bobnjulie
Lead Service Attendant
So I had a really lousy doctor's appointment and the only sure way to return my smile is .... a train trip! We were debating between the Coast Starlight to SLO and return or the Capitol Corridor. Since we knew the Coast Starlight trip would be really tight if everything went perfect, we settled on a trip up to Old Town Sacramento.
The only other time we had done this route was on the Coast Starlight when it was dark so we were pretty excited to see some new sights. We got up early and headed out to San Jose to catch the 7:50 Capitol Corridor train up to Sacramento. Found parking easily enough and bought our tickets in the station. It also gave me some time to ask questions about our scheduled upcoming trip. For me, knowing all the details in advance helps eliminate any bad surprises and prepare for other options... just in case.
Train left on time and looked like it was a pretty popular time... by the time we made it to Sacramento, it was a nicely filled train. One of our first surprises was that the train goes right past the new 49ers stadium. I'm hoping they are not done with it since, at least from our view, was not very nice looking - but you decide since I'll be posting a link to all pictures for this trip with all my other trips on flickr. Since I was hungry, I went to the Cafe car for a bagel and I noticed some toy mentioned. One look and I knew it was mine... especially since it made me giggle.
Since it was dark when we were on the Starlight, we did not actually realize that the train tracks go right through downtown Oakland. Really surprising and really neat.... love trains that way.
Also, since we were early enough, when we reached Emeryville, we were able to see the Zephyr loading up. We made it to Sacramento on time and detrained. This was our first time getting off at Sacramento and let me tell you, it's a hike to the station. The redcaps were all getting the passengers ready for the Zephyr, which was running behind us and I had to walk. The nice part is that you can walk easily enough to Old Town... the tough part is that it is not really intuitive... There is signage but walking through a parking lot, I was getting confused. Since I have mobility issues, I can't just wander nilly willy but luckily some people were passing and let us know we were right on track. Finally came to a nice painted archway and we were there! We had booked a 12:00 river cruise but I knew the Zephyr was right behind us so we went to the river front and hurrah! I was able to catch the Zephyr crossing the river!
We took the hour river cruise on the Hornblower and since it was warm, I was really happy that we did. A nice breeze kept it comfortable. Nice sights and really interesting information. Loved going under the bridges and seeing the mechanisms to rotate the bridges. We went to Joe's Crab Shack for lunch... it took too long but was really yummy and we had a great table at the window.
A very quick dash back to the station to catch our 3:35 train home allowed us to catch the Zephyr departing Sacramento on it's way to Emeryville! We even caught it when it was home getting ready for the next trip! A great trip and yes, I was able to find my smile.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/97163322@N02/sets/72157645134280046/
The only other time we had done this route was on the Coast Starlight when it was dark so we were pretty excited to see some new sights. We got up early and headed out to San Jose to catch the 7:50 Capitol Corridor train up to Sacramento. Found parking easily enough and bought our tickets in the station. It also gave me some time to ask questions about our scheduled upcoming trip. For me, knowing all the details in advance helps eliminate any bad surprises and prepare for other options... just in case.
Train left on time and looked like it was a pretty popular time... by the time we made it to Sacramento, it was a nicely filled train. One of our first surprises was that the train goes right past the new 49ers stadium. I'm hoping they are not done with it since, at least from our view, was not very nice looking - but you decide since I'll be posting a link to all pictures for this trip with all my other trips on flickr. Since I was hungry, I went to the Cafe car for a bagel and I noticed some toy mentioned. One look and I knew it was mine... especially since it made me giggle.
Since it was dark when we were on the Starlight, we did not actually realize that the train tracks go right through downtown Oakland. Really surprising and really neat.... love trains that way.
Also, since we were early enough, when we reached Emeryville, we were able to see the Zephyr loading up. We made it to Sacramento on time and detrained. This was our first time getting off at Sacramento and let me tell you, it's a hike to the station. The redcaps were all getting the passengers ready for the Zephyr, which was running behind us and I had to walk. The nice part is that you can walk easily enough to Old Town... the tough part is that it is not really intuitive... There is signage but walking through a parking lot, I was getting confused. Since I have mobility issues, I can't just wander nilly willy but luckily some people were passing and let us know we were right on track. Finally came to a nice painted archway and we were there! We had booked a 12:00 river cruise but I knew the Zephyr was right behind us so we went to the river front and hurrah! I was able to catch the Zephyr crossing the river!
We took the hour river cruise on the Hornblower and since it was warm, I was really happy that we did. A nice breeze kept it comfortable. Nice sights and really interesting information. Loved going under the bridges and seeing the mechanisms to rotate the bridges. We went to Joe's Crab Shack for lunch... it took too long but was really yummy and we had a great table at the window.
A very quick dash back to the station to catch our 3:35 train home allowed us to catch the Zephyr departing Sacramento on it's way to Emeryville! We even caught it when it was home getting ready for the next trip! A great trip and yes, I was able to find my smile.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/97163322@N02/sets/72157645134280046/
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