The Bay to LA: Is taking the train really an option?
Advice on how to get the most out of your travels!
| Option | Total Cost (2 ppl RT) | Travel Duration | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airplane | $650
|
5 hours (1.5 hour flight, leave 1.5 hour before, 2 hours from landing to destination in Ventura County) |
|
|
| Car | $200
|
6-10 hours depending on traffic |
|
|
| Train | $425
|
10 hours (1 hour drive to San Jose station, 9 hour train, 10 minute drive to mother-in-law’s house) |
|
|
After considering the pros and cons, we decided to try out the train. The train made the most sense for us for several reasons: (1) we had the flexibility to take Wednesday off so could handle the 10 hour travel time. (2) My mother-in-law lives in Simi Valley which actually has it’s own train stop, making this option much more convenient than LAX or even Burbank airports. (3) Both my husband and I love trains and wanted to be able to both relax during the journey. (4) Despite my affinity for travel, I am a nervous flyer, taking flying out of the equation significantly reduced my overall stress level. See below for a detailed account of the journey; use the links to jump ahead to a specific section.
Train Experience
Station and Ticket Choice
Getting to the Train
Train Experience
Our train car had Roommettes on the first floor and the second floor. We had a second floor room on the way down and a first floor room on the way back. It is unclear if there is a way to reserve a specific location for your room; the views from the second floor were a bit better but not by a ton.
Roomette for two
Each section of the train had one or two bathrooms. The bathroom in our section was surprisingly spacious. Across from the bathroom was a station with fresh fruit, coffee and bottles of water.
Bathroom Sink
Once you are settled an Amtrak official will come by to check your tickets and provide you with lunch and dinner reservations. When your reservation is called, you head to the dining car and order from the limited, but surprisingly edible menu.
White table clothed dining
In between meals my husband and I gazed out the window, spent some time in the beautiful Parlour Car and turned our Roommette into a bed to watch a movie I had downloaded to my iPad in preparation for the journey. Note that wifi is only available in the Parlour Car.
Parlour Car with observation windows
Our train ride south was timed perfectly to watch the sun set over the ocean. After the San Luis Obispo station the train heads to the coast. My husband and I decided this was the perfect time to crack open a bottle of nice wine and watch the sun go down.
Toasting a day on the rails
Finally, only 4 minutes behind schedule, we walked off the train at the Simi Valley station, only a 10 minute drive from our final destination!
A world away from LAX
Station and Ticket Choice
The daily Coast Starlight train leaves the San Jose station at 10:07 am. Leaving from Oakland is also an option but the train leaves at 8:50 am, for us, we could leave at 8:45 am from our house in San Francisco and still easily make the 10:07 am San Jose departure. Departure city was settled, now for the ticket options. With a 10% AAA discount, advance purchase round trip ticket was $100 ($49.50 each way). The “Roommette” charge was $100 each way. That means that for $400 total we could get 2 RT tickets and a Roommette each direction. The Roommette is a small enclosed room with two seats that can recline into a bed, along with a bunk that can come down from the top. By purchasing the Roommette, you buy yourself into the first class/sleep section which means that both lunch and dinner are complimentary and you have access to the upscale “Parlour Car” and “Movie Theater”. With an average lunch cost of $15/person and average dinner cost of $25/person, that is $80 value of food, the upcharge for the Roommette is therefore only $20 each direction. Our mind was made up! Two roundtrip Roommette tickets from San Jose, please!
Getting to the Train
We left our apartment in San Francisco and made it to the San Jose Station in less than an hour. Now, where to park? Research had indicated that there is a free parking lot for Amtrak customers, just continue driving past the entrance of the station and the lot will be to the right, next to the police station. Yes, this lot did indeed exist, the 20 spots, however, were all filled! Worried that our detour to find another parking option would cause us to miss the only train of the day, I was glad to learn that the Amtrak officials had worked out a “solution” to deal with the holiday surge of travelers.
The high tech solution was to park in the Caltrain lot, with a $5/day fee, and then leave, in cash, the amount of money it will cost for you to park for the duration of the trip. The Amtrak staff will then, manually pay $5 for your parking space, every day that you are gone. The Caltrain lot has a 24 hour parking limit, hence the manual repayment by staff. I was not 100% confident that the staff could pull off such an elaborate task so I asked the official what would happen if my ticket wasn’t paid. He assured me that I would only get a citation, and not get towed, so I was OK with that risk, knowing that I could talk my way out of any potential citation. Here’s hoping Amtrak eventually comes up with a more sustainable solution to the parking demand.
Once in the station we enjoyed a cup of coffee and breakfast burrito at a cute coffee shop – I felt like I was transported back in time to a place where no one stressed about long security lines or air traffic delays. Ten minutes before departure our helpful Amtrak official came and personally escorted us to the platform location where our ticketed train cabin would likely land. He was only off by about 5 feet!
Station entrance
