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Amtrak's Coast Starlight train is one of my favorite trains I've ever ridden. That's not saying much, considering how bad passenger rail is in the US, but still: as far as transit in California goes, this is basically the best there is. The Coast Starlight is relatively cheap compared to a plane ticket or gas, and it's an extremely fun and comfortable way to travel long distances. Those distances are an issue, though. From San Jose to Los Angeles, which is the leg of the route that I've taken the most, takes 11 hours. That's basically a full day of travel: 10am to 9pm, you're on the train. That's not a deal-breaker for me - I'm a freak who likes long flights and long car rides and, apparently, long train rides - but it definitely does make flights more appealing in comparison sometimes. With that said, the Coast Starlight has a ton to offer that plane travel doesn't.'

For one, it's a really really comfortable way to travel. I always buy the cheapest coach seat that I can, because no matter your assigned seat, you can sit in the Observation Car for as long as you want. The Observation Car has floor-to-ceiling windows, booth seats with tables and outlets, plush seats facing out the windows, and a full cafe on the lower level of the car. I never spend any time in my assigned seat, I'm always in the Observation Car for the whole trip. It's more comfortable and spacious than the actual seats, the windows are much bigger so it's easier to have a good view of the scenery, you can set up at a table instead of working on your lap, and it's actually a good way to meet people! Usually there won't be a full open table, so you'll have to sit next to someone at first, but most people don't stay in the Observation Car for long so after a while you'll probably get the table to yourself. I'm a pretty introverted person so the first few times I rode the Coast Starlight I was a little bit uncomfortable just walking up to someone and making conversation, but now I just consider it part of the journey.

The food in the cafe car is also really cheap for the quality - I can usually get a sandwich, a bag of chips, and a soda for about $10, which is honestly cheaper than anything I could find off the train in LA or San Jose. They've got a good variety of meals, drinks, and snacks, so I always make sure to get something, especially if I'm on a longer trip!

San Jose to Los Angeles

Because my family lives near San Jose and I go to school in Los Angeles, this is the portion of the Coast Starlight route that I've taken the most. I definitely tend to feel the length by the end of it, but it's still (in my opinion) more comfortable than the hassle of air travel. Diridon Station in San Jose is small and pretty hard to get lost in, so you basically just show up to the station, line up on the platform once the train pulls in, and you're ready to go. There's always a decent crowd boarding in San Jose so I wouldn't be surprised if you have to share a table with someone in the Observation Car at first, but I've always managed to find a seat. To be honest, the scenery immediately south of San Jose is... not great. It's a lot of dry farmland and junkyards and factories for a while, but once you get out of the central valley later it starts to get really pretty.

If you do this leg (going south) around July or even into autumn, you're in store for a completely ridiculous sunset right as the train travels along the coast - in fact, along a portion of the California coast that isn't accessible to the public any other way. This coastal portion of the route, between Lompoc and Santa Barbara passes through a Space Force base (??), which obviously you can't just walk into as a private citizen. So not only will you see a beautiful sunset, not only will you see it over the Pacific, but you'll see it over a nearly untouched and usually inaccessible portion of the California coast (make sure to move to the right side of the train when the sun starts getting low, if you want the best view!). If you take the Coast Starlight closer to January, unfortunately, the sun will set just a bit before you reach the water. And that does mean that you're going to be spending a good chunk of the ride with complete darkness outside - so you won't be able to watch the scenery, which might make the ride feel longer. But, the entire rest of the ride before that will be beautiful and green, thanks to the winter rains. By April, that's usually dried into the solid brown and yellow that you'll see for most of the rest of the year.

Los Angeles to Seattle

The whole route. I've only done this once, and it was a few years ago now so I don't remember all the details that well. On this trip I stayed in a sleeper car, so I got to experience what sleeping on the train and having my own private room was like, as well as having the included meals in the dining car. The particular train that I was on happened to get stuck behind an avalanche in the middle of rural Washington, so we were stuck for about eight hours while the tracks were cleared of snow and rock. This meant that the usual meal service was interrupted and the staff had to start getting... "creative" with what they were serving for meals. But everyone was a good sport about it, and the food was never bad! I also liked the fact that you get seated with other people at your table to maximize space in the dining car. It's always interesting to meet the other passengers and learn about where they're from. I remember one meal in particular I sat with a woman from Taiwan whose hobby is going on long train trips - but Taiwan is such a small island that the longest train she can take there is only four hours! She described taking a five-day train across Sibera where she couldn't see anything out the window for two full days because of the snow...

Well, avalanches and snowstorms aside, the Coast Starlight isn't quite that extreme - and, thankfully, you can see out the window, which is great because some of the scenery in Washington and Oregon is really beautiful! In particular I remember waking up and catching a glimpse of Mount Shasta (I think it was Mount Shasta?) through the curtains on my window. There's also a portion where the train tracks run right along an enormous lake, with huge pine trees all around the shore. I'd definitely recommend the northern part of the route if you're interested in the scenery, although it's not quite as useful for actual transportation considering how far apart everything is...

Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo

This is the only weekend trip I've ever done on the Coast Starlight - from LA to SLO on thursday morning, and from Paso Robles (the next town over from SLO) to LA on Sunday afternoon. It's definitely a different feeling than the full day SJ-LA or even LA-Seattle trip. With only a couple hours on the train, the travel fatigue doesn't quite set in as much. And, the route between LA and SLO does have some of my favorite scenery - namely, some of the best ocean views in California (read the San Jose to LA section for more info). Going north, the timing isn't quite right to see the sunset - you'll get into SLO around 2pm. But, before then, you'll have some a nice unobstructed mid-day view of the Pacific. In my experience the weather can be pretty hazy around that time, but it should clear up the further north you go (of course, YMMV!). And arriving to SLO in the early afternoon leaves you with plenty of time to get settled wherever you're staying and explore the town a little bit :). Overall, even though I've only done this specific trip once, I'd recommend it if you're curious about the Coast Starlight but don't want to commit to a full day of travel.

Paso Robles to Los Angeles

I took this on my way back from SLO, and it's definitely got its ups and downs. On the one hand, taking this in October will give you the PERFECT view of the sunset along the coast (at least, if your train is an hour late like mine was :) ). But you'll be in darkness for everything after that - and the one time I took this route, the train ran over a person on the tracks! We were stuck there for about four hours, just a couple hundred feet before the Santa Barbara station, until the police and coroners were done with their work and the train could pull forward into the station. Then we were all transferred to the Pacific Surfliner for the rest of the trip. It wasn't particulary well organized or clear what we were meant to be doing, but obviously I can't hold it against the employees - considering the situation they did a great job.