Emeryville or San Francisco

[Steve P.]

We will be taking Amtrack from CHI to Emeryville. Then we need to find our way to Redwood City California. I believe our tickets include bus travel to the CALTRAIN station in San Francisco. We were thinking that we could transfer to CALTRAIN and then ride down to Redwood City. My understanding is that our checked luggage must either be picked up in Emeryville or the Ferry building in San Francisco. The way I see it we have three options:

1. Simply ask family members to pick us up in Emeryville.

2. Get our luggage in Emeryville then carry them onto the bus at Emeryville, then lug them onto Cal Train and meet faimily in Redwood City.

3. If the bus stops at the ferry building first, then get off the bus at the ferry building retrive our bags and ask family to pick us up at the ferry building.

Please advise! I Want to make this as easy as possible on ourselves and anyone picking us up. Also let me know if I have any of my facts wrong or if there are possibilities I havn't thought of. Thanks.

 

[jb64]

seems to me that unless it is very far from Redwood City, it would be easiest for your family to pick you up at Emeryville. I don't believe the bus stops at the ferry building first but rather at the financial district stop. Not sure which stop number is the Ferry building because we got off at the first stop and took a cab to our hotel.

 

[George Harris]

Don't know about the CZ buses, but if they operate the same as the buses that connect with the Amtrak California trains we use, if you pick up your bags at Emeryville, they will still be riding in the bottom of the bus across the bay. The general practice is that any carryon beyond a briefcase is put on the bottom of the bus, as well, so if it is big enough that you would check it into the bottom of the bus it will go. I would suggest the Emeryville pickup to be sure that your baggs do not get put off at the Ferry Building as part of the checked bags. Just make sure that it is clearly identified. It will not be formally checked. It will simply be put on, so it is a good idea to have some sort of solidly attached marking so that there is no confusion as to who it belongs to. Ask the driver, but I would say that it is an almost certainty that the bags can and will stay in the bottom of the bus until it stops at Caltrain. You will then have a fairly short logging distance to get on the train for Redwood City. Note: Not all the Caltrain cars have luggage racks, but there is at least one car per train that does. You should ask which car you should go to.

From where the bus pulls up it is only about 30 feet to the Caltrain station at 4th & King. Actually, should call it 4th & Townsend, as the Amtrak bus pulls up on the Townsend St. side. Walk in, find the ticket machine, purchase tickets, and you will have something between 25 and 100 feet to the gate at the end of the platform for your train.

I would not ask anyone to drive into San Francisco if it is avoidable. Much hassle, problems parking, etc., etc.

 

[Steve P.]

Thanks George and JB64. That helps. Completly eliminates option 3 and steers us to having family pick us up in Emeryville.

 

[AlanB]

While I'll admit that this is several years old now, the last time I was there here is how things worked with checked bags for the bus at Emeryville. Train arrives, Redcap brings checked bags to the curb by the bus. Passenger's boarding the bus claim their bags from the Redcap. Bus driver places bags into the bottom of the bus, along with any carryon's too large to actually carry onto the bus.

At each stop, driver will open upon request the bottom of the bus and retrieve bags for you.

So the only carrying you'd have to do is from the bus onto Caltrain, and then off of Caltrain at the other end.

 

[sechs]

Personally, I would have suggested going via PDX or LAX. However, it may make some sense to catch the connecting Capitol Corridor and go south, towards San Jose.

The Hayward and Fremont stations are more convenient to the bridges on either side of Redwood City. You could also go all the way to the bottom of the Bay and meet at one of the two Santa Clara stations or San Jose itself. You can catch Caltrain going north directly at the Santa Clara and San Jose stations.

 

[Alice]

I would not ask anyone to drive into San Francisco if it is avoidable. Much hassle, problems parking, etc., etc.

I agree with George about driving up the peninsula to SF. But I also wouldn't ask anyone to drive across the Bay Bridge, especially during rush hour traffic.

Thanks George and JB64. That helps. Completly eliminates option 3 and steers us to having family pick us up in Emeryville.

My suggestion is to ask your relatives what they want you to do, pointing out your scheduled arrival time (rush hour) and that you could be several hours late. Then get a ticket to the CalTrain stop. Based on how late you are and how traffic is that day, whoever is picking you up can make suggestions. One possibility, they drive up to the ferry building (against traffic), you take them out to dinner in SF, then drive back south after traffic clears.

If you are on a weekend, traffic patterns are different but no better than weekday rush hour. Last Saturday evening I spent about 45 minutes driving 8 miles up the peninsula; when it looked the same Sunday morning, I opted for surface streets for 30 minutes. Redwood City is maybe 30 miles south on the same freeway, so you see why this drive is a big favor to ask.

This is one time when you want to be on a late train, after traffic both ways has cleared!

 

[rtabern]

seems to me that unless it is very far from Redwood City, it would be easiest for your family to pick you up at Emeryville. I don't believe the bus stops at the ferry building first but rather at the financial district stop. Not sure which stop number is the Ferry building because we got off at the first stop and took a cab to our hotel.

When I have taken the #5005 bus (from the westbound Zephyr), it has stopped first at the Ferry Building (where most people get off), then goes up to Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf (where I get off) and then it heads down to the Financial District and Caltrain station last.

The bus ride goes across the Bay Bridge... if you have never done it... it's actually kinda cool seeing the SF skyline.

If you don't care about that, just get your family to pick you up at EMY.

When #5 has been very late, I have actually had problems with the #5005 bus... as in, it's simply not there, even though it's supposed to hold for the train. You aren't really stuck in EMY for very long -- the station agent has said just to get on one of the Capitol Corridor buses instead.

 

[AnthonyM]

I live in San Francisco and was down at the ferry building, which is about 10-15min drive depending on traffic from my place. Redwood city is about a 40-45 min drive from downtown SF and there is some limited parking available right at the Amtrak Office. It is a bit tricky but there is a driveway off The Embarcadero that leads to the Amtrak Office that is in the rear of the building. I'm not sure how long it is to Emeryville from Redwood City there is a few ways to go. but it would be no more than an extra 10min or so over the Bay Bridge. Hope that helps.

Anthony

 

[sechs]

One possibility, they drive up to the ferry building (against traffic)

I take it that you've never done this.
The reverse commute direction is simply less slow than the commute direction. And forget about city streets.

 

[cirdan]

The bus ride goes across the Bay Bridge... if you have never done it... it's actually kinda cool seeing the SF skyline.

+1

 

[PRR 60]

The bus ride goes across the Bay Bridge... if you have never done it... it's actually kinda cool seeing the SF skyline.

+1

Inbound to SF, you are on the upper deck. Great view. Sit on the righthand side of the bus to see The City, and for a view of the new east span of the bridge presently under construction.

 

[George Harris]

Redwood City is more or less halfway between San Francisco and San Jose, so why not meet in San Jose?