At Los Angeles Union Station

I left the house at 7:00 am for the Irvine Amtrak station. Sarah Peeler told me the night before that her husband Ryan was to ride the Amtrak century on Saturday morning. I was afraid there would be millions of riders at the station preparing for their journey. I was hoping that the Century ride was not leaving at the same time I was. To my delight they had departed before I arrived. I arrived at the station in plenty of time for my train. The surf liner arrived exactly at 7:46 am. I was off to Union Station.

The ride to Union station really felt short and I noticed that they had painted over all of the graffiti in the river basins as we arrived at the station. If you have never been to union station then you really need to go sometime. The architecture is beautiful and I never get tired of stopping and looking. There is a special room that is off limits to the public and used for movie production. You can look over the rail and check it out.

There was a special area for sleeper car passengers. They check you in and you are offered complimentary beverages. I grabbed a coffee and then was off the bagel shop. At 9:30 am they announced that you could either be taken to the train via a golf cart or walk. I walked to tunnel 10 and up to the train. When I arrived at the train I was directed to the first sleeper car at the front of the train. Good news and bad news. The good news is you are along ways away from people and traffic. The bad news is you are a long way away from everything. Not a big problem but you must walk through about 5 cars to get to the parlor lounge. The parlor lounge is an exclusive car for sleeper car passengers. The parlor car serves a special menu and has a full complement of regional wines. After the parlor car is the dining car where everyone can eat and then the viewing room car. Next comes the observation room in the upper floor with outward facing seats. When you enter a  tunnel it is pitch black through the skyward facing windows.

When I first arrived at the train I left my bag in the room. I was amazed at how small the room was given there is supposed to be 2 bunk beds. I then went out and started a conversation with the car attendant Paul. Not many people were around so we had plenty of time to talk. I asked him about his job and what he sees. Paul works 4 days and then is off 6 days. He only works the coastal starlight and has done for many years. He loves the job and is a real people person. The train left at 10:15 am sharp. I sat in the room for a bit getting acquainted and trying to figure out where everything was. Paul then came by and gave me my complementary sparkling cider. Great stuff. After a bit another attendant came by and gave me my reservation for the dining car. I took the 11:30 am option most familiar to me and my co-workers. I then took off and explored the cars. Paul says this is an excellent time of year to travel. The summer crowd is gone and things slow down. Most of the passengers appear to be older and possibly retired. The pace is very casual, slow and delightful. There is one exception. There is a baby a couple of seats down shaking a rattle like a nut case. We are now at the Simi Valley station. It is really looking hot and dry in the valley.