Sunset to Starlight connection

[NativeSon5859]

I know #1 is usually at least six hours late or more into LAX, so the chances of making the connection to the northbound Starlight are minimal. Will Amtrak bus people from the Sunset to catch up to the Satarlight? Is this connection still considered a "guaranteed connection"? And for a final question, can anyone reccomend a moderately priced hotel near L.A Union Station? Thanks a bunch, and happy new year!

 

[Amtrak Watcher]

I’ve had bad luck with the few hotels close to the station in Los Angels: too expensive, too far to walk, too many jerks and drunks walking the streets nearby, or no nice places to eat nearby.

When staying over night in Los Angeles, I stay at the Best Western Mid-Wilshire Plaza Hotel (603 N New Hampshire Ave (213-385-4444), which is half block from a Red Line station (I think it is Vermont / Beverly station on the Red Line subway in and out of North Hollywood – call the hotel to check on the proper station). The hotel is clearly visible from the subway station. The hotel is clean, low cost, and there are lots of places to eat nearby without having to step over drunks. The Red Line sub-way terminates downstairs from, and a few steps away from the Amtrak ticket counter.

 

[lepearso]

Rather than stay in LA, look into making a connection to a city further up the line, say in Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo, and then boarding the Coast Starlight from there. You're likely to spend less on a hotel room and have a better experience.

 

[jccollins]

If you are making a same day connection from the Sunset Limited to the Coast Starlight, odds are pretty high that you'll be treated to the scenario most passengers making this connection are. On most days westbound Sunset passengers transferring to the Starlight for stations north of Oakland/Sacramento are pulled off the train in Palm Springs, California and bussed to Bakersfield, California. This is about a four hour express service bus ride. In Bakersfield, passengers connect to the next departing San Joaquin train to Oakland or Sacramento and make appropriate, available connections from those trains.

If this is not what you want I would advise taking the Sunset Limited into Los Angeles and scheduling a same day connection on a Pacific Surfliner train to Santa Barbara as another poster mentioned. The Surfliners have multiple frequencies (dep LAUS 12:30p, 2:55p, 7:00p, Bus 9:05p) and you won't be stuck in Los Angeles in any event for too long. The ride to Santa Barbara is only a few hours from Los Angeles and their station is right in the middle of a beautiful downtown, with quite a few nice hotels within easy walking distance. Check out Santa Barbara Car Free for some hotel and sightseeing ideas while you are there. You will have a few extra hours the next morning waiting for the Starlight o arrive and won't have to deal with boarding procedures at Union Station.

 

[The Chief]

Native Son,

All the above suggestions are worth considering. Here's another:

When I last rode the Starlight, from LA to Seattle in Oct. 2004, I stayed at the Days Inn Downtown, 711 N. Main St. 90012, and got a King room for $67 through Expedia. It was a nice, clean room, and a short walk to-from nearby Union Station.

One place I ate was the famous Philippe's which was nearby, had ambiance, and was delicious. It was a Saturday and I hung there and watched college football for a while. I stayed in my room that night because the baseball playoffs were on TV. There are many nearby restaurants, including Mexican, American, and Japanese.

You are correct on the Sunset-Starlight :lol: "connection." I've been bussed before, to Oxnard.

Union Station is a transit hub, so if you want to daytrip anywhere, it's very easy to come and go.

Hope this helps.

 

[NativeSon5859]

Thanks for all of the suggestions everyone! I'm starting to plan out a trip for March, as i'll have about six or seven days off in that month, and well, I need to use my Amtrak gift certificates sometime. I was also tossing around the idea of taking #58 up to CHI to connect with #7 to SEA or PDX. I have no idea yet to be honest.

 

[battalion51]

Not sure if you've done the route yet or not, but why not do the City to the Cal Zephyr. You'd be going through the Rockies while there's still snow on the ground, and that is one of the better routes in the system. Just a thought.

 

[Guest_NativeSon5859]

battalion51, I took the Zephyr back in August from EMY to CHI....that's the trip where we had to take a detour in Iowa and got to CHI some 19 hours late. Taking it westbound would be a good idea though, especially with the snow and stuff. Hmmm.

 

[battalion51]

That's right, I forgot about that. In that case I'd branch out and take the Builder, there'll be snow on the gorund up there too. Another thought, have you thought about going east? Perhaps take the City to the LSL, Cardinal, or the soon to be extinct Three Rivers?

 

[Trogdor]

If he's traveling in March, the Three Rivers will be extinct already (unless the travel date is before March 6). I'd be weary of booking travel on the 3R, though, as Amtrak doesn't treat a train very well when it plans to discontinue it.

On New Year's Eve, a freight train derailed, blocking the Capitol Limited's route from DC to Pittsburgh. As a result, Amtrak "terminated" the Three Rivers in Pittsburgh, "vanstituted" the Ohio passengers, and used the equipment to run PGH-CLE-CHI.

A couple of weeks ago, when the Lake Shore Limited derailed a lounge in Indiana and had to leave its lounge and coaches behind, Amtrak cancelled the Three Rivers that night, and used its lounge and coaches to make up the LSL's consist.

So, essentially, if there's any service disruption affecting an eastern LD train, the Three Rivers is invariably going to suffer because of it.

As for the Empire Builder, the best scenery is eastbound, as the westbound tends to travel through Glacier Park after dark. Of course, the tradeoff is that the eastbound train can miss some of the scenery either along the Columbia River (Portland) or the...whatever River (Seattle), because it can get dark shortly after you leave the origin city. Not sure what the daylight situation will be like in March.

Zephyr has good scenery through the Rockies no matter which direction you travel, but if you've already done it, you might want to see something new.

The Sunset isn't a bad train, you just have to consider yourself lucky if you arrive in LA on the same *day* you were scheduled. We'll see how lucky I get in a week and a half.

 

[Guest]

As usual, excellent advice from everyone. I have a lot to think over obviously.

In the meantime, it looks like i'll be doing a NOL-SAS-DAL route on the 19th of this month, via the Sunset and the Eagle. I found a pretty cheap one-way fare, and with the Southwest Airlines pass I have to get back home, it will make for a nice little two-day trip. Reading through my Rail Ventures book (circa 1995), the SAS-DAL portion seems to be somewhat "scenic". We shall see.

 

[Guest_Nativeson5859]

And once again, I forgot to sign in. Typical.

 

[Poindexter118]

I agree that there are drunks, etc., downtown, but I feel you could take the red line that leaves Union Station, and take it up to Universal City. There are nice hotels there, and spending the day at U.C. wouldn't be bad. You can walk all around the shops, restaurants, and don't have to spend money to get into the park. It would only take half an hour to get there from Union Station. Something to consider.

 

[radsmom]

Rather than stay in LA, look into making a connection to a city further up the line, say in Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo, and then boarding the Coast Starlight from there.  You're likely to spend less on a hotel room and have a better experience.

A good suggestion - my last 2 Sunset trips arrived 6+ hours late into LA. My family lives there so I don't worry about hotels but I would agree about not wanting to hang out around the station too much. I grew up in that area and even I would be leery about straying far from Union Station. You could take a Metroline or Metrolink train out a ways to overnight, and then back to Union Station to catch the Starlight but at that point why not consider going up the coast a bit?

Going up the coast on a Pacific Surfliner train and staying overnight in Ventura area then catching the Starlight the next day would be an interesting way to go.

The Sunset Limited is a fun train I have always enjoyed it very much despite the delays.