CZ or SWC from LA to Chicago

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Lennybruce

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Hi all,

I am from Amsterdam, NL and have traveled extensively throughout the USA including a 3 month circular roadtrip coast to coast and back from Boston to LA and back. I am thinking now of traveling cross country from LA to Boston. The segment from Chicago to Boston I have done several times so I am familiar with that. The other postings i have read about the CZ vs the SWC were about traveling west and I'll be traveling east. I have plotted out the two routes into their respective day and night segments. The CZ leaves in the morning and the SWC leaves in the evening. Sunset and sunrise times when I'll be starting (May 7 or 8) are just before 8PM and around 6AM respectively. To travel on the CZ I will need to either suffer an 8 hour bus red eye bus trip thru the night (not my favorite thing) or fly to SF the day before and have that extra expense (flight and hotel). So for convenience sake the SWC is a lot more convenient.

So my two questions are:

1) Scenery: I know the consensus is that the CZ tops them all (so one or another I will do that ride one day) but how will the relative scenery be traveling west to east with the segments that are day and night?

2) I will be wanting to get the Lakeshore Limited at 9:30PM. Both the CZ and the SWC arrive around 3PM in Chicago. Is one or the other more likely to get me in on time with the smallest risk of missing my connection?

Thanks so much for sharing your expertise and opinions!

Lennybruce
 
The scenary on the Southwest Chief is fine, with the red cliffs outside Gallup and Glorietta and Raton passes. The Southwest Chief goes through a landscape that you would think of as the classic American West. It is not as dramatic as the California Zephyr, but fine. Do not take a red-eye bus trip. It all comes down to if you want to stand the extra expense of a flight and hotel. If you do, fly into Oakland and stay in Emeryville, if your sole intent is to catch the CZ, San Francisco hotels are much more expensive and there are hotels right by the station in Emeryville.

BNSF usually handles the Southwest Chief very well and the chances of making the connection are excellent from that train, barring grade crossing accidents or other unforseeable problems. Chances are almost as good for the CZ.

Finally, and I will probably take some flak for this, the onboard service crew on the Southwest Chief is based in Los Angeles and LA crews tend to be somewhat better than Chicago crews where the CZ is based. This is only a slight tendency, and Amtrak onboard service is very much YMMV, you can have great onboard staff out of Chicago, and bad staff out of LA, but on average, LA tends to be better.
 
If you have never ridden the Coast Starlight up the coast from Los Angeles, I would suggest traveling that train departing LAX 10 AM to Emeryville, Martinez, or Davis arriving late evening and stay overnight in a hotel near the station. I stay regularly at the Hyatt House Hotel across the track from the Emeryville Station(there is a elevated crossover). May be more expensive than you prefer. Then take the California Zephyr from one of these stations the next morning. I travel the CZ and connect in Chicago to City of New Orleans that departs at 8:05 PM and never missed a connection. I much prefer the scenery of the Zephyr over the Sierra Nevadas in California and the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.
 
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I agree with Tennessee Traveler about taking the Starlight from LAX, but recommend staying in Davis or Sacramento ( Vagabond Inn) over Emeryville even though the Starlight arrives late @ night into both.

You'll have time for breakfast before you catch the Zephyr in the morning ( included @ the Vagabond Inn next to Union Station)and as was said, the Sierras and Rockies are first Rate Scenery!
 
Another possibility to get from LA to meet the Zephyr is to take the (Amtrak) bus to Bakersfield and a train from there to Sacramento.

I have take the Zephyr eastbound, and the scenery is also great! :)
 
Wow thanks so much everyone for this very helpful advice. I was thinking of doing the Coastal Starlight and Hyatt combo but indeed the Hyatt is a bit pricey on the night I need so I will now look into the Vagabond Inn. I appreciate you all taking the time and sharing your wisdom and experience. Cheers!
 
I have to agree with Bob Dylan (as he's calling himself these days). The Coast Starlight route is one of the most beautiful routes, as opposed to the San Joaquin, which has one of the most mind-numbingly boring views known to mankind!

Sorry if I seem harsh, but I spent years driving the 5 or the 99 to visit my parents when I lived in the southland and they lived in the north state. It's pretty sad when the best part of the trip is the Buttonwillow McDonald's or the pea soup restaurant in Santa Nella!

By all means, take the CS to Emeryville, Davis, or Sacramento to catch the Zephyr. You won't regret it.

I hope you have a wonderful trip.
 
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