Which side of the CS?

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H

HasTy

Train Attendant
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Aug 1, 2011
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So I have a great opportunity as the Girlfriend and I will be traveling with her mother in 2 roomettes on the CS out of LAX all the way to SEA. As such we have roomettes on each side of the car, which side should we be sitting on when to get the best views the whole way. Her mother is agreeable to switching as needed during the trip but not for the overnights.

I will go ahead and ask the same question now about the return trip from SEA to LAX 10 days later.

Also anything special about travelling from LAX to SEA on the 21st of Oct and the SEA to LAX trip on the 29th that we should be worried about.

T
 
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For the first hours out of LA, the Pacific (which you will be going right along the shore of) will be on the west side (left heading north). However, spend some time in the Pacific Parlour Car! :) The PPC has the best views and comfortable (swivel) seats.
 
the_traveler said:
For the first hours out of LA, the Pacific (which you will be going right along the shore of) will be on the west side (left heading north). However, spend some time in the Pacific Parlour Car! :) The PPC has the best views and comfortable (swivel) seats.
Click to expand...

I knew there was something I was forgetting thanks for reminding me about the PPC. This is the last Amtrak route on the west coast to complete my quest of every rail route in the Amtrak system. Then I get to turn my attention to the East Coast and the CHI trains.
 
Since the Starlight usually has both a Sightseer Lounge and a Pacific Parlour Car( hopefully) , you can take in the Beautiful Coastal Scenery around Santa Barbara(left side of Train) and then the Horseshoe Curve climbing into the Coastal Mountains on the first day.Unfortunately It will be dark before you reach San Jose, through Oakland and Sacramento but on #11.Soutboynd you get to see this in Daylight.

Waking up to Beautiful Snow-capped Mt. Shasta,then having Breakfast as you wind through the Cascades in Northern California and Oregon is a treat on the Second Morning.

Riding alongside the Willamette River (left side) and crossing the Steel Bridge into Portland, then crossing the River out of Portland (right side) to Vancouver,Washington is also a treat.

Lastly, enjoy going under the Tacoma Narrows Bridge along side the River as this route will be gone soon in favor of an inland route.

Don't forget to book a Couple of meals in the Pacific Parlour Car instead of the Diner, the Lamb shanks are especially good as is the setting!
 
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I have not yet done the CS out of LAX yet (but I will be doing it at the end of next month), but it would be the opposite for the southbound trip out of SEA. I believe the coast is on the right side going south. Unless the train is behind a couple of hours, you might not get the daylight Shasta treatment, but you will get the daylight Cascade treatment. I am not familiar about Portland going up north just yet, as I have not yet taken the train to Seattle just yet.

As for the Parlor Car, it will be there unless you are unlucky enough (happened to me twice, out of 20 trips I've taken on the CS. The probability of not having a Parlor car is 5%, based on my historical records), but the Parlor car always is missing between January and March when it goes for scheduled maintenance (Just like track owners work their tracks at least once a year, cars need maintenance too, and the oldest Superliner cars are nearly 40 years old (nearly twice my age), and the Parlor cars are definitely older, as the PPC lounges are originally from the Santa Fe railroad)
 
The only side I really care about is which side of the train I wake up on at first light, as I head northbound -- and that would be the right (east) side, for Mt. Shasta. Any time I am awake and walking around, I will go to the Parlour Car to see out of both sides (very important when you are heading up the horseshoe curve out of SLO).
 
I've been lucky with Mt. Shasta that last two times...viewed it from the dining car window during breakfast. One time southbound, it was a clear, full moon lit night and we were able to see Mt. Shasta in a different light.

The route between Chemult and Eugene going over the Cascades is beautiful...daylight going north, around dusk coming south. I like that scenery as much or more than the coast down south.

Looking forward to doing the trip again this fall.
 
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Bob Dylan said:
Since the Starlight usually has both a Sightseer Lounge and a Pacific Parlour Car( hopefully) , you can take in the Beautiful Coastal Scenery around Santa Barbara(left side of Train) and then the Horseshoe Curve climbing into the Coastal Mountains on the first day.Unfortunately It will be dark before you reach San Jose, through Oakland and Sacramento but on #11.Soutboynd you get to see this in Daylight.

Waking up to Beautiful Snow-capped Mt. Shasta,then having Breakfast as you wind through the Cascades in Northern California and Oregon is a treat on the Second Morning.

Riding alongside the Willamette River (left side) and crossing the Steel Bridge into Portland, then crossing the River out of Portland (right side) to Vancouver,Washington is also a treat.

Lastly, enjoy going under the Tacoma Narrows Bridge along side the River as this route will be gone soon in favor of an inland route.

Don't forget to book a Couple of meals in the Pacific Parlour Car instead of the Diner, the Lamb shanks are especially good as is the setting!
Click to expand...
Actually, when going under the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, you will be traveling alongside Puget Sound, not a river. Too bad that route is going away, I have always enjoyed that view!
 
I like to stand at the back door of the rear car when going through all the tunnels in the cascades.
 
Travel in in the Columbia River is also incredible. Look for all the wind surfers by The Dalles.
 
In summary, the best sights are seen out both sides of the train, at different points in the trip.

So do like I do, plan to move around - sleeper berth, SSL/PPC, railfan window (at the back end of the train), windows out the bedroom hallway, windows in the boarding vestibule doors, etc.

For the part of the trip right next to the ocean the swiveling PPC seats will likely fill up early. Ditto for the SSL car seats.
 
My bad, you're right. But I have done the CS from LA to Emeryville then from Emeryville to Portland.
 
I would be moving around the train, the best sights are seen out both sides of the train, at different points during the trip. But please do not forget the Pacific Parlour Car. I had a wonderful lunch (Caesar Salad) there. At 8 pm they opened the movie theater downstairs. I enjoyed watching Gravity with Sandra Bullock.
 
I don't think they do it any more but they used to hast a fabulous wine tasting in the diner between Emeryville and Sacramento. After the tasting they let us take the unfinished bottles back to our room.
 
The PPC still has wine tasting at a $7.50 charge. When I rode a few weeks ago maybe half or at most 15 out of the available 24 seats were taken. I did not participate.

The seats do fill up for the coastal section, but it's less of an issue in the PPC. The sightseer lounge is a zoo when it travels along the coast, and the narration is also only in the sightseer lounge. It's less so in the Washington segment. In October, though, the narration (national park Service program) will not be provided.
 
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