Matthew H Fish
Lead Service Attendant
- Joined
- May 28, 2019
- Messages
- 499
Martinez, California is located in the Eastern San Francisco Bay region, and is a station for four separate Amtrak routes: the California Zephyr, the Coast Starlight, the Capitol Corridor, and the San Joaquin, as well as the Thruway service that goes through Humboldt, Mendocino, and Sonoma Counties. And probably some others that I can't remember!
Depending on the schedule, passengers might have a while to wait in Martinez (for example, my connection between the Thruway bus and the Coast Starlight is 5 hours). The last two times I was there, it was already dark, so I didn't get to see much, but last week, with all the sunshine of May, I explored two places right outside the train station:
The first in the Carquinez Regional Shoreline, which is somewhat confusingly named because it is actually a series of hills with a view of the Carquinez Strait. This is a pretty vigorous climb. It is surprising how quickly I was out in nature. This might be more difficult for some travellers, and at certain times of year. When I hiked up here, I just had a backpack, and it was good weather. As you can see in the video, at the vantage point I was less than a mile from the train station...but it took me more than an hour to get there.
The second is the shoreline and marina that is directly across from the train station. The entrance to this complex is about 500 feet from the door of the train station, so it is very easy to walk there. And unlike the hills, it is flat. It includes both natural areas and more "park" areas. A good place to stretch your legs if you have been on the train for too long!
From a rail history perspective, the San Francisco Bay area is also fascinating in how juxtaposed industrial, rural and natural areas are. When the cities were first founded (from a European perspective), they were built where water and later rail lines made the most sense, but there was often unpassable or unbuildable terrain around them. So you get to a place like Martinez, which has four Amtrak lines passing through it, as well as freight traffic, and also large industrial facilities---and then you walk 15 minutes outside of it and you really can feel like you are out in farm country.
Depending on the schedule, passengers might have a while to wait in Martinez (for example, my connection between the Thruway bus and the Coast Starlight is 5 hours). The last two times I was there, it was already dark, so I didn't get to see much, but last week, with all the sunshine of May, I explored two places right outside the train station:
The first in the Carquinez Regional Shoreline, which is somewhat confusingly named because it is actually a series of hills with a view of the Carquinez Strait. This is a pretty vigorous climb. It is surprising how quickly I was out in nature. This might be more difficult for some travellers, and at certain times of year. When I hiked up here, I just had a backpack, and it was good weather. As you can see in the video, at the vantage point I was less than a mile from the train station...but it took me more than an hour to get there.
The second is the shoreline and marina that is directly across from the train station. The entrance to this complex is about 500 feet from the door of the train station, so it is very easy to walk there. And unlike the hills, it is flat. It includes both natural areas and more "park" areas. A good place to stretch your legs if you have been on the train for too long!
From a rail history perspective, the San Francisco Bay area is also fascinating in how juxtaposed industrial, rural and natural areas are. When the cities were first founded (from a European perspective), they were built where water and later rail lines made the most sense, but there was often unpassable or unbuildable terrain around them. So you get to a place like Martinez, which has four Amtrak lines passing through it, as well as freight traffic, and also large industrial facilities---and then you walk 15 minutes outside of it and you really can feel like you are out in farm country.
