COAST STARLIGHT EXCURSION: Oakland to Los Angeles by Train, Guest Post by Gretchen Woelfle

Around the bend with the Coast Starlight train, California

My friend and fellow children's book writer Gretchen Woelfle recently took the train from Oakland to Los Angeles, a scenic trip and opportunity to see parts of California not available any other way. Here is her report.

My son and daughter had been urging me for years to take the train from the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles, but chained to my car as I am, I never did. Then, a few months ago I got a ride north, and finally took their advice for the trip south. Amtrak offers several options involving train/bus links and but I chose the non-stop train from Jack London Square in Oakland to Union Station in Los Angeles.  This is the Coast Starlight – such nostalgic names trains still have.  Somehow “flight #xxx” doesn’t have the same ring.

Amtrak Station, Jack London Square, Oakland, CA

We left on time at 8:50 a.m. The conductor steered me toward the end carriages, assuring me that they were “cleaned up.”  The middle was full of passengers still asleep or just waking up from the long journey that began in Seattle or Portland.  Wide-awake in a rear carriage, I peeked into the backyards of working class and industrial Oakland, before we finally left the urban scene and reached the country.

California coastal hills

The twelve-hour ride should be seen as an excursion, certainly not the quickest way to get to Los Angeles. Driving on Interstate 5 takes about half the time, but most of those hours are certainly not scenic.  Route 101 is prettier, and Route 1, through Big Sur, prettiest of all. (Though if you’re driving you keep your eyes on the road to avoid plunging off cliffs.)

Quarry along the tracks

The Coast Starlight takes you into country not seen from a highway. We passed a vast quarrying operation and oil wells that loomed up in the middle of golden hill country. We rode right up against some of those hills, so close I could almost touch them if the windows opened.

Oil Wells

The train itself was sleek and pristine. Double decker cars offered great views, and an observation car with skylights opened up the sky as well as the land. I struck up a conversation with two people in the seats in front of me, since I was curious about the huge video camera he was hauling around. Turns out he was an advance scout for a British television series for ITV, Billy Connolly’s Tracks Across America, with the Scottish actor traveling 6000 miles through twenty-six states. I don’t know when it will air, but a book is due out in September, 2016.

A stop at San Luis Obispo was long enough to stretch my legs and take a shot of The Iron Road Pioneers, a sculpture honoring the Chinese who helped to build the railroad. Then back on the train for the final run to the coast.

Sculpture of Chinese railroad workers, San Luis Obispo

When it came time for an afternoon cup of tea, I discovered that the snack bar wasn’t up to much more than a cup of tea, but come dinnertime, the service was lovely. Conductors took reservations and since I was traveling alone, I was seated with a young mother and her son, who travel the route twice a month. The food was excellent. During dinner I watched the sun set in the Pacific near Santa Barbara, and we pulled into the grand and glorious Union Station at 9:00 p.m. 

Sunset over the Pacific from the dining car

Many of the old train stations around the country have been renovated to their original elegance, but Los Angeles’s Union Station, with its Spanish-inspired tile work and landscaped courtyards, remains my favorite. 

Union Station, Los Angeles

 To keep my carbon footprint as small as possible, I took the local bus home, landing within a block of my house, at 11:00. It was a leisurely excursion indeed.

For more information:

Amtrak Coast Starlight: https://www.amtrak.com/coast-starlight-train

The Iron Road Pioneers: http://www.discover-central-california.com/iron-road-pioneers-sculpture.html

Billy Connolly’s Tracks Across America: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780751564136

More from Caroline about riding the Coast Starlight:
Last summer, Art's brother and his wife, enthusiastic train aficionados, took the Coast Starlight as a round trip from Oakland to Los Angeles and loved every minute of it. (They stayed overnight at a hotel in downtown Los Angeles before returning the next day.) They told us that one of the things they liked best was the talks by Trails and Rails National Park volunteers about the various sights along the way.

THE U.S.S. POTOMAC: FDR’s “Floating White House”, Port of Oakland, CA

The USS Potomac, FDR's Presidential Yacht, docked in Oakland, CA

The USS Potomac, a 165-foot vessel originally built for the Coast Guard, served as Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Presidential yacht from 1936 to 1945.  After his death, it was sold and changed hands numerous times–one of the owners was Elvis Presley!-- and in the process made its way to San Francisco Bay. It fell into neglect and was almost sold for scrap before it was rescued by the Port of Oakland, which spearheaded a cooperative effort to restore it to its former glory. It is now a National Historic Landmark.  The yacht, furnished as it would have been in FDR’s time, is berthed at Jack London Square in the Port of Oakland and open for dockside tours and cruises on the Bay.

On a recent trip to Oakland I went with friends to tour the Potomac at Jack London Square. (It has been open for tours since 1990 and I am amazed that I never got around to doing this before!)  It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect to be by the water.  We went first to the Visitor Center (540 Water Street) where we bought tickets for the tour and watched a 15-minute video with background and historical photos and movies of FDR.  This included FDR’s entertaining the King and Queen of England on the “first ever” historic visit of a reigning British monarch to the United States.

A sailor's trunk.

Our guide then took us across the street to the dock for our tour of the boat. (All tours and maintenance of the USS Potomac is done by the non-profit volunteer organization the Potomac Association.)  Starting with the service area of the ship, our guide then took us through every part of the ship from the staterooms to the engine rooms and captains quarters. In the service quarters we saw the bunks where the sailors slept (which folded down from the walls) and a trunk packed with the required clothing.  “Standards for Uniform Storage”, a list for proper folding and placing of items, was tacked to top of the trunk.  For example:
 1.  Dungaree pants - Leading edge should face front of locker with crotch on left.  
3.  Undershirts - leading edge should face left with thin, thick, thick, thin folds facing front of locker. 
13. Shoes - (shined and tied) Left to right.  Dress shoes, work shoes (boondockers), tennis shoes and shower slippers, with toes toward locker.
Clearly, nothing was to be left to chance.

 

Doorway to the elevator.

While we went up and down the rather steep stairways between decks, we learned that FDR used a special elevator which was constructed for him inside one of the smokestacks.  It was just big enough for him and his wheelchair and was operated by hand. (The engine room was reconfigured so all smoke was routed through the other smokestack.)

The Presidential suite was surprisingly simple and designed so that FDR could manage everything by himself.  The public areas where the President relaxed and entertained guests were gracious, but not overly ornate.  Apparently Roosevelt liked to use the yacht as a place where he could relax with friends, go fishing, and get away from the hectic life of Washington.  As we toured the yacht, photos helped us imagine FDR on one of his cruises.

Looking into the sitting area at the back of the boat

Our tour was supposed to take 45 minutes but actually lasted a bit longer because we asked so many questions and our tour guide was so knowledgeable.  Someday I’d like to go back and take one of the longer trips around the Bay.

For information about tours of the USS Potomac contact the the Potomac Association.

The Potomac Association Visitor Center
540 Water Street
Oakland, CA 94607
Telephone: 510-627-1215