[img]396|left|Alex Campbell||no_popup[/img]The Train
[img]643|left|||no_popup[/img] I’m on the Amtrak Coast Starlight train from Oakland to San Luis Obispo. Traveling by train in California is very different from doing it in New England. The trains in CA don’t run as frequently, and they don’t make as many stops. Well, on this train, anyway. I think it’s a special train.
I got an assigned seat, #51. The seats are extremely spacious, with lots of leg room. I can’t even reach the leg rest. No one has been assigned to the seat next to me so far, so I think I may stretch out and get comfortable.
Announcement: “Tickets will be taken soon, please have them out, along with an ID.” The lady who assigned me the seat was the same one who was taking tickets. Don’t you know she passed right by me and collected all of the tickets of my fellow passengers. Am I destined to be ignored on all modes of transportation on this vacation? When she got to the end of the car, I stood up and asked if she was coming back. I waved my ticket in her face. She said, “Oh, I didn’t see you.” When she came to where I was, she said, “Oh, right, San Luis Obispo!” I told her I just wanted to be counted. Sheesh.
The lounge area on this train is unbelievable. The windows go all the way to the top, and there are huge armchairs that face the window. It feels like you’re on the Starship Enterprise in the middle of a greenhouse. There are senior volunteers in the lounge. They’re from the Klondike Gold Rush National Park, and will give you information on places we’ll be passing through. Wow! All this for fifty bucks! We need some of this on the Boston-to-New York line.
We just passed the San Francisco 49ers doing their workout. Cool! And the rest of the view is…less than stellar. Right now, all that’s visible are auto body shop parking lots. Guess I’ll go back to my seat.
Announcement: “There’s a lost pair of reading glasses. If you find a pair that does not belong to you, bring it to the dining car.” I like the way the man clarifies “if they don’t belong to you.” Like you’ll find a pair and say, “Oh, well, these belong to me, so I guess I don’t have to bring them down to the dining car. These other ones, however, do not belong to me…”
They let kids announce the station stops! Some little kid just said, “Now arriving, San Jose.” It’s The USS Enterprise, a greenhouse, and Disneyland all in one. Amazing!
Will I Be Forgiven?
I just looked over at the woman across the aisle from me. She has her legs resting on a padded foot rest under her seat. Do I have one of those? I do! I pull it all the way out. Goodness sakes’ alive, I am now in a dentist’s chair. This is the most bizarre and wonderful train trip I have ever taken in America, and I’m only an hour in. What adventures await me in the next five hours?
Down to the Café car for lunch. Not many choices. Even though I’ve eaten tacos, ice cream, white rice, a cupcake and pie on my CA trip so far, I wait until now to pray to the South Beach gods and ask their forgiveness for the hot dog I’m about to eat. It’s on a bun the size of a hoagie sandwich, microwaved until scalding. The older woman who is now sitting next to me has just eaten “what was left in the fridge”—a can of tuna, a carrot, a cucumber, and an apple. She’s finished it all and is now doing cross stitch. She’s creating, I’m kvetching.
Back in the lounge car to soak up the sunshine. Much better view! Rolling hills and lots of trees. The woman to my left makes a comment about the view and says, “It’s a great day to be alive, isn’t it?” Who are these people?? I need to bottle up some of that positive attitude for back home.
We’re moving slowly. Since the seats are facing the window, you feel as though you’re going sideways, like the trams at the Bronx Zoo. At any moment, I expect the volunteers to point out African wildlife. “If you look closely, you’ll see the dik dik, a small deer native to East Africa…” Ha! I just saw four deer (not the dik dik) running through a field. What is this, some kind of magic ride?
When you walk through the cars, you feel like you’ve had too much to drink because of all the swaying. I hope the conductors haven’t had too much; they just announced “Now arriving Santa Barbara…” three times, except that we’re really arriving in San Luis Obispo. Some poor guy got up and said, “What happened to San Luis?” It’s here, my stop. If you’re even in the state of California, I highly recommend this train trip. Expect the unexpected.
Ms. Campbell may be contacted at campbellalexandra@hotmail.com
