I am very enthusiastic about riding trains. Trains can be a very scenic mode of transportation where you can sit back and soak in all the views from ground level, whereas driving requires paying attention to the road constantly (though some people don’t). Train riding offers unique experiences as well. When I was completing my Taiwanese Pilgrimage, I circumnavigated the entire island mostly by train, allowing me to see the different Taiwanese landscapes along with small rural towns in the countryside. When I visited Ayutthaya, the old capital of Thailand, I found myself on a 3rd class train immersed with the lively locals under the humid Thai heat. When I rode the highspeed rail from Hangzhou to Shanghai in China, I got to appreciate human engineering by enjoying one the smoothest train rides at unbelievable speeds (over 300 kph!).
With all that said, I have yet to ride a train here in the US! I recently had a chance to travel to Los Angeles from San Francisco, and instead of flying with the more time efficient plane, or having the ultimate freedom of driving, my friend and I decided to jump on this opportunity and booked an AMTRAK ride for my first ever American train ride!
First, let’s go over some of the basic information regarding this trip. I’ve included a screenshot of the pricing for the different seating options. For reference, our party of 2 rode on a Sunday, and since the roomette fits 2, we can book 1 roomette (the price was $390 total for the two of us). Unfortunately, we were unable to select seats during the booking process, so it’s up to your luck whether you get portside or starboard side. As for business and coach, it’s a first come first serve basis. Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s proceed with the trip!
On an early overcast Sunday morning, my friend and I waited for the AMTRAK transfer bus on the mean streets of downtown, San Francisco, as the city did not have an AMTRAK station. The bus left the city at 7am and dropped us off at Emeryville station where we waited for our train, which was making its way down from Seattle. We were scheduled to depart at 8:20am
There was nothing spectacular about Emeryville Station, but if you’re a coffee connoisseur/enthusiast, there’s a Peet’s coffee right across from the station. AMTRAK is notorious for delays, but our train punctually arrived so we didn’t have to wait too long. Since the roomette cabins were closer to the front, we channeled our inner Derek Henry (an extremely large and fast NFL running back) and dashed towards our cabin, stiff arming everyone out of the way — women, children, seniors, handicaps; no one was stopping us from my maiden American train ride!!
The Cabins
We were greeted by our cabin attendant, Lorna, who directed us to our roomette on the second deck. When I was booking the ride online, I was unable to select our seats. Luckily, we were assigned to a roomette on the starboard side, which was expected to have the better view heading south as it faced the ocean. The roomette is a small room with 2 seats, one facing the front and the other facing the back. The seats can be converted into a 2-bunk set up for riders who prefer to lay down, with the downside being there are no window views for the top bunk. The roomette offers basic amenities such as unlimited free water, reading lights, climate control, electrical outlets, meals, and privacy. If you don’t want creepy train riders to peek into your room, you can lock your doors and pull the curtains for maximum privacy (though it doesn’t block loud sounds from the inside).
Once we were done examining the roomette, we proceeded to explore the train. The bathroom, shower facilities, extra luggage storage, and a few more roomettes were all in the lower deck of our cabin. To get to the other cabins, however, we had to cross via the upper deck. The cabin in front of us was for crew members only, which passengers were prohibited to visit unless you want a fist in your face. The next cabin behind us was another roomette cabin, and the one after that was the sleeper train. Sleeper rooms are recommended for 2 passengers but can accommodate up to 3. Each sleeper room is equipped with a toilet/shower combo for passengers who want the ultimate private comfort (sleeper rooms from Seattle — Los Angeles cost $1025–1421 depending on the date!). Behind the luxurious sleeper rooms is the dining cart, where meals are served (meals are included for roomette/sleeper passengers). The next cabin may be the best cabin of all — the observation cabin, where the windows are designed to offer maximum viewing, with a few seats facing outward. All passengers are welcomed to chill here, and while I’m not certain if there’s a time limit, please do not camp here for the entire duration so other passengers can enjoy the experience too! Beneath the observation deck is the snack bar, where you can buy non-award winning microwave food, snacks, and beverages. The snack bar is open on limited basis as the chef needs a break too, but the availability will be loudly announced as hungry train passengers are one of the most ferocious animals on the planet. Towards the back of the train are the business class and coach cabins which are affordable options for passengers who do not care about privacy.
The Meals
Breakfast was available shortly after we boarded. The attendant explained to us that the dining experience is vastly different from before due to the COVID pandemic. Usually, if you do not have a party of 4, you will be grouped with other passengers as part of a more social experience, and probably to minimize cleaning while maximizing the seating also. Thanks to the pandemic, introverts like us can enjoy our own table, though it does not stop chatty passengers from other tables to converse with us. Food choices were also limited, which was not a big deal as neither of us are food connoisseurs. There wasn’t much to choose from anyways, so we both ordered the Sausage McMuffin Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwich. My friend, who has ridden the California Zephyr from Denver to San Francisco, explained to me that food was usually served on plates. Again, due to the pandemic, the food experience was severely downgraded.
Lunch was available at noon, and the options were limited once again. Along with several other passengers, we requested the cod with herbs, and even though we were amongst the first to arrive, the only available options were veggie enchilada, hotdog, and cheeseburger — we went with the cheeseburger as it was recommended by another passenger. While the meat was edible, the buns were hard to manage as they were hard and chewy. I didn’t expect much from the 0-Michelin star microwave food. Turns out this cheeseburger would destroy my stomach later. The bright side — I tried my first ever “blondie”, which I did not know existed until this train ride!
Dinner was announced at 4:30pm, which we thought was too early. Sitting on a train all day does not consume much energy, so we were not hungry at all. Plus, dinner was also limited to the same lunch items, and I was still recovering from the savage beatdown by the vicious cheeseburger. We skipped dinner.
The Views
One of the main reasons I enjoy riding the train is for the views. Because train tracks are unique to trains, it travels through areas you will not see versus driving or taking the bus. Also, since the journey for us started from Emeryville , there were tons of unique scenery for us to soak in.
Starting from the East Bay, we traversed through what looked to be scenes from a post-apocalyptic world. While scenes filled with graffiti and broken cars may be an eyesore to certain people, I find it very fascinating as it is still part of the world we live in. It’s artsy but at the same time a reminder that there are still a lot of progress to be made in this country.
There were a few shorter stops along the way, but Salinas was the first stop we were allotted an amble amount of time for fresh air and stretching. Curious passengers like myself took this opportunity to walk around the station to see if there’s anything interesting. When our breaktime was over, the train attendants will yell “ALL BOARD!!” to notify the passengers. Of course, if you choose to be left behind, you have the freedom of choice to not return to the train. This is America after all.
Cutting through the Salinas Valley, we were greeted with seemingly endless pastures of prime agricultural real estate, a change of pace for someone who spent most of his life wandering around metropolises like San Francisco.
As we approached San Luis Obispo, we noticed a huge corrections facility. Upon further research, that was the California Men’s Colony, a male only state prison. Again, such place would not have even crossed my mind if it weren’t for this train ride. Imagine being an inmate, watching the train pass by daily while you yearn for freedom one day.
San Luis Obispo was the next major stop where we were able to step off the train. Not far from the station stood the Iron Road Pioneers statue, which is dedicated to the early Chinese who helped construct America’s railroads. As a Chinatown / Chinese American history enthusiast, this was undeniably one of the highlights of this trip!
Once we reached Southern California, we were gifted with an ocean view as the tracks hugged the coastline. As the train whizzed through the sunny Southern California beaches, we were greeted with the enthusiastic hand waving from beach goers. A train by the beach is surely a great photo opportunity as well!
After the beach views, we zipped through a few suburbs and eventually made in into Union Station Los Angeles. With the sun setting upon our arrival, it was the perfect final touch to end the 12-hour train ride.
Final Thoughts
Spending 12 hours on a train may sound insane especially with our shortened attention spans nowadays, but I genuinely enjoyed the ride! The train was clean, the seats were comfortable, the views were incredible, and the attendants were very friendly yet professional. Although we rode in the roomette, we met several friendly passengers in great spirits as train riders are generally not in a rush and just want to have a great time. My only negative experience was the food, but this may be due to the unfortunately circumstances we’re in. Regardless, trade riding is still traveling, and it’s all part of the adventure. I was able to gain so much more knowledge just from this trip alone: from things and places I’ve never seen before, to answering the many curiosities I had about the American train experience. Afterall, traveling is an important lesson where we get to experience life in person. If I get another chance in the near future, I will definitely plan another train ride across another part of America!
Disclaimer: everyone’s experiences will be different depending on several factors: date of travel, mental capacity during travel, etc. The following describes my personal experience riding the Coast Starlight from SF-LA on a Sunday during the COVID pandemic.
*I was unable to snap photos of some of the scenic views due to how fast the train was going. If you want to see the views via video, please check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHjr2VxENNU&ab_channel=Jack%27sofftoAnotherAdventure%21
Official Amtrak website: https://www.amtrak.com/home
