Scary Plane Guide to Traveling by Train on the Coast Starlight – This Is Oregon

If you're already afraid of flying, this isn't the year to travel.

First, there was a pilot who was charged with trying to crash a plane that was diverted to Portland International Airport. And, of course, a door plug fell off a plane somewhere over Washington County. Since then, I've seen many news articles that have convinced me that my fear of flying isn't so far-fetched after all.

So last month, I took a six-day round trip on Amtrak from Portland, down to Los Angeles on the scenic Coast Starlight, then east to Houston, Texas, on the Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited. .

I flew first class on all trains except for one night, a sleeper car with a private room with meals.

My train trip cost a total of about $3,000. A round trip ticket would have been around $500.

Was it worth it? For those who have severe anxiety about flying. Here's what you can expect on a cross-country trip on Amtrak, and some tips we've learned along the way.

Boarding

The biggest difference between traveling by plane and traveling by train is the boarding experience.

As someone who “arrives at the airport 2 hours before my flight” I didn’t need to stress out at the station. Arriving 15 minutes before departure is plenty of time.

When it's time to board, walk to the train and have your ticket scanned. No security checks, no shoes removed, no one looking at my luggage. I never even showed my ID. (Just to be clear, police dogs actually patrolled the lounge at Union Station in Los Angeles.)

view

The Coast Starlight Route has 30 stops along 1,377 miles from Seattle to Los Angeles, traversing Oregon's Cascade Mountains, passing through Klamath Falls and Sacramento, and finally along the Pacific Ocean in Southern California. . Travel time from Portland to LA is approximately 30 hours.

Coast Starlight's claim to fame is its lounge car, available to all train passengers. It has huge curved windows that reach all the way to the ceiling, perfect for taking in the views.

(An added bonus for those who feel claustrophobic on planes is that all the large windows double as emergency exits.)

The train passes golf courses and prisons, orchards and oil rigs, cities and small towns. It's a great way to see the diversity of this country.

There's a shared sense of awe and camaraderie in the lounge car, with everyone whipping out their phones in unison or beckoning for the best view. You can see this kind of scenery on both sides of the train. If you see a steep slope outside your window, turn around. There should be breathtaking cliffs and views on the other side.

In Oregon, it passes Willamette Falls in Oregon City and the Fifth Street Public Market in downtown Eugene. In the small town of Westfir, you can see his 1944 office covered bridge spanning the North Fork Middle Fork Willamette River before climbing the mountain.

To get a west-facing seat in the lounge car, there's one section you'll want to plan ahead of time. The railroad tracks between Santa Barbara and Ventura run along the ocean.

Another thing about Amtrak is that you cannot reserve seats or rooms on specific sides of the train. Vehicles can be towed in either direction, so the reservation agent will not know on the day of your trip whether you will be heading east or west. If you don't like the view out of your car window, check out our lounge cars.

meal

Sleeper car reservations include meals in the dining car, but they can also be purchased from the coach. Breakfast is $20, lunch is $25 and dinner is $45.

Each booth in the dining car seats four people and can be used during dinner if there aren't four people in your party. This was my favorite part of the trip. It's about eating with different strangers for every meal. But if you don't like that, sleeper travelers can also have their meals delivered to their room. I also heard the crew offering to deliver meals to people sitting in their seats on the bus.

Compared to airplane meals, train meals are more expensive. First, we will serve it on a real plate. We had fresh salads, vegetarian pasta dishes, burgers, and an amazing blueberry cheesecake.

The train also had a cafe car, where anyone could purchase snacks, hot meals, and drinks, including alcohol. Cash and cards are accepted.

First class vs coach

If you can afford it, it's well worth upgrading to a sleeper for multi-day trips. For most of the trip, we took the roomette, which was just enough for him to be a single person, but might be tough for two people. This can be especially difficult if one of the travelers has mobility. Her two seats facing each other recline to form a narrow cot. A second cot can be folded down from the upper bunk. Car attendants will provide turndown service and set up mattresses, blankets, and pillows.

I spent two days in the family room at the Texas Eagle. This room is designed to accommodate 4 people, but is completely luxurious for one person. The room spanned the entire width of the train and had two windows. There were no private toilets or showers in either space, but the shared facilities in the sleeping cars were adequate.

I didn't get a chance to stay in the bedroom, but it has two beds, a window, a sink, and a small bathroom with a combined shower and toilet.

Overnight bus travel is not recommended. You can get up and walk around, sit at a table in a cafe, or get some air in a lounge car, but you end up spending the whole night trying to sleep next to a stranger.

If you are traveling in a sleeper car, book your tickets well in advance. I had a hard time finding a room during Coast Starlight.

Amtrak's website only allows you to book either bus or first class while on the train, but rooms may be available on shorter legs. I wasn't able to book a roomette from Los Angeles to Portland, but I later learned that there were rooms available from Sacramento to Portland. If you can't find what you're looking for online, call 1-800-USA-RAIL to speak to an Amtrak agent.

railway culture

Air travel is a means to an end. I can't believe there are people who enjoy flying. They do it because they want to be somewhere else, and that place isn't the cabin of a Boeing 747.

However, most first class train travelers come here for their journey. I have met many retirees who have the time (and financial resources) to travel slowly around this country. Some traveled the railroad for weeks at a time, stopping in various cities. One of my fellow passengers, Linda Gruber from California, told me that the train was the most romantic way to travel.

“I worked for American Airlines for many years,” she said. “And I've been on just about every type of flight you can imagine, including flights around the world. But when you're on a train, you see the land, the countryside, you meet the locals, it's much more adventurous. It makes you feel relaxed.

Under the right circumstances, most people are happy to chat. I had great and engaging conversations with all of my dining companions. However, those conversations were required to last 30 minutes. I was reluctant to even make eye contact with the woman who had been sitting with me on the bus for 24 hours. No one wants to open that Pandora's box.

something to bring with

Amtrak's website advertises “Free Wi-Fi on trains!” However, you'll have to check the fine print to see which trains, and these trains don't include the Coast Starlight, Texas Eagle, or Sunset Limited.

Not only is there no Wi-Fi, but cell phone service is often unavailable as well.

Accepting this is actually quite liberating.

Please bring some books.

Other things to bring:

●An extension cord with multiple outlets. This is useful both in passenger cabins (which have one outlet) and in buses where there may be an outlet on the opposite side of your seatmate.

– A small bill as a tip to the staff, especially if it's a sleeper. Flight attendants will lower your bed each night and arrange dining car reservations. There is also a server for each meal.

– Flip-flops for the shower, just like in my college dorm days. Only showers are available in sleeping cars, but coaches also have toilets and changing rooms, and space to change clothes.

– Please bring your own blanket and pillow while on the bus. It is installed only in sleeping cars. Please wear comfortable shoes inside the coach or bring slippers over your socks. Don't be the one who doesn't wear shoes. Hmm.

– Amtrak allows you to check two 50-pound carry-ons (each up to 28 x 22 x 14 inches) and personal items such as briefcases and backpacks at no additional charge. If you're taking the train for multiple nights, pack what you need in your own bag and check in or store large items in the luggage rack. I learned the hard way that large suitcases cannot fit into the room net. An Amtrak employee offered to leave my luggage in Portland while I rode the bus. That way I didn't have to worry about someone grabbing my bag from the luggage rack during a random stop.

Take-out

There's a lot to see on your Amtrak trip. You can stretch your legs between cars and during a few short stops along the way.

““Slow travel” is expensive and time consuming, but it's a great option if you can't stand the stress of flying.

— Samantha Swindler covers the feature for The Oregonian/OregonLive; this is oregon.please contact her sswindler@oregonian.com.

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