 6 days? We plan on travelling in two roomettes across from one another on the longer distances, by the way.

we have very much enjoyed this forum and all we have been able to learn from it so far.

 

[BCL]

Perhaps it would be best to describe ourselves a bit. We are in our early 60's and tend to be a bit sedentary (I walk with a cane). We enjoy being with one another and talking or just staring out windows or playing silly games on phone or tablet. We both like a good book. We figured riding a train would be the best way to vacation without going anywhere in particular and do nothing but relax. Not being experienced we don't know if 6 days on a train will drive us stir crazy. We are now considering an overnight maybe in Portland to break the days but really would not expect to see much of the city. We thought this would be an easy trip to plan. So, I guess what are the pitfalls of being on a train for 6 days? We plan on travelling in two roomettes across from one another on the longer distances, by the way.

we have very much enjoyed this forum and all we have been able to learn from it so far.

In that case perhaps sightseeing may not be your ideal if too much walking is an issue.

I think most people are just thinking you might get a little stir crazy cooped up in a metal can for days on end, and might want something to break up the monotony. While I love trains, 6-7 days without a break longer than the connection times would make me crazy. It can also be a bit noisy. Not necessarily aircraft levels of noise, but still noisy. You might also get sick of eating Amtrak meals.

Portland is a pretty good place to visit. Definitely cheaper than San Francisco.

 

[Trainmans daughter]

I'm one of those people who could live on a train. I've traveled coast to coast 3 times, and will be doing it again 19 days from now. But I second the idea of breaking up your trip by spending a day or two on solid ground. As mentioned, Portland is a good town to get around in due to their fine bus/trolley/cab services. And though I have never had a problem with train food, it does get boring after awhile. A stopover somewhere will give you a chance for variety.

Also, after spending 2-3 days on a train, beware of the "train tippsies"; the feeling that you are still rocking on a train for a day or so after getting off! I get a kick out of that feeling, but some people find it annoying.

Whatever you decide to do, I know you will have a great time.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

You guys do sound like you're in a good "mental state" to spend significant time on a train.

Another thing to consider, though - the food! You have maybe 3-4 choices for each meal, at best. If you haven't looked at the menus before, you might want to do that. If you're on the train for 6 days and you don't like the food, that's not good. And if you only like 1-2 of the dishes, you're going to be having a lot of "leftovers"!

 

[amamba]

My biggest concern for you would be missed connections and then being forced into coach. It sounds like coach would not be a good fit for you. Definitely do an overnight in Portland or somewhere else!

 

[HighBall]

... And though I have never had a problem with train food, it does get boring after awhile...

To get around the 'boring' factor, about two days before a trip I eat everything that will likely not be on the Amtrak menu...BBQ, Mexican, and Asian.

 

[BCL]

... And though I have never had a problem with train food, it does get boring after awhile...

To get around the 'boring' factor, about two days before a trip I eat everything that will likely not be on the Amtrak menu...BBQ, Mexican, and Asian.

It was only an overnight trip from Seattle to Emeryville, but I packed a cooler with Coke and bottled water, and had a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos. I guess going on to LA would have been rather monotonous, as I had a cheeseburger for lunch in the dining car and a cheeseburger for dinner from the cafe. Those heat and serve cheeseburgers frankly suck. But I don't think there would be that problem with the roomettes and their included dining car meals.

Don't the different routes have different menus to some degree?