Coast Starlight
Taking the train up the West Coast
I could spend a month on this train. It's the most delightful, relaxing, (and slowest) way that I have ever crossed 500km. I've spent a fair amount of time on East Coast Amtrak trains - that's how I got around for my entire first trip - but the Coast Starlight, which goes up the West Coast, takes American train travel to a whole new level. The space shuttle is double decker. The seats are absolutely huge. The legroom is more than I have on my sofa at home. And the views are absolutely unsurpassed.
When I told Americans I was taking this train, nobody seemed particularly enthusiastic. I'm en route from Los Angeles up to San Jose and while the train is 10 hours long, driving would have taken just over 5. "But I want to enjoy the scenery" I told them. "Mm yes, there's a bit where it goes by the ocean and that's nice" is the response I got. But even as we just left Los Angeles, I was floored - check out these incredible rocks!!
The coastal part, between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo is certainly a highlight. This is a solid 2 hour stretch, when the train goes right along the Pacific coast, passing beaches, cliffs and colourful heathery moorland. I'd requested a seat on the left side of the train, to enjoy the view, but part way through, I thought I'd check out the observation car:
This train journey, more than any other, has given me a sense of the vastness of this country. Compared to the East Coast, the landscapes here are huge and the horizon seems out of reach. What adds to the magic is that this train is headed for Seattle, where it will arrive a full two days later. I was talking to the conductor about the route and he's expecting snowy mountains on the other end.
Everyone is so friendly here too, a woman on the platform in LA was recommending neighbourhoods I should explore in San Francisco. The man next to me was telling me about his month long train (+ bus) trip from South Dakota (where there is no Amtrak) down to Tucson, Arizona across to Los Angeles, then up to Utah and then finally back home. Someone else asked me if I had enjoyed the APS conference. I admit I was a bit perplexed (and slightly miffed) that he had assumed I was a physicist when he asked this. Do I look like a physicist? I wondered to myself. Until I caught sight of the badge I had pinned to my bag..
