The next few days were a happy blurr, and by Monday morning I was waking up in Rancho Bernardo. I had a hotel reservation on Monday night in San Diego, and needed to get from one to the other using transit. I was skeptical at first, but I found that San Diego's MTS has a really nice express bus service between Escondido and San Diego using brand-new equipment. I walked with ease from my hotel to the Rancho Bernardo Transit Center and bought an MTS Compass Card loaded with a day pass. The bus arrived on-time and boarding was quick and painless. A nice, pleasantly air-conditioned (it was like 96 degrees outside) ride to downtown San Diego dropped me off steps from the Santa Fe Depot. I grabbed a seat on a blue-line trolley and rode it to my hotel a few miles south of downtown SD to check in.
I took care of some important work-related tasks in the afternoon, all nicely completed pool-side at my hotel, and began to think about dinner options. A trip up to Ocean Beach for a wonderful pizza at Pizza Port, washed down with a healthy share of extremely tasty brews from their brewery (indeed, a pizza parlor has some of the highest-rated beer of any brewery in San Diego County!) But I had an early morning wake-up to catch the Surfliner on Tuesday and I headed back to my hotel to get some sleep.
Man, I wound never have thought that the Trolley (really, it's light rail) would be absolutely STUFFED with people at five in the morning, but as my blue line train for Santa Fe Depot rolled into the E Street station, that's exactly what faced me. The car was beyond capacity, and then some, and probably should not have picked up any more passengers. But I could not wait for the next one and hope to have a safe connection with the Surfliner. Thankfully, by the time we reached our last few stops, 90% of the train had emptied out and I could finally breathe a bit. I walked over to the porch area of the Depot lined up for Business Class with several others.
I originally had planned on being in Coach aboard Surfliner #763, but thought again and cashed in 2000 AGR points for Business Class. I ended up being very glad I did because the train filled to SRO in Coach by the time we hit Solana Beach, with BC being suitably full but everyone having a seat. The coffee and pastries were suitable for a light breakfast snack. I wanted to grab a real breakfast at Philippe's, but we got held up behind a BNSF freight that was coming out of San Pedro and lost 20 minutes before LAX. The breakfast possibility vaporized, and I instead went to the Metro Lounge in the station and relaxed the few minutes before boarding was called for #14.
They announced that Track 12 was were #14 was boarding from and I decided to walk out to the train myself (I don't need Red Cap service and instead left that option available to the many who obviously did.) I had roomette 7 in the 31 car, and arrived track-side as the train was still being backed into the platform. My attendant, Chris, checked my ticket and welcomed me aboard.
We had Pacific Parlour Car Williamette Valley on our train, which brought a huge smirk to my face due to a personal connection with that car and a particular LSA by the name of William Corley. You see, William is a character and -extremely- proud of the PPC, so much so that he's become one of (if not possibly the most) senior LSA's working the Coast Starlight because he does not want to work anywhere else. And with a name like William, a car named Williamette Valley make for a strong pair. To him, it is -his- car. With that car in the consist, I had to think "How funny would that be if William was the LSA?"
I dropped my bag in my roomette and began to make for the PPC, but was turned back by the Conductor who said I HAD to be in my roomette for the next few minutes. Not one to argue, I returned and sat down. Shortly after, a man in a polo shirt and slacks knocked on my door; he had an AMTRAK POLICE badge around his neck with the rank of Sergeant. He asked for my ticket and a Government ID. I provided both, to which he looked over at my backpack and began to ask "If I had any Weapons of Mass Destruction, firearms, knives, bombs..." inside. Of course I did not, to which he rechecked my ticket against my ID and gave both back. He then looked at the bag again and asked to search it. I smiled, but shook my head and politely declined with a "I don't think that is necessary" response. This obviously caught him off-guard, as he fumbled with his reply. He began to say something along the lines of "I.. Er, it. Well, not allowing me to..." After a second of pause, he frowned, then said "Have a nice day." and walked down the hall and off the train.
I fully expected him to fetch the Conductor and demand a search of my bag, or at least the appearance of a canine to sniff or something. But nothing of the sort happened. I never heard anything more on the matter, and I stayed in my room until the train lurched for an on-time departure of 10:10am from LAX.
The Conductor came around and checked my ticket, at which time I finally took leave for the PPC. I was the first person in the car, and lo-and-behold there was William Corley behind the bar! I laughed and exclaimed loudly "William!" as I walked through the car, to which Mr. Corley looked at me and grinned. "I don't recognize you, but obviously you recognize me. I must have made an impression at some point!" I immediately placed an order for a Bloody Mary, and Mr. Corley quickly made a tasty one with a nice spicy bite. I took up residence in a swivel chair and was in it for some time before the first of the other passengers arrived.
As has been stated elsewhere on AU, the PPC's are back and on the rails again. Absolutely nothing was done at all to the passenger spaces. There was (confirmed through William, who was working in the office during the layup as part of the management trying to improve the Coast Starlight, both for the passengers and for the company) mechanical work done and the cars were overhauled in several systems. They may remain to be somewhat rough around the edges as far as appearances go, but they're at least a little more reliable mechanically now.
I had a nice lunch with a lady from Oregon in the PPC. Mr. Corley fashioned me with a wonderful Gin and Tonic to have with the walnut salad; a fantastic pairing. After lunch I retired to my room for a nice long nap. I've seen the coast many times and was exhausted from my weekend. Unfortunately Chris was nowhere to be found and I made up my room myself. I slept soundly until the dinner reservations were being taken and chose the diner so I could get a steak. I passed on the wine tasting this trip, which was $7.50 and open for coach passengers to join as well. The cheese plate cost an additional $5.50 for those that wanted it.
I returned to napping until about 45 minutes before my dinner reservation. I decided to have some pre-dinner drinks in the PPC, which William was generous and forthcoming in providing. Dinner turned out to be a middle-of-the-road affair for food quality, with a steak that was cooked correctly (medium-rare) but did not come with the advertized peppercorn sauce or a salad. The company was pleasant, including two ladies (one from Colorado and another from Minnesota) traveling together for a vacation train trip to Seattle, a mother and son returning from Disneyland to Vancouver, BC, and a political lobbyist from San Diego County heading to Sacramento to testify before the State Assembly on the proposed state-wide minimum wage increase next year.
After dinner I returned to a now-deserted PPC and began to carry a conversation with William on a wide range of topics including the PPC, Amtrak, passenger rail, future plans the company might have, travel, etc. Very educational and enlightening for both me and him! By the end of the conversation two hours later, several others had come to join in and it turned into a regular round-table discussion. Unfortunately, we were approaching Emeryville and I had to make my way back to my roomette to make a move to coach.
I booked a roomette as far as Emeryville, then coach to Sacramento. The move saved over $180, and yet I found out from the Conductor after moving to Coach that my roomette was not going to be occupied again until Chico (in fact, most of the roomettes in my car were empty.) Chris reappeared just before Emeryville to make sure I was on my way out. Never once did he offer any assistance, but he did intrude into my roomette to "clean up" instead of waiting until I was gone. He did not get a single dime for a tip from me.
That same Conductor wondered why I had not just stayed in my roomette, but before the conversation was finished he was called to the lounge car for an urgent need. Most of the Coach section soon found out why: a mentally-challenged man with a dog had come aboard the train in Oakland, found his way into the lounge and proceeded to start a fight with the LSA and threaten several other passengers. He was marched back to his seat by the Conductor, literally screaming and swearing the whole way, then back through the coaches to the lounge once more. When we pulled into Martinez, we sat at the platform for over 20 minutes, waiting for police who never showed. Eventually, the man was last seen flipping of the train, kicking in the air at it and screaming as we pulled out of the station; no law enforcement ever came while we were there.
Our arrival into Sacramento marked the end of the trip for me. I love the Starlight and train travel, but I'm reminded why I dislike Coach for anything over two hours. Yup, I'm spoiled and will always try to travel sleeper when I can. The PPC, and William the LSA, really make this trip memorable. I've written a letter to both Amtrak and Joe Boardman directly about them both.
Thanks for reading!
I took care of some important work-related tasks in the afternoon, all nicely completed pool-side at my hotel, and began to think about dinner options. A trip up to Ocean Beach for a wonderful pizza at Pizza Port, washed down with a healthy share of extremely tasty brews from their brewery (indeed, a pizza parlor has some of the highest-rated beer of any brewery in San Diego County!) But I had an early morning wake-up to catch the Surfliner on Tuesday and I headed back to my hotel to get some sleep.
Man, I wound never have thought that the Trolley (really, it's light rail) would be absolutely STUFFED with people at five in the morning, but as my blue line train for Santa Fe Depot rolled into the E Street station, that's exactly what faced me. The car was beyond capacity, and then some, and probably should not have picked up any more passengers. But I could not wait for the next one and hope to have a safe connection with the Surfliner. Thankfully, by the time we reached our last few stops, 90% of the train had emptied out and I could finally breathe a bit. I walked over to the porch area of the Depot lined up for Business Class with several others.
I originally had planned on being in Coach aboard Surfliner #763, but thought again and cashed in 2000 AGR points for Business Class. I ended up being very glad I did because the train filled to SRO in Coach by the time we hit Solana Beach, with BC being suitably full but everyone having a seat. The coffee and pastries were suitable for a light breakfast snack. I wanted to grab a real breakfast at Philippe's, but we got held up behind a BNSF freight that was coming out of San Pedro and lost 20 minutes before LAX. The breakfast possibility vaporized, and I instead went to the Metro Lounge in the station and relaxed the few minutes before boarding was called for #14.
They announced that Track 12 was were #14 was boarding from and I decided to walk out to the train myself (I don't need Red Cap service and instead left that option available to the many who obviously did.) I had roomette 7 in the 31 car, and arrived track-side as the train was still being backed into the platform. My attendant, Chris, checked my ticket and welcomed me aboard.
We had Pacific Parlour Car Williamette Valley on our train, which brought a huge smirk to my face due to a personal connection with that car and a particular LSA by the name of William Corley. You see, William is a character and -extremely- proud of the PPC, so much so that he's become one of (if not possibly the most) senior LSA's working the Coast Starlight because he does not want to work anywhere else. And with a name like William, a car named Williamette Valley make for a strong pair. To him, it is -his- car. With that car in the consist, I had to think "How funny would that be if William was the LSA?"
I dropped my bag in my roomette and began to make for the PPC, but was turned back by the Conductor who said I HAD to be in my roomette for the next few minutes. Not one to argue, I returned and sat down. Shortly after, a man in a polo shirt and slacks knocked on my door; he had an AMTRAK POLICE badge around his neck with the rank of Sergeant. He asked for my ticket and a Government ID. I provided both, to which he looked over at my backpack and began to ask "If I had any Weapons of Mass Destruction, firearms, knives, bombs..." inside. Of course I did not, to which he rechecked my ticket against my ID and gave both back. He then looked at the bag again and asked to search it. I smiled, but shook my head and politely declined with a "I don't think that is necessary" response. This obviously caught him off-guard, as he fumbled with his reply. He began to say something along the lines of "I.. Er, it. Well, not allowing me to..." After a second of pause, he frowned, then said "Have a nice day." and walked down the hall and off the train.
I fully expected him to fetch the Conductor and demand a search of my bag, or at least the appearance of a canine to sniff or something. But nothing of the sort happened. I never heard anything more on the matter, and I stayed in my room until the train lurched for an on-time departure of 10:10am from LAX.
The Conductor came around and checked my ticket, at which time I finally took leave for the PPC. I was the first person in the car, and lo-and-behold there was William Corley behind the bar! I laughed and exclaimed loudly "William!" as I walked through the car, to which Mr. Corley looked at me and grinned. "I don't recognize you, but obviously you recognize me. I must have made an impression at some point!" I immediately placed an order for a Bloody Mary, and Mr. Corley quickly made a tasty one with a nice spicy bite. I took up residence in a swivel chair and was in it for some time before the first of the other passengers arrived.
As has been stated elsewhere on AU, the PPC's are back and on the rails again. Absolutely nothing was done at all to the passenger spaces. There was (confirmed through William, who was working in the office during the layup as part of the management trying to improve the Coast Starlight, both for the passengers and for the company) mechanical work done and the cars were overhauled in several systems. They may remain to be somewhat rough around the edges as far as appearances go, but they're at least a little more reliable mechanically now.
I had a nice lunch with a lady from Oregon in the PPC. Mr. Corley fashioned me with a wonderful Gin and Tonic to have with the walnut salad; a fantastic pairing. After lunch I retired to my room for a nice long nap. I've seen the coast many times and was exhausted from my weekend. Unfortunately Chris was nowhere to be found and I made up my room myself. I slept soundly until the dinner reservations were being taken and chose the diner so I could get a steak. I passed on the wine tasting this trip, which was $7.50 and open for coach passengers to join as well. The cheese plate cost an additional $5.50 for those that wanted it.
I returned to napping until about 45 minutes before my dinner reservation. I decided to have some pre-dinner drinks in the PPC, which William was generous and forthcoming in providing. Dinner turned out to be a middle-of-the-road affair for food quality, with a steak that was cooked correctly (medium-rare) but did not come with the advertized peppercorn sauce or a salad. The company was pleasant, including two ladies (one from Colorado and another from Minnesota) traveling together for a vacation train trip to Seattle, a mother and son returning from Disneyland to Vancouver, BC, and a political lobbyist from San Diego County heading to Sacramento to testify before the State Assembly on the proposed state-wide minimum wage increase next year.
After dinner I returned to a now-deserted PPC and began to carry a conversation with William on a wide range of topics including the PPC, Amtrak, passenger rail, future plans the company might have, travel, etc. Very educational and enlightening for both me and him! By the end of the conversation two hours later, several others had come to join in and it turned into a regular round-table discussion. Unfortunately, we were approaching Emeryville and I had to make my way back to my roomette to make a move to coach.
I booked a roomette as far as Emeryville, then coach to Sacramento. The move saved over $180, and yet I found out from the Conductor after moving to Coach that my roomette was not going to be occupied again until Chico (in fact, most of the roomettes in my car were empty.) Chris reappeared just before Emeryville to make sure I was on my way out. Never once did he offer any assistance, but he did intrude into my roomette to "clean up" instead of waiting until I was gone. He did not get a single dime for a tip from me.
That same Conductor wondered why I had not just stayed in my roomette, but before the conversation was finished he was called to the lounge car for an urgent need. Most of the Coach section soon found out why: a mentally-challenged man with a dog had come aboard the train in Oakland, found his way into the lounge and proceeded to start a fight with the LSA and threaten several other passengers. He was marched back to his seat by the Conductor, literally screaming and swearing the whole way, then back through the coaches to the lounge once more. When we pulled into Martinez, we sat at the platform for over 20 minutes, waiting for police who never showed. Eventually, the man was last seen flipping of the train, kicking in the air at it and screaming as we pulled out of the station; no law enforcement ever came while we were there.
Our arrival into Sacramento marked the end of the trip for me. I love the Starlight and train travel, but I'm reminded why I dislike Coach for anything over two hours. Yup, I'm spoiled and will always try to travel sleeper when I can. The PPC, and William the LSA, really make this trip memorable. I've written a letter to both Amtrak and Joe Boardman directly about them both.
Thanks for reading!
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