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Amtrak California Transit Adventures

Finishing the Red Line, Select+ Still Doesn’t Get You a Preferred Seat in LA and Spending the $160 on a Roomette for Actual Sleep to Tucson

I walk into Los Angeles Union Station–(11 total photos) after coming down from Sacramento on the Claremont Bus via the San Joaquin and immediately walk through the waiting room with its historic comfy benches that has been corded off to keep the homeless out and fully enforce the “ticketed passengers only” policy. Private security guards are around […]

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Amtrak Rockies Region Transit Adventures

A Roomette’s Good Night’s Sleep Through Nevada from Salt Lake City to Truckee to Snowless Squaw Valley

Introduction: The original plan when me and my Dad planned this segment of the trip back in November was to ski Alta for two days and then ski Squaw Valley for two days, take an Amtrak Roomette to Truckee and then ski Squaw Valley for two days. These two ski areas are both included on […]

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Finishing CA to an AGR Roomette

A Lazy Day Across Montana on the Hi-Line – Made Extra Fun with Amtrak Provided Wine

I wake up again at 5:52 at a siding in Libby, not the actual station. A freight passes we continue. We then proceed into the station, arriving at 5:58, all I see is concrete and the tactile warning strip on the platform looking down at the top of the window. My friend is fast asleep, (he […]

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Finishing CA to an AGR Roomette

Champagne and a Surprisingly Good Cold Dinner Through the Spectacular Columbia River Gorge – E.B. Evening 1

We return at 4:22 to the lounge exactly as boarding begins for our Sleeper Car on the Portland Section of the Empire Builder. We walk back out and onto the platform to the trainset we walked by earlier that was already sitting in the station. Luggage is getting loaded into the Coach/Baggage. The attendant isn’t […]

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Finishing CA to an AGR Roomette

Awaking to Mount Shasta and Through the Southern Cascades to a Wine Tasting and On Time Arrival in Portland

At 2:11am I wake up briefly south of Chico, I’ve a manged the sleep through the service stop at Sac! I see something that looks line white plastic along the line. At 5:42 I wake up in misty mountains, I look at my phone and realize Shasta is on the other side of the train. […]

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Finishing CA to an AGR Roomette

Day 1 on the Coast Starlight Pacific Parlour Car: Luxury Up the California Coast With Amtrak Provided Wine and Champaign

I get to LA and find the TRAX Lounge getting set up. I head over and don’t find wifi. I head back and sit on the ground outside Starbucks, the busy terminal moving all around me to upload some more blog posts. Then I go for a walk and return to TRAX around 9:00. The […]

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Finishing CA to an AGR Roomette

A Short Night Sleeping Better than in Coach on the Chief from Flagstaff to Los Angeles

I return to the Flagstaff Train Station at the stroke of 8:30 as I’ve checked that the trains late. The reason I returned at 8:30 is because the friendly ticket agent asked me to return at that time. She immediately says that as she expected the train has encountered some freight traffic and is running […]