{"id":3560,"date":"2021-02-28T17:25:25","date_gmt":"2021-03-01T00:25:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marvista.com\/Yukiko\/?p=3560"},"modified":"2021-02-28T22:16:26","modified_gmt":"2021-03-01T05:16:26","slug":"3560","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marvista.com\/Yukiko\/en\/archives\/3560","title":{"rendered":"Head up to San Francisco by train"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Hi there!<\/span><\/p>\n

Days have passed so quickly! It is already March! In <\/span>these<\/span> few weeks, the air temperature is getting higher day by day in here Los Angeles. Also, the days are getting longer than before. The spring season is almost here!\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Well, I would like to introduce a unique way to get to San Francisco from Los Angeles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mostly, tourists get on the plane or rent a car when they head north to San Francisco. We take six hours in the car to get to San Francisco by taking turns driving.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Two years ago, when we planned a trip to San Francisco to see my husband’s relatives, my husband suggested an unusual travel method for California: Get there by train. That is because I said many times that I want to go on a trip on a train with a dining car. I had good memories of enjoying meals on the dining cars many times with my family when I was a child in Japan. I was super excited to hear that it could be done in California too!<\/span><\/p>\n

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The entrance of Union Station.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The route goes north to San Francisco, <\/span>as shown on the map below.\u00a0 The train departs from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles.<\/strong> Then it goes all way up along the coastline\u2014the final destination is Seattle.<\/strong> We get off the train at Oakland Station. From Union Station<\/strong> to Oakland takes about 11hours.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u203bIt takes 35 hours to get to the Seattle station.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u00a0Let get on the train<\/b>\uff01<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The train departs from Union Station, which is downtown, Los Angeles. The station is pretty old. It opened i<\/strong><\/span>n 1939, over 80 years ago!<\/strong> You can see outstanding art deco architecture everywhere inside the building. It is worth it just to see the beautiful station interior. There is a tour called “Union Station Art & Architecture.”<\/strong> Actually, months after we made the train trip, we joined the tour, and we had so much fun.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We now have a local metro train that goes to Union Station from Santa Monica and other West Side areas.\u00a0 So getting to the station is easier than before.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u203b\u00a0Specific information about the <\/b>“Union Station Art & Architecture Tour.”<\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u3000<\/span>\u2193<\/span>\u3000<\/span>\u2193<\/span>\u3000<\/span>\u2193<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.unionstationla.com\/tours<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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An atmosphere that makes you feel the history.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The train is called <\/span>“Coast Starlight,”<\/b> which the AMTRAK company operates. <\/span>This train also has a sightseeing car and a dining car. First, we checked in at the front desk and then we received tickets.<\/span> Now, all that was left was to get on the train. Many passengers are waiting on the platform. I saw some passengers who brought their bikes as well. (<\/span>If you bring your bike, you can stow it as large luggage.\uff09<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u203bThe train fare is about <\/span>\uff04<\/strong>60.00 per person<\/strong>. Please take a look at the specific information from the AMTRAK website, which I posted below.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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These are our tickets.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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I saw some passengers keep their bikes on the storage car like this.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Our train departed at 10:10 am from Union station<\/strong> on time. This train moves extremely slowly. That is why it takes 11 hours to get to San Francisco, as compared to six hours in a car and one hour by plane. So I don’t suggest this method of travel if you don’t have enough time.\u00a0<\/span>\u3000<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The steps to the platform on which our train will depart. A staff checks our tickets.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The train is a double-deck. Our seats were on the top deck. However, after the train departed, we moved to a sightseeing dome car.\u00a0 So we were just seated in these reserved seats for less than an hour, lol.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The first carriage.<\/span><\/p>\n

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This video shows the train comes to the platform.<\/span><\/p>\n