I had a stretch of time a few years ago where I'd travel back and forth from Sacramento to San Luis Obispo a few times a month. The drive really isn't too bad but taking the train allowed me to decompress, read, and rest before the few day stay on the Sacramento end. The train would depart early in the morning and arrive some 8 hours later in San Luis Obispo. The boarding and riding process is really pretty simple. Rarely was the train full on weekdays. At the various stops, peeps would board or depart. The train keeps a good pace while on tracks between stops. When heading from Paso Robles to San Luis Obispo, do expect the train to crawl. I never really understood why but it was a long ride for the approximately 20 miles between stations. Seats are assigned when you board. Your rail car is based, somewhat, on your final destination. Once aboard, find your seat and take that little slip of paper and slip it in the slot above your seat. The car porter does keep track of where you're supposed to be (your seat) and your final destination. If you intend to nap during the ride, I suggest you remain in your assigned seat. The porter will wake you as you near your station. If you move to a vacant seat or choose to ride in the scenic loungey car, you'd best stay awake or risk missing your station if you're a napper. Yah, I saw this happen .. more than once. There's coffee, water, beer, soda and foods on board .. mostly either snacky type and/or slip-it-in-microwave stuff. I did find fruit at the little food room. I've never joined in the breakfast in the "dining car." Overall, it's not a bad way to travel but does take longer than driving. The benefit, if not in a hurry, is a relaxed non-rushed tour down the State and, if during the day, you can view parts of California you don't see from freeway. read more

From Emeryville to Davis:-) My train on the way there was AWESOME, think first class on airplanes as far as space and lounging possibilities. My train on the way back, I guess was a little older model. Still AWESOME, lots of space, but not as man foot rest options for lounging. the trains are super clean and the staff is very friendly. FYI, it is free to park if you're taking Amtrak, but they don't explain how to make it work. Step 1: Buy ticket Step 2: Park in lot Step 3: Go inside and request a parking pass from an agent. Step 4: Return to your car and place sticker on window. Folks this is not easily spelled out on the website and most agents won't give such detail. So make a note. Happy train rides:-) read more

The Amtrak Zephyr might be the most beautiful way to get to Reno. On our Thanksgiving trip to the "Biggest, Little City in the World" Nick and I took the Amtrak train/bus combo. However, due to a snow storm that weekend our bus home was canceled and so we booked the Zephyr the next morning. Funnily enough the only seats left on the train was a full room. It was kind of pricey, but probably not as much as spending another night gambling in Reno would have been for us so we took it. This room was a handicapped room though so there was a weird corner toilet with just a curtain to close around it. I'm sure it works very well for handicapped users of the room. As for me, I'd rather just step into the hall and use the public facilities. I also prefer Sir Nicholas do the same, thank you very much. There were two beds though and that was nice. Sir Nicholas and I both took lovely long "naps" during the early morning of our ride home, because the train takes you about 6 or 7 hours to make the trek from Reno to the Bay Area. The only downer was our train attendant kicked us out of bed so he could change the sheets and get everything ready for when we left. It was fairly rude, but I can only imagine the guy was exhausted because he had been on the train since Chicago. Yikes. Plus we still had seats to sit in. The scenery is quite breathtaking, especially after a recent snowfall. In fact I enjoyed it so much that I want to take the train to Denver sometime to see THAT scenery. The food is kind of hit or miss and the hits aren't really great, but they are edible. The veggie burger turned out to be surprisingly okay. But, no matter what never choose a croissant for breakfast. I'm fairly certain it's just a hamburger bun they've reshaped. All in all it is a nice trip to experience if you don't mind a little bad food and a slow ride. Now, to convince Nick to take me all the way to Union Station in Denver on this puppy... read more

We caught the Zephyr from Emeryville to Green River UT on our way to Moab which is a 21 hr ride more or less. The train was 1 hr late arriving in UT and 2.5 hrs coming back - not sure why because there were no weather delays in May. I guess they are mostly late so don't expect to be on time. Pros: Really a lot of leg room! Pretty clean. Lots of bathrooms, similiar to those on an airplane. Big luggage is ok. Each chair has power outlets. Cons: Could not sleep well even though chairs do recline. Cars are cold at night, bring a blanket and neck rest. Bring a book. Our crew going out was friendly but crew coming back was terrible, not friendly and all business. Creepy snack area crewman who'd growl "thank you" in a slow quiet drawl after his announcements on the intercom. Couldn't hear the conductor on the intercom while others screamed too loud on it. Food in the dining car is expensive - bring your own food on board. Late. Late. Late! Overall, not too bad but Amtrak could be so much better. Just don't expect efficiency and some good, some bad crew. read more

Just rode the Zephyr again in June, and had a great ride. For anyone contemplating traveling on Amtrak, please please, if there is something wrong, or not cleaned, speak up during your trip. Don't wait to voice a complaint. If you get on at the origination point, and your bathroom is dirty than it's the fault of the cleaning crew at the station. They are responsible for the state of your sleeper/coach car, so your car attendant may have no idea of its condition. But he/she will rectify the situation if he/she knows about it. If the public restrooms become a mess along the way, blame it on your fellow passengers for not cleaning up after themselves, but again notify a crew member so the problem can be fixed. Long distance trains have numerous "pit stops" where garbage is removed, fresh water is pumped into the tanks, supplies like ice are restocked, and conductors and engineers change. These are opportunities for the staff to get things in order, so don't think you have to wait until the end of your trip to make things right. Delays, of course, are a whole different can of worms. Like pilots, some conductors are vocal and like to inform passengers about the situation at hand. Others, unfortunately are tight lipped, and don't give customers the information they deserve. Again, ask a crew member. It is your right to know. I was coming back to the East Coast when the wildfires were raging in Colorado. Upon our departure, we were not certain whether or not we would be able to go through the Rockies. My car attendant immediately informed us of this and subsequently the conductor did a great job of keeping everyone abreast of the situation. We ended up following a completely different route upon leaving Salt Lake City taking us through Southern Wyoming with a freight locomotive leading the way. Compared to the Rockies, the almost desert like views became monotonous after awhile, but I was just happy to be making my way home. As for the size of the bathrooms/comfort of the beds, well I am not sure what to say except that you are on a train. Space and comfort are dictated by the environment you are in and those limitations come with the territory. I won't even mention the non existent budget Amtrak operates on. If you are expecting the creature comforts of a hotel or a version of the Orient Express, then you better look elsewhere. Just having separate accommodations with meals included constitutes first class here. read more

*Warning: Long review ahead* I have wanted to travel cross country for a while now. Enter the fabled California Zephyr which runs from Chicago to the SF Bay Area. Perfect! But why train? It's slower and certainly not cheaper. Airlines charge the same or less. But what a train does is conjure up a romantic dream of slowly chugging along the American continent, seeing the scenery change and enjoying the ride. But does it live up to that rosy colored ideal? Let's see! EXPERIENCE: For the Zephyr the types of seats are as follows: Coach, Roomette, Family Bedroom, and Bedroom. Go to the Amtrak website to read the descriptions. I'll concentrate on my coach experience. You'll get a seat that leans back with a leg rest, an ottoman attachment for your calves and a power outlet. Space above for carryon bags. You won't be provided a specific seat until you arrive, but after that, the seat is yours. The car has seats are 4 in a row, with the aisle down the middle. No middle seats or center armrests. All this translates to a reasonably comfortable seat but sitting for that long will make you sore so it's good that it's easy to walk around. They make an announcement that you are required to wear shoes while walking around. I was worried since I had flip flops. The conclusion I came to was that the announcement is mentioned for when stepping between cars. There is a plate moving about that could easily crush toes. I was VERY careful and gave myself lots of space when stepping. You've been warned! The shared bathrooms were located in the downstairs portion of our car. The toilets were very similar to airplane bathrooms, that is to say narrow and vacuum powered. Cleanliness isn't at the top of the charts since they are all shared between so many people but it's better than a lot of public restrooms. Again, think airplane restrooms and you get the idea. The observer car was located above the café. It had partially domed window ceilings to allow more light and more engrossing views. There are both tables and swivel chairs facing the windows for viewing the country pass by. It can get crowded as everyone wants to see the majestic snow covered mountains. COST: The prices vary greatly depending on time. I'll list prices based on coach. Tip: if you've got some flexibility on time, search nearby days and pick the cheapest fare. I paid $166 for 1 coach seat. Roomettes and rooms are most cost effective when filled to capacity. With that in mind, a roomette is pretty much the same price when you have 2 people, A Family room is approx 30% more and a Private Bedroom is a luxurious 3-4X the price. Rooms include food, so that's something to consider. The way to go is with the roomette, especially if you have a travel buddy. Make sure you guys are close since it will be tight, but it's a no brainer at that point. TIME: The entire ride is scheduled for 52 hrs total including 2 time changes. There are lots of stops along the way, but at most passengers aren't allowed to get off unless that is your final stop. New passengers board quickly, and we're on our way. At major stops they remain for a little longer and let people get off for 5 min. Once or twice they there were little longer delays to get some supplies or wait for another train to leave. In the end, after riding the entire line I arrived 1 hr late. Not bad. FOOD: I was pleasantly surprised at food on board the train. The 2 places to get food on the train are in the dining car for a sit down service or the snack café. Getting 3 meals a day it's fair to say 50-60 dollars will cover you. Some notable examples were the Angus Cheeseburger ($14 w/ tip) and the Amtrak steak ($28 w/ tip). It was more expensive than something comparable off the train (around 50% more), but at the end of the day, I'd much rather have pricier good food, than cheap bad food. FINAL THOUGHTS: In the end I had a good time. Don't get me wrong, it's not perfect. I heard a lot of gripes. 2 days is a long time. Without any showers. The car is climate controlled, and you're not doing any physical activity but some people were getting "ripe". Also, if you are a smoker, be prepared to go without until the stops they let you off. I heard one very vocal passenger practically screaming in frustration. What I found charming was how serene the trip is. If you love your alone time, this is for you! No WiFi as of this writing, with sometimes spotty cell reception. But I didn't mind at all. Preload media on to your devices, plug in and enjoy in between watching the world go by and get reacquainted with yourself. You'll meet interesting people too, dining tables are shared if you have a group of less than 4 so make nice and have a good time. I had such a good experience that I plan to do a similar trip again. Maybe not this route but definitely another train trip through the states. It will give me just the thing to recharge. If driving is road rage, and air travel is quick and stressful, to travel by train is Zen. read more

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In the spirit of John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats, an homage to the Coast Starlight: The most remarkable thing about waking up on you is the feeling of being in motion all night... It truly is the most remarkable feeling in the whole world. In a sleeper car, with a mason jar of booze, going to sleep in Emeryville, and waking up, moonlight over Mount Shasta... The Cascades shine bright, as I cross, over the State line, going to Portland! (A poor rip-off of "Going to Georgia," [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW69F2yvF2Y]...at least I tried?) Truly though, there is something magical about the train, something gloriously civilized. Being able to take the time to sit back in the glass domed observation car, have a wine and cheese tasting over the Willamate River, see the hidden parts of the West Coast, from mountain passes to big cities, from the Santa Barbara Coast to Point Defiance is a truly luxurious thing. To have a cup of coffee in Kalamath Falls after a good nights sleep, a beer in Portland during a layover, a meal in the dining car with total strangers, a cocktail in your sleeper with a new friend...its truly fantastic, and absolutely the sort of experience that cannot be replicated on an airplane or in a car. Sleepers (despite the initial shock of their sticker price), are actually a fantastic deal. For a couple of hundred dollars more then a coach class accommodation, you'll get your own private compartment (the roomettes are perfect for a couple), free meals, a shower, champagne, and access to the Pacific Parlor car, a 1950's era Budd lounge, with a movie theatre, comfortable armchairs, and curved glass wall to help take in the sights. Compared to this sort of luxury, the modern airline experience is against the Geneva Convention. While the internet is splotchy overall, you'll be traveling with interesting people over some of the most beautiful terrain on the west coast. Its the sort of laid-back experience that my grandparents would have had, and a frankly wonderful way to relax for a generation of people accustomed to a round-the-clock work schedule and instant accessibility (Telling your boss that you'll be on a train for 36 hours is a great way to get out of interacting with work). Although this train can be (and about 25% of the time is) late, its important to keep in mind that the entire route is over 1300 miles (try driving 1300 miles and being totally on time!), that the cars Amtrak uses are mostly over twenty years old, and that there are occasionally some things one cannot control (Freight traffic, track work, dumb folk driving in front of the train, suicides, etc). If you are willing to take the time, and spend the money, a trip on the Coast Starlight is not something that will be forgotten. Overall: 5 Stars. A truly refreshing experience in a world where the abuses of air travel run rampant, and work is a twenty-four-hour-a-day burden. Extras: I would highly recommend wearing a vintage suit on the train, it just feels right. The cuisine in the dining car is hit or miss. Breakfast is often disappointing, while dinners (especially the "Chief's Selections) can be truly outstanding. My Turkey Shank (Braised in Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA) was as good a meal as I would expect from a decent restaurant in the Bay Area. Although the Coast Starlight does not run to San Francisco, passengers can take a bus to Emeryville from the Ferry Building. Layovers (of up to an Hour) in Portland and Klamath Falls allow ample opportunity to catch a meal, coffee or pint near the station. Book early for the best deal, although it is possible to upgrade to sleeper accommodations aboard the train. Pack some wine (or beer, or cocktails), and make some single-serving friends (Fight Club reference)! If going south, the right side of the train will provide the best views of the coast. If going north the right side will give INCREDIBLE (I believe that the caps lock key is justified) views of the Cascade Range. RELAX, FOR GOD'S SAKE! YOU'LL GET INTO SEATTLE ON TIME! read more

This station is not very elegant as compared to other Amtrak stations, (Sacramento station, for ex.), there is plenty of seating though, and there is a coffee shop/snack bar inside, but it is cash only. Our train ride from Emeryville to Sacramento on the Capitol Corridor was awesome, it was smooth, fun, and seemed like a quick 2 hours. There are outlets for your mobile devices and laptops wherever you choose to sit including free WiFi. The Cafe Car, which looks appealing on the photos on their website, is just basically store-bought snacks and junk, and any hot food you get there is just warmed up in a microwave. But you can get a cocktail there for $6.50. My friend lost his cell phone and surmised that he forgot it in the restroom at the Emeryville station. Our train to Sacramento already departed when we discovered his phone was missing so we told the attendant who checks tickets. He called in to the station and he said he'd get back to us with any news. Nothing. At our hotel my friend did an online device locator and it showed the phone being at the Emeryville Station. Apparently, employees there were too lazy to check the safe, which is where it was all along. Pretty lame. 5 stars for the train experience, 1 star for customer service at the Emeryville Station. read more

My husband and I booked a roomette on the Zephyr from Chicago to Emeryville for our honeymoon, and back again. The trip outbound was very pleasant. I have ridden Empire Builder, Capitol Limited, Texas Eagle, and City of New Orleans routes before, so sleeper car travel was not new to me. The meals were good to great - usually too much food, but it was included in our roomette ticket so we felt like we had to eat up! We booked our roomette each time using Amtrak Guest Rewards points (including a few points buy-ups), so we did not pay full price. Overall for the round trip I think we paid around $500, which is just under half the original price of $600 each way, but it had gotten up to $900 one way as the train booked up. The views are spectacular in Colorado, though I'm not much for the desert so Nevada and Utah weren't very interesting to me. For views I'd recommend Empire Builder over Zephyr, but this was still plenty beautiful. The staff were great, and I liked that they provided the sightseeing narration between Reno and Sacramento. I wish they had that for more of the trip, but I guess there isn't as much to see in Iowa. Overall, it's hard to handle 3 days of train travel, but if you have to do it, sleeper is the way to go, and the Zephyr is a great route. Amtrak has been great, minimal delays (if any - we got into Emeryville an hour early and were only 15 minutes late coming back into Chicago), no ticketing snafus. I'm a fan! read more

"Woo Hoo," or should I say "Choo Choo Hoo?" Even though I am a lifelong train fan I hadn't ridden Amtrak for years! Three friends and I (aka The Birthday Gals' Club) decided to stray from our usual one day outings to a full blown overnight trip to Sacto. So with our Chinook Book Coupons in hand we got 2 for 1 tickets making our roundtrip fares $25 each! The coupons are for the Capitol Corridor only and need to be purchased at stations with agents. http://www.capitolcorridor.org/ The Emeryville Station is clean and quite spiffy. They have electronic display signs and clear announcements over loudspeakers to let you know when your train is ready to board. There's plenty of seating in the station lobby. The rise was very comfy. I love the clickitty clack sounds and the train horn gently blowing. I love the allure of the more traditional form of transportation. There is a nice snack bar with a variety of hot or cold drinks, candy, snacks, etc. We left from the Emeryville Station ON TIME and arrived in Sacto ON TIME! The train cars on the Capitol Corridor have two floors. The bottom floor has the bathroom and seating. The upper level has seats and seats with tables. There was plenty of room so we scored two sets of four chairs with tables. We had plenty of space to eat the massive picnic lunch we brought from home. There are also 3 prong outlets to charge up your cell phones, etc. by every seat row or table. Free wi-fi too. The train is not a bullet train but we seem to have zipped from Emeryville to Martinez before we knew it The Capitol Corridor is the route to/from San Jose to Sacramento. The stops are: San Jose Santa Clara/Great America Fremont/Centerville Hayward Oakland Coliseum Oakland Jack London Emeryville Berkeley Richmond Suisun/Fairfield Martinez Davis Sacto ------------------- Roseville Rocklin Auburn For the station without agents you can buy tickets through vending machines or on board The Sacto station is within walking distance of the State Railroad Museum and Old Town. read more

5 stars for the convenience of not having to drive to Fresno to see my niece get baptized. Minus 4 stars for my car being stolen from the parking lot while I was gone. read more

The coast starlight!!! An amazing experience, incredible scenery, fun food! Super relaxing! One will always wish for bigger bathrooms but that being said, the coast starlight is everything one could ever hope for in a train experience! read more

I am something of a travel junkie and since going to Europe two years ago for an epic fifteen days of city hopping I have become completely enamored with train travel. While Amtrak is not Thalys by any stretch of the imagination it has a charm all its own that cannot be denied. And that has me hooked. The Emeryville Station is a favorite of mine. Bright, clean and open the staff is always friendly - from the folks on the platform to the ticket window to the volunteers who assist in finding your train to the bus drive (ie. if you arrive on the California Zephyr but have a final destination of the Ferry Building in SF). Additionally, they have a great little shop area for hot and cold beverages, snacks for the train ride or wait, books and other things you may want for your trip or wait and is staffed by very friendly workers. The pastries and other baked goods are fantastic (and local!). Be aware that they only take cash. There is an ATM in the station - it charges a $3 fee to take out cash. read more

I'm 50/50 on Amtrak... And here's why: The pro's - It's much more convenient (and cheaper) to take the train from East Bay to Sacramento. - There are several trains per day back and forth that can probably accommodate your schedule. - The ride goes so fast! The con's - The people who work inside the station are nasty mean! - If you lose your ticket, they will not print you a copy; rather, you have to purchase a brand new ticket. - The snack car on the train leaves much to be desired. - It was hard to get work done on my laptop due to the bumpy ride Don't get me wrong, I'd much prefer to go back and forth from Sac-town on the Amtrak, but I don't necessarily look forward to the actual experience. Ya dig? read more

Beyond mortified. Tried to take the bus at the Drumm St/Market St pick up and drop off to Emeryville. The bus driver asked me my destination, I said Emeryville and told me that was the wrong location. He asked me again "what's your destination" then I said my final destination. He asked to see a confirmation and when I showed him my email he then said "No that's not the right one" he kept saying the same thing over and over without any clarification. He then proceeded to help others although I had my email out. He said my screen was too small (I have a reg size iPhone). He put everyone else on the bus and what felt like "dealt with me" last. I believe in treating everyone with respect. Respect that includes both ways but this driver didn't make me feel welcomed nor was he very helpful. I never give bad reviews...but then again I've never been treated that way before. I will be speaking to Amtrak about this. read more

If you want to be robbed, this is a great way to go. First, there is no way to lock the door to your sleeper cabin. When you leave the room, everything in there is exposed to theft. Second, your luggage is stored on racks in the hall way, exposed to all. Third, they invite cops to come on and shake down travelers. If you have cash or anything of value, they seize it (asset forfeiture) and you have to spend a year and a lot of money,proving you innocence trying to get it back. Good luck. read more

I just finished taking the California Zephyr from Emeryville to Chicago for the 2nd time (May & Oct) this year. The scenery is wonderful especially through the Sierras & Rockies. I didn't find the trip through the midwest as boring as I had remembered 30 years ago. This time I booked a roomette which was a nice way to go though you have a shared shower (1) and toilets (4) per sleeper car. On the May trip, along with coffee & juice there were always snack packs containing cookies, cheese nips and nuts in the sleeper cars. I only saw the sleeper car attendant once and he never introduced himself. My husband put down the bed in our the roomette. On the Oct trip, there was only candy in addition to beverages. Bottled water is alway available in sleeper cars. Our sleeper car attendant Johnny introduced himself and gave us a verbal tour of the sleeper, dining and lounge cars. He also made sure to reconfigure the seats into beds in the evening when we left for dinner (he checked when we boarded) and had them configured back into seats while we had breakfast. The shower is small but adequate. They supply soap & towels (body, face, and wash cloth) but you need to bring anything else. I never had to wait to use the toilet. My friend who gets up 5 times a night didn't have any problems either. The food on both trips was OK. It gets fairly boring (especially since in Oct I was going to Florida. The menu was the same on all the trains I boarded. The dining car service ranges from mediocre to OK. In May, the meals were served on "china" but in Oct they were served on plastic made to resemble "china". Paper cups instead of ceramic cups for coffee in dining car. Not sure if the change is permanent. Meals and nonalcoholic beverages in the dining car are included in the price of a roomette. There is a bar/snack bar in the lower level of the lounge cars where you can purchase food items and beverages. The roomettes are very small. Don't let the mention of a closet fool you. It's probably less than 4" wide. On my 2nd trip, my friend & I each reserved a roomette since neither one of us wanted to sleep in the top bunk. If you're average size you might feel a bit cramped. My husband slept in the top bunk on the May trip. He said it was fine if you're not claustrophobic since there is minimal clearance between your face & the ceiling when laying down. On both trips I spent a lot of time in the lounge cars. They were comfortable though a bit cooler than the rest of the train. I staked out a spot in the morning, left my things there when I left for breakfast or lunch. There were always available seats and tables. The main reason to take the train is to see the USA in a way you never can by plane. It's a lot more comfortable than taking a bus. All the people I met were friendly and interesting to talk with. I enjoyed it more than driving across country even though I had no freedom to veer from the rails. The first trip arrived in Chicago right on time. In Oct, I planned to meet a friend for lunch since I assumed we'd be in on time and there was a 4 hour layover before I had to catch the train the Washington DC. We arrived 4 hours late into Chicago. Luckily they held the Capital Limited because the California Zephyr and the Texas Eagle were both running late. They bussed passengers, with earlier connect times, from stops along our route to the Chicago station so they wouldn't miss their connections. Apparently, the main reason for delays is because of freight trains. When the railroads wanted to get rid of passenger service, they created Amtrak. They promised a lot of things such as giving Amtrak trains priority on the tracks. In the years to follow, they have gone back on their promise (little surprise). It wouldn't be so bad if Amtrak knew where/when these delays would occur, but they don't. The railroad companies can choose to delay Amtrak while they decide whether or not any freight trains will be moved. All in all, I would take the trip again. I would like to take the Cascade line in the northwest and also the Empire Builder that runs along the northern route into Chicago. read more

Goddamn it!!! I just typed a lengthy review and it all got erased. It was witty and informative and now, I'll just have to wing it. ARGH!! Okay, here goes... I love Amtrak. I think it is the best form of transportation available to modern man (although it is one of the oldest left). It rocks. Yes, it's slower than planes and often slower than driving. Yes, it's got fewer stops. Yes, it's a bit of a bumpy ride. BUT, you can have some food, a cocktail and fall asleep. Then, get this, THEY WAKE YOU UP AT YOUR STOP!!! Awesome. I know, it does tend to run a little late, but it's cheap and totally worth it. Truthfully, the only thing cheaper may be the Greyhound and really, who wants to take that!! So why 2 stars?!?!! Well, although Amtrak rocks, the Emeryville station sucks. The people there are rude. Total bad-itudes! Gross. You think they'd be happy to see people since most of the time the station is like a ghost town, but NO! I keep having to experience this because my family is getting old. They kinda freak out over bay area traffic but LOVE to visit so they train it. Emeryville is convenient and allows them to check their luggage. (Old people can not be held responsible for getting their bags off the train in time.) Which leads me to my next complaint about the Emeryville station. One time, they forgot to take my mom and grandmas bags off at our stop. We went inside and asked what happened...the lady actually said "Well, the good news is the last stop is Jack London so they'll definitely take your bags off there." Are you kidding me lady?! I was hoping she'd say something like, "Oh no!! We're so sorry. We'll call Jack London and ask them to hold your bags. We are lame!" But no! So we drive to Jack London and when we get there the train is just arriving. Then we notice some lady carrying our bags away. Emeryville sent someone to pick up the bags without telling us. Grrrrrr. To this, my grandma says, "Well honey, this is why I always pack an extra pair of underwear in my carry on." Old people are wise as shit! So this is why the Emeryville station sucks. I will continue to use it in hopes that they get better (and cause my family needs to come visit) but I won't like it. read more

It's kind of like a slow boat to China deal which is why I only take it home from SF to Reno but hell it's got the damn best view of any Amtrak I've taken (you don't want to know about Chicago to NYC in Feb). Michael W. wtf? Drugs? Hello uhm take the Greyhound bus. I did put as good as it gets because it is. Flying sucks these days. read more

Leaving Emeryville to Bakersfield no complaints, dining announcements the entire ride, conductors very nice..my return trip, no dining announcements the entire ride, & several dirty seats. This station is @ beginning of the line so the seats should have been clean..After arriving in Emeryville I asked cashier how to pay for parking garage, she new nothing & said I have to call company that owns it... As I exited the garage parking ticket machine said no cash only debit/credit. I had no card just cash so the lady behind me got out her car to figure out how to pay so she played around w/ticket machine & gate came up. Just an Fyi, your parking tickets need to be validated when you return @ validation machine inside Amtrak to the right. No signs on how to pay, very confusing! read more

I know, a 5 for a train station seems a little crazy... but I was just wowed by a person at this station. My mom, sister and I decided to take the train from Sacramento into San Francisco last weekend. From the Emeryville station we took an Amtrak bus into the City. I accidentally left my camera bag with an expensive camera and gopro in it and was really freaking out. This rating is not for Amtrak in general because some of the people I had talked to were really rude and good at ruining your day. When I called Amtrak, I had to make a report with a lady at the 800 number that wasn't that friendly. She didn't give a shit about me or my lost stuff and that was obvious. I got the station phone number from her afterwards so that I could call them directly to see if they found it. I apparently called the San Francisco station (not sure what one that is) and the guy automatically told me that nothing was found. He said he was looking at it and there was nothing and no chance it could be anywhere else. He told me I could call the Emeryville station (who I thought I was talking to) and offered to give me the phone number. I asked him to hold a second so I could pull something up on my phone to take the number down, but apparently he read off the number anyway. I asked him to repeat it and he said in a super rude tone, "I will tell you ONE more time" and only gave me like the last 4 numbers of the phone number and hung up. I was so upset! I couldn't find the Emeryville phone number online for anything so figured I would check later that day when I passed through the station again. My mom asked the bus driver from SF to Emeryville very nicely if there was any way he could see if anything was turned in, but he just ignored her. When I got to the station, I went up to the ticket counter and talked to a guy named Doug. Doug told me right away that he knew that it wasn't turned in, but he asked me to describe the bag and what was in it. He checked again and asked the other staff that were there if they had seen one. He also told me that it should of been turned in the day before from the bus driver so he agreed that I was probably out of luck. Just after I walked away, he called me back to the counter and asked me more details about when I lost it. He looked up who the driver was and contacted the bus company to have them check with the specific driver. He then gave me a card with his name and the station phone number on it and asked me to call back Monday to make sure that nothing was turned in. He was so nice and helpful, but I considered the bag gone at this point. I forgot to call on Monday and then Tuesday afternoon I received a phone call from Doug. He said that I was supposed to call him yesterday and I told him I totally forgot. He let me know that the driver turned my bag in but he didn't have my name to contact me. He looked in my bag to try to find contact information and he found a receipt from Disneyland. He then looked up my information in his system and called me. Apparently the station only holds stuff in lost and found for a week so I lucked out that he hunted me down. Doug went out of his way to do a good thing and I wish there were more awesome people like him in this world. Before I met Doug, I was ready to swear off Amtrak from all of the other customer service that I received that day. Now I am excited to take the train back to SF and I will stop by and say hi. As far as the station, it is really clean and feels safe. The bus that takes you into the City is clean and nice and has always been waiting for me when I get off the train. read more

Took a Pacific Coast pilgrimage over Thanksgiving, riding the Coast Starlight train up to Portland, OR and back. Many Norman Rockwell moments outside the observation deck--snow-topped evergreen trees, mountains/valleys and lakes, the list goes on. Lots of time for self-reflection mixed with tv on dvd via laptop screen. Richard, the guy in charge of our coach car, gave us plenty of small, fake pillows and was extremely genuine about his own sense of confusion as we passed through small Northwest towns in the dead of night...seemed he really wanted us to stay in our "assigned seats" to avoid a mass exodus in the wrong station... The train is a bit like the Titanic--you find that riding coach is a bit like riding steerage or working in the engine room...there are certain observation "parlors" that are off limits to coach passengers, even though they do allow us to sit next to the elite in the dining car, as long as we can pay 10 bucks for a pre-fab breakfast casserole. I have mixed feelings about the Starlight. The ride north was constantly late in its arrivals and departures, and seemed neverending, while the ride south was so on schedule that it was like the conductor had been taken over by a pod person... You meet everyone from yuppies and retirees who complain about the lack of sugar free syrup on their French toast in the mornings to the students who hang out in the snack bar drinking Samuel Adams. And yes, having a Samuel Adams while the sun sets over rural Oregon really is cool. But long train rides will make you wish you never heard your iTunes playlist again. And the outlets for recharging a laptop or iPod are only available in the "first class parlor," where coach passengers are not allowed. If you're lucky, cafe guy may let you use one of his outlets while he's not microwaving your cheeseburger that was made in L.A. Riding trains still beats the abuse you endure as an airline passenger, hands down. The train stations are usually clean and attendents are friendly--the delays are obsessively updated and announced on loudspeaker, and you can at least walk 200 yards back and forth across the cars to get a little afternoon exercise after 10 hours of sitting. read more

My own stereotypes let me assume this Amtrak station would be one of the worst since I naturally think of my hometown of Sacramento as a cleaner place, but it's actually the opposite. The Emeryville station, as train stations go, is modern, comfortable and relatively clean. In other words, all areas of improvement for the Sacramento Amtrak station or many others along the route. By being here you have already accepted the faults and benefits of Amtrak. Any complaints with the train or the system do not apply to this station. read more

I recently took the Coast Starlight from Oakland to Chemult, OR and then from Eugene, OR back to Oakland. This was my first long-haul journey by train and in general, I was pleasantly surprised. I've driven and flown to and from the Pacific Northwest, and Amtrak is definitely a strong contender when it comes to traveling there. I'll start with what I liked: 1. If you go on a weekday, the train is pretty cheap. It was only 40-something bucks with my AAA discount. On the weekend though, it jumped up to 90-something. Unlike flying, the price doesn't seem to go up when you book tickets at the last minute. 2. Traveling by train is a lot better for the environment than air travel. 3. Even though the trip is long, an hour seems to go faster because you have varying things to look at outside the train as you pass by. 4. LEG ROOM! Thought I'd never see that again... 5. The days of having an airline row all to yourself are over, but they're still possible on Amtrak. 6. No waiting in long lines, taking off your shoes, putting tiny bottles into a little plastic bag, etc. The whole procedure was much more relaxed than air travel, and the passengers seemed a lot less stressed. 7. I always get nauseous on airplanes (and usually in cars), but on the train this was not the case. 8. There's something a little romantic about riding the rails, it's true. And here's what I didn't like: 1. My second train was overbooked, which meant some people who boarded after me had to sit in the lounge car rather than "regular" seats. I overheard some people being quite unhappy about this, and rightfully so. Sparsely populated trains are fun. Really crowded trains...not so much. 2. If something in your surroundings bothers you, you're stuck with it for a lot longer. Being able to move around the train to some extent helps. As does being able to get off the train and stretch your legs at some stops. 3. The food doesn't seem any better than airline food-- bring your own. Also, if you're a group of less than 3 or 4 (or one person), you'll have to sit at a table with other random travelers in the dining car (At least, this is what I was told on my particular trip). This seemed odd to me, however, I'd never been to a dining car and was expecting something really fancy, which it wasn't. 4. Connecting from Chemult to Bend, OR (you take a shuttle) was confusing to figure out. The information should have been on Amtrak's website, but it wasn't. All told, I would recommend the Coast Starlight to others, and would use it to get to the Northwest again. My trip up to Oregon was more pleasant than the trip back, probably because it was a weekday and the train was less crowded. I'll be keeping that in mind for future trips. And definitely bringing my laptop for watching DVDs. read more

I've long wanted to take the California Zephyr to the snow, and last weekend I finally did it. Here's how it went. Hubby dropped me and my 7 year old off in Emeryville. The station was hard to find using the directions off the website - it involved non-intuitive turns on tiny little hardly-marked roads. So give yourself plenty of time to get lost. Once there, it was a piece of cake to retrieve our tickets and grab the train. We booked a "superliner roomette" for the 5.5 hour journey to Truckee. It was unbelievably small - basically just two seats enclosed. The $80-ish bucks included meals. In hindsight, it wasn't necessary -- we spent most of our time in the dining car and observation car. The trip was beautiful. The train went along the bay in fog, then through Sacramento and finally up into the mountains through cool railroad towns like Colfax. They seat you with strangers in the dining car, which is kind of fun as you get to know other travelers. Food was not bad! The observation car was great, and there was audio commentary about the history and the sights. When my daughter saw "real live snow" for the first time, it was a moment of joy. We arrived in Truckee at a clean station and immediately caught a local bus for a 10 minute ride to Northstar. SO easy. On the return trip, I took a friend's advice and took the Amtrak bus to Sacramento, connecting to a train. Why? Because the Zephyr comes from Chicago, can run many many hours late, and you have to wait on the tiny platform. Plus, as he described it, the train gets a bit "ripe" after that long journey. The bus/train combo was pleasant, faster and cheaper. Definitely the way to go. Tips: sleeper car not necessary unless it's an overnight trip; make sure you get the AAA discount (no one asked for my card, BTW); consider the bus on the return, and open yourself to the experience of meeting strangers and traveling slowly. It's fun! read more

I've been a consistent user of Amtrak since 2004, there is nothing nicer than a train ride through strange agricultural areas that pock the california landscape between Sacramento and San Francisco. Avoid the traffic, relax and indulge in riding the rails... all for $46 round trip to Sacramento, and it takes about 2 hours each way. So easy. I think one of these days I might ride to the other coast and see what that is like. read more

I LOVED our trip on the Coast Starlight (SF to pdx), but I definitely agree it's all about setting expectations. After reading a lot of reviews/horror stories, I was pretty terrified, but everything worked out GREAT and I would love to go again. Here's what I would have liked to have known before I went: 1) The roomette was definitely worth it for us as two people who wanted to be antisocial. The room itself is cramped, but the actual seats are pretty spacious. 2) The food is included in the price of the roomette. It was a fun experience, but if we hadn't already paid for it, I would have brought food, as the meals are nothing too exciting (but the desserts were oddly good and had more variety than what was indicated on the menu). 3) As far as I was concerned, the wifi didn't really work and I just used 3G the whole time, which was available for most of the time I was awake. 4) This may be obvious, but don't take the train if you have to be anywhere at a certain time. We were lucky and everything ran pretty smoothly, but we still arrived 2-3 hours late on the way up. So don't plan anything time-sensitive. On the way down we seemed to be ahead of schedule, which meant we sat at the stations for a while. 5) The train ride is not very smooth. I didn't mind this (I never felt motion sick or anything), but there were times where it was tricky for older passengers to move around much. 6) The bathrooms are basically airplane bathrooms. 7) In the dining car (biggest menu), they will always seat you with other parties, so we sat with another pair of people twice. Once we were all pleasantly anti-social and pretended the other party didn't exist, and once we had a very nice conversation with a woman and her 80 something father who had never left the state, had been married almost 50 years, and was all-around charming. Even as someone who is really not interested in that type of interaction at the outset, I could still appreciate this forced interaction. In the parlor car (more limited 'fancier' menu) you can sit by yourself if it's not crowded. You can also request for your meal to be brought to your room, which was great. 8) Our service was outstanding one way and totally fine, if a tiny bit brusque, on that way back. Fine by me. read more

Winter on an Amtrak train (California Zephyr) means delays! Big time delays. From Salt Lake City to Richmond California took an extra 11 hours as snow had to be cleared from the tracks and freight trains have priority. 5 of those hours were spent in Reno. The dining car food and service were excellent. The cafe' on the other hand was not so great. When ordering a hot dog, it's best to toast the bun, not nuke it... oh well. it's good for snacks and drinks. The cabin attendant, Cammie, was nice as well. She keeps up the micro-room. My destination was to be Richmond but since it was 2am (11 hours late), the station was closed so they dropped us at Emeryville. Once there i encountered one of the rudest bus drivers i ever met. I thought i deserved a ride to the city since Amtrak stranded me at the wrong station but Noooo. The fool responded to every one of my questions with a question. --"Why should you have a free ride?" --"Is it Amtraks fault that mother nature delayed the train?" Answers, "because i'm not where i paid to be" and "Mother Nature didn't close my station-- Amtrak did" Just goes to show how people can be. I complained to Amtrak and they made things right. (which explains 4 stars versus ZERO) thanks Amtrak--- see you again from Denver in August! i was able to get a cab read more

I love Amtrak. This was my first long distance train ride with them. I was heading up to DUN (Dunsmuir) from San Francisco. I originally departed around 9:25pm from the Ferry Building, and arrived in Emeryville waiting nearly an hour for the Coast Starlight to pick us all up heading north. The bus ride over the bridge to the tacky, uncomfortable and cold station was actually quite pleasant. I got to see the interior part of an Amtrak bus. ALL seats recline, and the seats towards the back have more room, or at least 2 seats do. There's plenty of space to store your stuff, with reading lights, a bathroom and TVs! My ticket "claimed" that the Coast Starlight was departing Emeryville 8 minutes after I arrived. Of course, from what I hear, the Coast Starlight is often delayed, which I somehow hoped it would be. The reason why I hoped it was delayed is because I wanted to see the landscape and green, beautiful and wild hills of the cascades and Trinity National Forest arriving into Dunsmuir (Shasta Area). By the time I arrived in Redding, the sky was JUST starting to lighten up, so I was in luck and saw the most amazing views of my life for 2 hours as I ventured into the wilderness. So many things to say! I would SO do it again and I highly recommend anyone to as well! It's only $50 from San Francisco. That's AWESOME! The ride up was good. I don't like the seating arrangements and wish I could have gone to the "look-out car" or panoramic car to get a better view. The entire way up-i'm pretty sure the train was just about full. Depending on where you're going, you'll be placed and seated in a car where others will be getting off (most likely in the same county or area that you'll be getting off). Unfortunately, every seat is most likely going to be taken if the train is between San Francisco and Redding. (A pretty LONG ride). You make a 90 minute stop in Sacramento depending on how many people are being picked up. CON: The only con I have for Amtrak is that I had a squeaky seat and I could not find out how to operate my seat, the foot rest, etc. But the recline was heavenly! at least 5 times better than a recline on a long distance airplane ride. For me it was heavenly! I was jet lagged from my overseas trip and hardly slept at all. There's an arm rest, curtains, reading lights and storage in your area. Next time, I may ride on the bottom floor..it was way less crowded and met nicer people. The lady at the check in counter is really..well not nice, just inconsiderate and sketchy. I asked for change when she clearly had some and said "oh, wait I don't have any to trade". But you get that sometimes Great trip! Can't wait to take Amtrak again..well I just did. DEPENDING on where you're going, you may be able to get a really good price! Amtrak is also very good with Tweeting! They're sweet and informative! read more

I've been a regular Amtrak California customer my whole life and never understood why people I knew from college and my career were always talking trash about Amtrak. For the most part, I just wrote it off as grown snobby, upper middle class kids extending their love of talking trash about public transportation in general. And then I rode the California Zephyr line beyond the state lines of California. The California Zephyr is, on balance, a nightmare experience that barely favorably compares to riding Greyhound long distances--during my career, I've executed a Greyhound itinerary beginning in San Francisco and terminating in Philadelphia. Before I get to the complaints, the main upside of the experience is that ridership is so embarrassingly low on the long distance lines that, once you leave California, the amount of personal space you have in coach is comparable to what you get in first class on airlines. I had about 20% of my coach car to myself from the minute we crossed the Nevada border all the way into Nebraska. Lesson 1 of the California Zephyr: Outside of actually having a seat on the train, it helps to view all amenities offered on the line--which are Spartan--as temporary indulgences that exist on the whim of the staff of the line. Example: electricity. Electrical support for your personal digital devices is pretty much the one fringe benefit they give to coach class customers, who are basically treated like steerage passengers on pre-airline ships on this line. However, if too many of the passengers--most of whom are traveling a long way with cell phones with 24 hour battery life, at most, if in use--actually use the outlets, the Zephyr crew will literally cut the power to these sockets. Lesson 2: If in coach--I have no idea if the people paying the outrageous premiums for the sleeper cars fare better--avoid using the restrooms at all cost. Outside of the cleanliness of the train, which I will get to later, these places are nightmares. The Zephyr uses older Amtrak cars comparable to the Coast Starlight cars used by Amtrak California. These cars are basically designed to prioritize capacity first and treat comfort for human beings as an afterthought. The result is the bathrooms are cramped even by airline bathroom standards. Does the idea of relieving yourself while cramped in a tight space--there are literally partitions on each side of the toilet bowl--like a factory farm animal appeal to you? Then you will love the California Zephyr. Now imagine doing this in a bathroom that has lower standards of cleanliness than those at a rarely maintained rest stop's men's room. That is, overflowing trash bins, urine and other fluids everywhere, etc. I heard a fellow passenger complain that it was hard to go in there without gagging, which is an absolutely fair criticism. Lesson 3: They know you are a captive audience for at least the better part of the day, if not the week, and will gouge you accordingly. The Zephyr has both a dining car and--as a kind of sop to coach passengers--a snack car that carries all the items that most Amtrak snack cars do. However, if you foolishly thought that you could save money by using this instead of the dining car, think again! The dining car charges prices that are appropriate for a 3-4 star restaurant--i.e. they are ridiculously overcharging for what they are offering you--and the snack car is just barely cheaper than this. Example: For a microwaveable pizza--that is a pizza that would cost me $1 at a corner store--and beer, I spent about nine dollars less than I would have spent for the "Amtrak classic steak dinner." Lesson 4: On the Zephyr, the schedule is really more of a suggestion than, well, a schedule. Apparently, being 8-12 hours behind schedule on this line is the norm, which makes me think that Amtrak would sooner shoot a customer service rep in the face in broad daylight on a busy street than honor the majority of their refund claims. Lesson 5: The sleeping car passengers basically get everything--except alcohol and gratuities--on the train for free as a service included with their fares while the coach passengers--i.e the majority of us--get jack. This is wildly unfair to all the passengers. The sleeping car passengers the move-in cost of your average two bedroom apartment in America for sleeping space for 5 days at the most. The only way this makes sense is if you have both a ridiculous amount of money and a completely irrational fear of flying and/or are willing to pay outrageous fares for the complete train experience on a particularly scenic route that spends a weird amount of time stalled for various reasons on the least scenic sections and driving through a lot of the landmarks in total darkness. You should get everything, including alcohol and gratuities, included at those prices. Second, coach passengers on a long distance route should get at least a meal a day. It's been the fashion in air travel for most of living memory. read more

When on time it's great. It's clean and safe. You can buy food and use a restroom. When it's late it's terrible. The trains run infrequently and so if you miss one you are waiting for another two hours. This has happened to me a few times in emeryville station. The attendants refuse to list the 5:18 capitol corridor train on the light up board. Then don't announce it inside. If you aren't outside in the platform and looking at the tiny sign mounted on the front of the train or talking to the conductor you will miss it. There are a few perks though. Some of the train conductors are nice and there's an elderly gentleman who plays big band music has a puzzle out and festive decorations in the cafe car. He's so chatty and nice!!! read more

Riding the train to Reno is a fun way to start a vacation. Comfortable wide seats which recline with leg rest. Scenery is breathtaking in any season. Pack a lunch or eat in the dining car. Docents from the Sacramento Railroad Museum share interesting stories in the lounge car. Try something new next time you go to Reno! read more

This was my first time inside this particular Amtrak station. It's clean, the ticket lady was friendly enough, and there's plenty of seating inside. The train came right on time and the whole process was very easy. My only complaints: -Lady selling snacks/Peet's coffee seemed grumpy. -I saw another lady try to buy a soda from the vending machine; but it just ate up her money without dispensing a drink. read more

This was my first train ride in CA although I've been here for 14 years. I went from Emeryville to Sacramento. There's nothing to see during the ride between these stops but the train was clean and efficient. It took under 2 hours to get to Sac. I've driven plenty of times to Sac and as a result I've hit plenty of traffic so I was happy with the amount of time it took to get to Sac. I caught the train (bus) from San Francisco. As part of your fair they have a bus that makes 2 stops in San Francisco that takes you over the Bay Bridge and drops you off at the Emeryville station which is where you actually catch the train. I didn't get a chance to check out the food train though. I would definitely catch the train to Sac again. I'm curious now to catch the train further North to see if there's anything interesting. read more

Reading the yelp reviews for the Coast Starlight I became a bit apprehensive about traveling 11 hours in a reserved coach seat. But i'm also not made of money and I wasn't prepared to spend $100+ to upgrade to a sleeper (which is the rate they quoted me on when I originally purchased the tickets). Luckily an hour before the train arrived and while I was waiting bored out of my mind at the station I urged my boyfriend to ask Amtrak desk how much it would be to upgrade. The price was $43 total. That is the kind of price my pocket can handle! It was worth it. If we had eaten at the dining car for dinner we would have spent around $40 for two people. We got our money's worth because with the money we paid for a sleeper we received lunch, dinner, a roomette, access to the parlor car and movie theater, as well as the opportunity to attend a wine and cheese tasting (decided to skip on this boyfriend is severely lactose intolerant and I haven't acquired a taste for wine). We brought our electronics and books thinking we would have to amuse ourselves for the 11 hour ride. On the train we didn't need any of these things! We were able to nap in our comfy roomette, talk to our neighbors, explore the train, and even watch the downstairs showing of Tower Heist. Next thing we know we're already at LA Union Station! Service is spotty. They were either really friendly or really grumpy. We got on in SJ and it was the last leg of the trip which started in Seattle so I understand they must be tired especially because it was the last leg of their trip, but it would've made my experience top notch if they could have been a bit warmer. The food was okay, better than I thought t would be. My boyfriend ordered the steak for dinner and it was tasty, while I ordered the vegetarian pasta dish which was pretty good too considering I finished it! My recommendation is that if you're afraid of flying (like me!) then this is a great alternative to driving. It may take a little longer but you don't have to undergo the stress of being the driver and you can just lay back and relax. If you're not afraid of flying and have no problems with being thousands of feet in the air than I would just consider flying it's about the same price. read more

Really nice and clean station. Staff is really nice. There is plenty of seating and they also sell some food. I like how there is a monitor to track what time your train is coming and also someone tells you on the speakers as well. Excellent way to get around the Bay Area/San Joaquin County. read more

SNAKES ON A TRAIN?! TO THE COUPLE WHO SAT TWO ROWS BEHIND ME-I suppose the extended leg room was beneficial for the kneeling position. Next time, use the bathroom.... Good show ,though too quick, thus three stars. read more

I took Amtrak on a whim ($500+ for an airline ticket from PDX to SFO? Whatev!), as it was $140 roundtrip here. It was great! I loved the lounge car, meeting people during dinner, the wine & cheese event... all very awesome. Yes, it takes longer by train to get somewhere, but isn't that half the journey? :) My trip was 18 hours, so here are the lessons I learned: -- Have at least one person in your party in the business section. This is the only part of the train guaranteed with outlets. You are going to need them!! If the seats are available, the attendants will move you, but you can't count on that being a guarantee. -- Any longer than 18 hours and definitely with two or more traveling you should look into renting a sleeper cabin. It's not horrible sleeping in the reclining seats, but spreading out for the extra money would be nice. Consider it your hotel for the night, its about the same price. If you have never gone by train -- its an experience you need at least once! read more

(Part one of two!) REVIEW: LA to OAK (Union Station, LA to Jack London Square, Oakland) This is a review for the ~10 hour ride from Los Angeles to Oakland. If you're taking the trip from LA to the Bay (during the day - I assume you're not sleeping), this review is for you. I do have a five star rating (since I've personally had a great experience), but I'll try to get as detailed as possible and let you decide where you stand. (Also important: I had a Coach ticket. I don't know how glamorous it gets in the business sections.) Here are a few categories I'm about to touch on: 1. Background 2. Onboarding 3. Comfort 4. Scenery 5. People 6. Service/food BACKGROUND I've realized that some people might not be used to traveling for extended periods of time, and that can result in different perceptions of this half-day Amtrak ride. So here's a brief travel background: every year, I fly from the Bay Area to Massachusetts at least four times (two trips there, two trips back). Each one of these flights average around 6 hours. My usual definition of "traveling for a long time" is being mostly stationary on an aircraft, in limited space, for 6 hours; given that background, I might have a much fonder experience of riding Amtrak than others. Oftentimes, I would also take the Acela (the Amtrak train that runs through New England) from Boston to New York/New Jersey. These rides also last about 5 hours. So I am used to the conditions of a train and I knew what to expect going into this 10 hour marathon. ONBOARDING - 4 STARS (3 STARS for those running on a schedule, 4 STARS for those who don't really care) This was a Sunday trip from LA to Oakland. The train was set to leave at 10:10 AM and arrive at roughly 9:30 PM, but arrived about half an hour late due to a problem with one of the cars (I believe it was the café car). Passengers were told to wait, but there was a helpful Amtrak attendant giving everyone detailed instructions on what to do. I myself wasn't on a time constraint, and I suppose neither was everyone else as long as we arrived on time at 9:30 (which we did!). For the late departure, I'm taking two stars off. For the helpful attendant and eventual 9:30 arrival, I'm putting one star back on. If you get really mad at late departures, consider this element 3 stars. (I assume this doesn't usually happen, but yeah.) COMFORT - 5 STARS I'm used to traveling for 6 hours at a time on planes. I just sat in the backseat of a car for 6+ hours a few days prior to this ride. With this in mind, Amtrak has splendid amounts of leg room and you're free to walk whenever. Reclining chairs made it easy to take naps and it was certainly better than riding a bus up north. The lounge car was well kept, and seats were comfortable. Windows were wide for a train and gave you a great vantage point of the coast and all. In this matter, I felt pretty comfortable as well. There was a single time when I wandered into the REALLY nice parts of the train, where there was leather seats and stuff. I guess if you're holding a biz class ticket, you'll have access to that. For me, however, Coach was definitely enough. SCENERY - 4 STARS If you want to surprise yourself about the scenery, don't read this. But if you've read this far, you're probably not trying to surprise yourself. Here's how the scenery looks for the ride: The first hour - you're pulling out of usual LA County. Don't expect to see the coast for a while. You're not seeing any of the majestic mountains either, and it sort of just looks like usual LA. I slept through about an hour of this part. It's not too bad if you're napping or chatting with a neighbor (I did both). The second hour - congrats! You can now see the coast. It was pretty overcast for me that day, so it wasn't stereotypical blue beaches and sunlight. If it was sunny, it would've been a lot nicer. You'll have this view for the next two hours or so, and it gets really nice around Santa Barbra when you begin to see the mountains looming on the other side as well. In general, I really just like the view around SB. SB is a pretty cool town. After a while, the coast will start retreating. This is after some really nice views, where you're directly overseeing the shores and crashing waves, and not from behind a street. You'll move inland soon after. For the next three hours, it's a mix of rolling hills and usual shrubbery. I found this okay. If you've been living in the city your entire life, you'll find this part pretty fascinating. If you've been to Yosemite or any equivalent place, you won't be that impressed. (By the way - if you've lived next to beaches your entire life, you probably wouldn't find the coastline extremely breathtaking, either. I'd just say that it made the two hours go by faster.) ...aaand I'm out of space. Two-line summary for the rest: people love to chat. Talk with them. Food is okay. Would I recommend? Yes. Better than a plane? No. Better than a car? Yes. read more

Went to Reno on Christmas Day........ very relaxing...... Highly recommend to bring food and water...... the train was packed. The wait time for dinning was super long. Our seats were great. Bathrooms were questionable at times. Depends on who used before you. The observation car was busy also..... I wish the guy who was using the double seat traded with our single seat. O well we managed. The ride back was lloonnnggg.......... and more crowded. I got on as soon as possible to secure a seat. Husband brought the luggage. All in all, we had a very relaxing 3 days over Christmas. Nobody got crazy, rude, or loud. read more