Where to make the turn?

[ArchBishop]

Planning a round trip from OMA to PDX in December.

On the way out I have the choice of a nearly 10 hour layover in SAC or nearly 6 hours in EMY.

On the way back I have 4 and a half in SAC or 1 hour in EMY.

I am leaning toward making the turn at EMY on the way out, but at SAC on the way back.

Can you seasoned travelors give me the pros and cons for either place?

 

[Nathanael]

There's stuff to see in Sacramento. There's nothing to see in Emeryville, apart from staring out at the Bay. On the other hand, if you just plan to sit in the station, Emeryville is easier.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Planning a round trip from OMA to PDX in December.

On the way out I have the choice of a nearly 10 hour layover in SAC or nearly 6 hours in EMY.

On the way back I have 4 and a half in SAC or 1 hour in EMY.

I am leaning toward making the turn at EMY on the way out, but at SAC on the way back.

Can you seasoned travelors give me the pros and cons for either place?

:hi: Nice Trip, hopefully the Colorado Route will be back in Operation by then!

Suggestion: On the way West consider riding to Davis, the first stop West of Sacramento, it'a nice College Town with Plenty of places to Eat , Drink and Relax around the Station and is a Very Pretty California Town to wallk around in with a beautiful Old SP Station!! (Sacramento"s Station is under Rehab/Construction and isnt a very Comfortable Place to hang out!) If the Zephyr is On Time you might want to get off in Sacramento and go to the California Rail Museum (Really First rate but it cl;oses @ 5PM)!) next to the Station! You could also visit in Old Sacramento on the River by the Rail Museum where there are places to Eat, Shop and Drink! Touristy but nice! Note: If its Warm the Sacrmento Station isnt Air Conditioned and can be Unpleasant while waiting!

On the way East Back ride #14 to Martinez ,(stop Before Emeryville), this will ensure that you can Eat Breakfast on the Train in the Diner and not have to be in Sacramento @6AM hanging around waiting on the Zephyr! (Not much Open or to do in Sacrmento this Early!)The One Hour Connection between #14 and #6 in Emeryville is Very Tight (Too Tight, AGR No Longer Allows this on Award Travel)and if #14 is Running Late you can always Bail in Sacramento or Davis

(just let your SCA and/or Conductor know) so you can make your Connection with #6!

 

[the_traveler]

If you like train museums, on the way out I might recommend SAC. But there's good and bad news.

The good news is that the California State Railroad Museum (considered by many to be one of the best in the country) is almost next door to the train station! (It's within very easy walking distance.) the bas news is that the CS does not depart until midnight. (And that assumes that it's on time.)

Returning, personally I would not chose SAC. For one thing, the scheduled arrival is around 6 am! And also breakfast service in the Dining Car does not begin until the wheels turn upon departing SAC. I also would not continue all the way to EMY. I would connect at either Davis (DAV) or Martinez (MTZ). Both DAV and MTZ are guaranteed connections!

 

[fairviewroad]

Note: If its Warm the Sacrmento Station isnt Air Conditioned and can be Unpleasant while waiting!

Even in Sacramento, I doubt it would be so warm in December as to make waiting in the station uncomfortable.

 

[JoeRids]

Westbound, I would make the change in EMY, if the Zephyr is on time you would have a few hours to take an Amtrak bus or BART into San Fran, if nothing else for dinner and a quick look around. I read there is a free shuttle bus between EMY and the nearest BART stop, or I think the agent can sell you an Amtrak bus ticket across the bay, even though it is meant for connecting passengers only.

 

[Notelvis]

If you have the time to spend an extra night in the Sacramento area, I would consider getting off the westbound CZ there, checking in to the Vagabond Inn right across the street from the train station, sightsee that afternoon, have a nice dinner, and then the following morning do the railroad museum and maybe catch an afternoon train on down to Emeryville and get the Coast Starlight there.

The eastbound CZ leaves Sacramento too early to allow a decent visit to the railroad museum.

 

[SP&S]

Note: If its Warm the Sacrmento Station isnt Air Conditioned and can be Unpleasant while waiting!

Even in Sacramento, I doubt it would be so warm in December as to make waiting in the station uncomfortable.

It may have changed but the Sacramento depot used to the the de facto homeless shelter. Cold and drafty too in December with broken doors. If somebody cared it could be made nice but it's obvious that any civic pride doesn't extend to it.

 

[CHamilton]

The Sacramento station is actually being renovated. When I was there a few weeks ago, it was full of scaffolding and not very pleasant, since the waiting room remains open while the work is in progress. But it will get air conditioning for the first time, and should be very nice when the work is done. AU member Blackwolf gave me a tour, and told me about what's planned.

 

[June the Coach Rider]

When I was in Sacramento in July, it was very hot, they did have large fans, but still no A/C. I actually preferred SAC to EMY because it seemed more comfortable in the neighborhood. It may have been just me, but as a disabled older lady, I felt like I could comfortably sit outside where in EMY I did not.

I know the jail is close to the SAC station, but I saw no signs of the homeless and I was there for several hours from the CZ to the CS, even late at night I felt safe.

 

[tomfuller]

Westbound hope that the CZ is on time or close to it and get off in Sacramento. Head directly for the California Railroad Museum http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=668

Stay until they close at 5 PM. There are several good restaurants in Old Town Sacramento also within walking distance. Carry only 1 carry on bag off the train and check your other baggage to be put on the northbound CS. After you have a good meal in Old Sac, you may want to walk as far east as the west side of the Capitol grounds. From the Capitol, walk north as far as Caesar Chavez Park and then west to the Westfield Mall. Be back to the station before 11 PM.

My wife and I will be taking an Amtrak trip on these trains in December but in opposite direction. (CMO>SAC>BRL) Dec 3-6 and (BRL>SAC>CMO)Dec 16-19.

The other station that I have sat at and taken a walk from is Martinez. This was when we rode the San Joaquin to MTZ and then had to wait hours for the northbound CS.

 

[the_traveler]

The other station that I have sat at and taken a walk from is Martinez. This was when we rode the San Joaquin to MTZ and then had to wait hours for the northbound CS.

If you took the SJ, why not take it to EMY, OKJ or SJC to connect to the CS? :huh: I'm not saying anything bad about MTZ (I love the station! ) but you could board the CS earlier and maybe have dinner on it too!

 

[tomfuller]

We were on the last SJ that arrived a little before 9PM at MTZ (no bus to SAC from STK). I walked out and found a geocache near the only beaver dam in Martinez while my wife sat with the bags in the station.

The SJ trains run on time a lot more often than the CS.

 

[chakk]

Note: If its Warm the Sacrmento Station isnt Air Conditioned and can be Unpleasant while waiting!

Even in Sacramento, I doubt it would be so warm in December as to make waiting in the station uncomfortable.

In December, both Sacramento and Davis are susceptible to Tule Fog -- especially if it rained hard a day or two before your arrival. This could make for a bone-chilling cold. So, I would concur with planning to change from the CS to the CZ at either Davis or Martinez. Both have coffee shops and window-shopping opportunities near the Amtrak station.

 

[fairviewroad]

Note: If its Warm the Sacrmento Station isnt Air Conditioned and can be Unpleasant while waiting!

Even in Sacramento, I doubt it would be so warm in December as to make waiting in the station uncomfortable.

In December, both Sacramento and Davis are susceptible to Tule Fog -- especially if it rained hard a day or two before your arrival. This could make for a bone-chilling cold. So, I would concur with planning to change from the CS to the CZ at either Davis or Martinez. Both have coffee shops and window-shopping opportunities near the Amtrak station.

"Bone-chilling cold." Perhaps, but I was responding to the point that there is no A/C.

Anyhow, the last time I changed in SAC was in January (of 2010) and I recall the heat running full blast, to the point

of driving my wife and I outdoors. I don't recall it being a de facto homeless shelter either, but having lived in large

cities perhaps I don't get bothered by that sort of thing as easily.

 

[PaulM]

There's nothing to see in Emeryville, apart from staring out at the Bay.

A blanket statement like that says more about the poster than about Emeryville.

When we made the CZ to northbound CS connection recently, the deciding factor was the CS's scheduled 9:54PM arrival in EMY vs. 11:59PM in SAC. But it turned out to be one of the more enjoyable layovers in memory.

Maybe it is just that we are from the Midwest, but we found biking out to Emeryville's Marina Park and along the SF Bay bike trail to the Berkeley Yacht Harbor very enjoyable, certainly a competitor to Chicago's Lakefront Path. We belong to the "If you've seen one mall, you've seen 'em all" club. But we did enjoy having supper at the food court in the mall just across from the station. The elevator at the end of the platform up to a pedestrian bridge over the tracks makes all this feasible even if you are on foot.

It all seemed pretty much middle - upper middle class to me. Now as you get about a half a mile east of the station, it becomes more down-scale; and the "Is it safe?" posters might not feel comfortable.

My only gripe with EMY was the low level of lighting in the station, making it hard to read.

If we are transferring from CZ to CS southbound where you need to stay overnight, then our choice is Davis for the reasons other posters have mentioned.