Layover in LAX between Chief and Eagle loop trip

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shelzp said:
When I first read your post I thought you'd be better off to stay in LA for one night. But you are correct in thinking you have time for the Pacific as well as Hollywood and the idea of a turnaround sounds exciting! I think going north to Santa Barbara is a great idea and when you get back you can make a quick little subway trip to Hollywood. You will find that it is super easy to get around with Union Station as your jumping off spot. You've made a realistic plan. I live in the area and one time when we were getting off a cruise ship at 10 am a family was saying they were heading to Universal Studios and then on to Disneyland for the rest of the day (with the ship leaving at 5 pm). I didn't get involved in conversation with them and assume that reality hit fairly quickly. I think you'll have a great time and get to see a lot of the country in a week. I hope you come back and give us a little report.
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Based on what everyone has suggested, I think what you said is exactly what I'm going to do. Assuming the Chief gets there on time, I figure I could easily go to Santa Barbara on the 9:05 Surfliner, have a couple of hours there to check the ocean and some other things out, then head back on the 2:03pm Surfliner and be back to LAUS by 4:55, which would still give me plenty of time to hop on the Red Line over to Hollywood/Highland, take a few snapshots of the Walk of Fame and the Graumman's footprints and the sign in the distance, and get back to LAUS with plenty of time to spare before 422 leaves at 10pm. Skipping the Hollywood touristy stuff entirely as some have suggested isn't an option, since old movies rank second only to trains in my geekdom, lol, and nobody would ever believe that I was in L.A. for 14 hours and didn't take time to at least get a picture of Jack Carson's Walk of Fame star and Marilyn's footprints (two of my faves from back way before my time! :giggle: )

Thanks again to eveybody for the info and suggestions. One question - what is the luggage storage situation at LAUS? Is there anything comparable to CHI's metro lounge for sleeper passengers and their bags?
 
crescent2 said:
Not to hijack the thread (although some threads ramble around to topics far removed from the OP! :) ), but how does the route of the Surfliner compare with the Coast Starlight north of Los Angeles, as far as views of the Pacific coast go?

I'm planning on taking a trip on the wb CZ later this year, and would also like to take a trip sb to see some of the Pacific coast. Thanks!
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No hijacking taken, lol. Don't the Surfliner and the C.S. take the same route from LAX to Santa Babara if I'm not mistaken?
 
The Surfliner and CS take the same route between Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo. The Surfliner just has additional stops and does not have a diner or lounge car like LD trains do (nor sleepers or a PPC). The equipment varies depending on the trip. Most trips will generally use Surfliner cars which most similar to Amtrak California Cars in many regards. Select trips use an Amfleet consist with some Horizon cars in the mix.

There are other differences including pricing but the routing overall is the same.
 
kentuckian1977 said:
crescent2 said:
Not to hijack the thread (although some threads ramble around to topics far removed from the OP! :) ), but how does the route of the Surfliner compare with the Coast Starlight north of Los Angeles, as far as views of the Pacific coast go?

I'm planning on taking a trip on the wb CZ later this year, and would also like to take a trip sb to see some of the Pacific coast. Thanks!
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No hijacking taken, lol. Don't the Surfliner and the C.S. take the same route from LAX to Santa Babara if I'm not mistaken?
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Take the Surfliner to Santa BArbara and back. Its schedule is more reliable than the CS, and running time is actually a wee bit faster even with additional stops! Surfliners almost always have a LD Superliner coach as part of their consists because of a shortage of Amtrak California Surfliner cars. No extra cost to sit in it, either! You won't have to worry about the Horizon equipment Surfliner unless you get into LA so early that you have time to catch the first Surfliner out shortly after 7. I would suggest getting a leisurely breakfast at Philippe if you are that early (short walk from station) and then come back to catch 9:05 Surfliner (which is almost always on time from San Diego).

You can store bags at LA station for $3 per bag; window is right next to bag claim carousel, and easy to find. Just pick them up by 10 p.m.

There is no first-class club in LA Station.

As for cresecent2, I personally think the scenery is better on the Surfliner north from LA, since it runs for a much longer distance along the Pacific, from Ventura to Santa Barbara, than the Surfliner south, which has only a 15-minute stretch along the Pacific in San Clemente. AND if you take the Surfliner NORTH all the way to San Luis Obispo on the two-daily trips there, you get treated to the same unspoiled Pacific coastline for 50 miles or more that the Coast Starlight plies. The Surfliner south to San Diego these days runs mostly through industrial backyards, then the backyards of Southern California's sprawling suburbia. Not at all a bad ride, just doesn't compare with the northern route IMHO.
 
Funny enough, I just recently took the same trains as you're planning on taking - though I took #422 east, and then #3 back west. The Surfliner ride south from LAX to SAN is actually pretty nice - there's actually more coastal views south of Oceanside, though perhaps not as many as the northern route. And the route from Old Town San Diego to Solana Beach is interesting in its own right with the hilly terrain. However, whichever you pick would be a great ride - I actually have yet to do the north-of-LAX part myself even though I live in San Diego. Just sit in a Superliner car and enjoy the great views.

Bag storage in LAX, as mentioned, is $3 per bag - just bring your Amtrak ticket to the baggage room. Be forewarned that they close at 10 or even a bit earlier (once they told me to be back at 9:30) and have a habit of leaving for 5-10 minutes to deal with bus/train checked baggage.

Hope you have fun on your trip! I have a trip log of my recent Texas Eagle/SWC trip posted here, in case you were interested in my experience. Personally, I prefer the Chief of those two routes, though there are interesting parts of the Texas Eagle route (personally, I liked the AZ/NM desert and going through the Dallas/Fort Worth area).
 
Not sure if you're familiar with the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel but there is plenty of 'Old Hollywood' history associated with the place and it is directly across the street from Graumann's Chinese Theater. They have a suite named after Marilyn Monroe because she stayed there. Beautiful building and worth walking through for a look. Check for info on wiki as well as their website.
 
I am taking this exact trip, SWC west and then TE east in April, so I am going to steal some of these ideas for my layover. This post has been very timely and will definitely give me stuff to explore. :hi:
 
 

I've read the entire thread and agree with your plan to go to Santa Barbara in the morning and the Hollywood area afterwards. I would walk around the Hollywood area (stick to the main streets) and stay until it gets dark. That way you can see all the lights. Do your research beforehand (sounds from your comments that you're very good at that) to know the highlights you want to see. I think there's a mall or parking garage near the Chinese Theater where you can got to the roof for a view of the Hollywood sign.
 
Thanks again for all the info and suggestions, everybody. Thully, I'll be sure to check out your trip report. June, I'll be going March 11-16 if nothing happens, so you should get to check out my trip report right before your trip - hope we both have a good time! :hi: FunNut, yep, that's what I've got in mind. And yeah, the Hollywood and Highland Center mall has viewing bridges for a good view photo/op of the sign, I found out.

Edit: Fixed typos.
 
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kentuckian1977 said:
Thanks again for all the info and suggestions, everybody. Thully, I'll be sure to check out your trip report. June, I'll be going March 11-16 if nothing happens, so you should get to check out my trip report right before your trip - hope we both have a good time! :hi: FunNut, yep, that's what I've got in mind. And yeah, the Hollywood and Highland Center mall has viewing bridges for a good view photo/op of the sign, I found out.

Edit: Fixed typos.
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Here ya go.....

HollyHighlandCnr.jpg
 
Update on this, as I have now booked the trip. Decided not to do the Eagle, as the roomettes had shot up to high bucket before I was able to book. I also decided to stay one night in California after all. Finally, decided to leave from and return to Ashland, KY rather than driving the 4 hours further to board in Alton, IL. So, my itinerary ends up being:

Mar. 10/11 - AKY - CHI - Roomette on Cardinal

Mar. 11-13 - CHI - LAX - Roomette on Southwest Chief

Mar 13. - LAX - SBA - Surfliner coach

Spending night on Mar. 13 at Hotel Indigo in Santa Barbara

Mar. 14. - SBA - LAX - Surfliner coach

Mar. 14-16 - LAX-CHI - Roomette on Southwest Chief

Mar. 16/17 - CHI-AKY - Cardinal coach

I'll be connecting to the first Surfliner after the Chief arrives, sightseeing in Santa Barbara all day and evening and spending the night there. Heading back to L.A. on the first Surfliner Thursday morning, taking the Red Line to Hollywood for more sightseeing there, then back to LAUS before time for the eastbound Chief to depart. Going to do the last night on the Card in coach since it is only 12 hours. Only doing westbound in sleeper since I lucked out and found a *relatively* cheap sleeper open AKY-CHI. I'll be working until 6pm, then driving the couple of hours to Ashland ahead of the Card's scheduled 10:08pm departure, so it'll be nice to have a roomette and be rested for my arrival in Chicago and to start the rest of the trip. Anyway, if anybody has any additional tips on "don't miss" stuff in Santa Barbara in particular, but also in L.A. for my day there, feel free. Same goes for anything I shouldn't miss on the Chief. Do the Native Americans still sell items at ABQ? I'll cross post my itinterary to the member trips board too in case any of you might be on the same trains.

EDIT: Typos.
 
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Sounds Great. I really like the Hotel Indigo in Santa Barbara, however be aware that the rooms are quite small. Think New York hotel small, yet smaller. The bathroom is a combined toilet/shower area as well. If you can get a room on the lower level with a Patio I'd highly suggest that. You can also enroll in Priority Club rewards to earn points for your stay there (as well as any Holiday Inn's, Crowne Plaza's, Intercontinentals, etc...) if you travel often.

The hotel itself is just across the train tracks from the railroad station. Given that you will be taking the train all that time I won't bother mentioning there is some train noise but nothing that is really bothersome! Be sure to check out State Street and the Waterfront. The Hotel is within two blocks of the waterfront which includes a nice area to walk.

If you have any other questions about the area, please feel free to message me as I have stayed at the Hotel Indigo there before so spend time in Santa Barbara on my layovers between trains/buses sometimes. Sounds like you will have a great trip :)
 
Two things, 1) The last time we were in ABQ (a couple of years ago), the Native American shopping was not very good. As they told me, with the huge increase in the price of silver, they just cannot sell jewelry at a price that customers will buy., 2) in SBA you can walk two blocks west and then out the SB pier where there are a couple of pretty good restaurants and other stores.
 
leemell said:
The last time we were in ABQ (a couple of years ago), the Native American shopping was not very good. As they told me, with the huge increase in the price of silver, they just cannot sell jewelry at a price that customers will buy.
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Aloha

When I went through there last October, the selections were very uninteresting. The few things I looked at more closely that I considered buying I passed on as the had "Made in China" tags. This included a "Hand made" blanket.
 
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