I rode the California Zephyr from Chicago to Sacramento in 1952. I was 4 years old then. I can still remember the smell of the dining car. It was winter time so crossed the sierra's through the many snow sheds. I have always wanted to relive that ride.
I have crossed the country on Amtrak a couple of times. I love the Chicago/SF trip. The roomettes are certainly cozy, but you have just enough time on the train. You get to meet people in the dining room and also on the breaks when you go outside and chat with them. The hard working crews are pleasant and helpful. Traveling along with your video brought back what a wonderful feeling - the beauty and the bigness of this country. You don't get that when you fly.
I agree with you on the pleasure of talking with strangers from various backgrounds. There are a lot of seasoned travelers in the sleeper cars and it's fun to swap stories.
I went from Chicago to Klamath Falls Oregon. It was the trip of a lifetime; magnificent. Nowt,ten years later I hope to go from California to Chicago, my home town. Thanks for this video.
Did this trip on the original CZ. Remember much of it to this day. Train was classic luxury. Scenery was breathtaking. The Vista Dome cars offered an amazing 360 degree view experience.
Thanks for sharing this trip - fantastic views of the west (all those states I have yet to visit between the coasts). Greatly appreciated you letting us enjoy the ambient sounds and your written commentary vs verbal narration. Made it that much more relaxing.
Thank you for taking us along for the trip... loved the scenery! Fun fact: I know the "clown" Martin, he's been a friend of ours for quite a long time. He's just as humorous in real life, besides being on the train.
I really appreciate the format of the video: no words or focus on yourself, well filmed and edited, with authentic sounds and emulates actual experience more than any other person's train trip videos that I've seen. This is the first time I've seen one of yours. I've taken many long Amtrak trips across US, and miss the train since Covid began. Your video brought back the feeling of the trip. I look forward to watching more of your videos. Not sure what you were asking about combining or keeping separate, but I'd like to view separate videos for each train route. Would be great if you recorded round trip, since different scenery available during waking hrs, and to compare/confirm experience.
Thanks for the kind words, Reenah. Most of my trips are one-way but I hope to offer other videos in the future similar to what you're suggesting. I'm thinking maybe the California Zephyr westbound during the winter.
I started the channel two months ago and only have the two videos so far. My goal is to release about one per month. I already have two more recorded and simply need to edit them. Please feel free to subscribe and turn on notifications if you'd like to see them as soon as they're released.
@@thebayrambler it is a great ride but it is a premium train that costs $$$$ All our "great train journeys" now are, the Ghan, the Indian Pacific and the Great Southern. I will say having done the Ghan it is a brilliant trip and the food and service are next level in general so I guess you get what you pay for but you do pay for it! 🤣
I also have taken the Amtrak and used the roomette. Was ok for one person. I would suggest taking a pair of flip flops for when you have to go to the restroom in the middle of the night. On the down side I took the train in August 2021 and nine days later had covid. But, I would do it again in a heart beat. Great video.
Loved the suite, the piano room and the carriage at the end...the Eunos island was a surprise..interesting food ...thanks you tube for these lovely times
Great video! I just completed a round trip on the Zephyr in April and about the nicest compliments I can make are we arrived ahead of schedule on both trips and the scenery was incredible! I rode this same route thirty years ago and it was amazing! However,this time I found the train to be filthy! Not only that,but there was a very unpleasant odor in the sleeper cars and finding a room attendant was difficult. Meals were served Luke warm and on our last days lunch was served from ten thirty until eleven thirty. Many did not get to eat. We had only one section of the trip with any sort of tour guide and that was it. I will go on another trip ,however I was very disappointed on the lack of service on this trip.
Thanks for the thorough feedback from your trip. I'd agree that the cleanliness and service is very dependent on the car attendant who's tied to your room throughout the journey. This might have been one of the older sleeper cars as well. I believe they only have a volunteer docent in the view car between Sacramento and maybe Reno? Short meals can be a possibility when there's a final stop soon. Sorry you didn't enjoy it more but I'm glad you liked the scenery.
Except for an hour or so long coach seat ride between Sacto and Stockton a few months ago, my anticipated trip next summer will be my first ride on Amtrak. I have no idea where or exactly when I'm going -- the concert schedule for June-July isn't set yet -- but videos like this make me really look forward to the experience. I want to make my 65th birthday an amazing experience, and Amtrak and Home Free will certainly make it so. Even if the guys have no shows or go out of the country, I think the beautiful views alone will make it special.
@@AlphaGeekgirl I fell in love with the a cappella group Home Free almost 3 years ago and it took me almost a year to decide to go see them live, then find a convenient venue that had available seats since they were all a hold over from the tour that go interrupted by covid. I flew to Canada for my first show and got Greyhound tickets for the next two shows in California. I never made it to the first show because the damn bus NEVER SHOWED UP. I cancelled the bus ticket for the next one and wet by Amtrak instead. Stateline, NV, Omaha, NE, and Denver, CO held my next three shows, the last one just 3 weeks ago, and I traveled by Amtrak and the rides were wonderful. Much more comfortable and with fabulous views.
I recently took a trip around the country on Amtrak. The westbound Sunset Limited from New Orleans arrived in Los Angeles 7 hours late, but on the other hand, the eastbound Empire Builder from Seattle arrived in Chicago less than 20 minutes late, so you can never tell. I rode roomettes on both trains and on one of them, the bathrooms were bigger. On other trains I traveled in coach and found noise-cancelling headphones to be a must. The food was quite good, though I wish that different trains had different choices related to the regions they travel in, and all the Amtrak personnel were friendly and helpful.
Thanks, James, that's helpful. I tried to keep noise levels accurate in my video. The roomette was really quiet. I agree noise-canceling headphones are useful when stuck in a designated seat in coach. You never know who will be making noise nearby.
We've just done this trip last month first class from Emeryville to Chicago it was excellent. We even had "Mooners" on the upper reaches of the Colorado River. Very entertaining. LOL
Good videography! Thanks for presenting your trip. However you did not show many beautiful and historic landscapes. I did not see any video of the Sierra Nevada route. I have ridden the Zephyr both ways many times and have enjoyed every one of them. If someone wants to make the trip, book a Roomette. This offers an opportunity to take rest breaks during the journey, and riders can visit the lounges or dining and food cars, and meet and greet fellow travelers. And if you have sufficient funds, a full bedroom is the best! That way you can take your family!
You're right, some areas weren't represented as well as others. In the case of the Sierra Nevadas, some of that came down to the afternoon sun hitting dirty windows. The footage wasn't good enough to use.
Denver station was a surprise. I've taken this route three times but this was the first going inside during the stop. I'm looking forward to spending more time there when I take a trip to Denver this winter.
@@thebayrambler I hope the Rails to Trails program with National Park Service volunteers soon. These wonderful folks ride the train with birds watchers charts, nature books on trees and flowers plus history books of the region. That route crosses the Sierra Nevada mountains and Rocky Mountains.
Thanks for noticing the editing. It's not the hardest I've done, but was surprisingly difficult with three days' footage and trying to color grade changing light through the train's window wraps.
@@thebayrambler was very skilled, and also tight in the sense of every shot containing just the perfect amount of the essence of the material. Enjoyed it!
Yes the roomettes are tight for two people. But in our case we were in a Viewliner II on the Lakeshore Limited round trip from Chicago to Albany/Rensselaer a few weeks ago. If we get the chance to take a trip on the Zephyr we will try for 2 roomettes or 1 bedroom. Yes, a description of each type of sleeping arrangement would also be helpful. Put all reviews on one separate video would be my recommendation.
The Zephyr is worth trying if you already like overnight trains It sounds like you'd prefer a video that compares various room types (roomette, bedroom, family) and puts those into one place. I'll give that some consideration.
Looking forward to see the description of each type of sleeping arrangements, please add the costs of each trip. Can we take part of the trip ? Thank you.
@@thebayrambler I did have a portable DVD player for nights but she enjoyed watching the scenery. Plus we played UNO a lot, even with some Amish teenagers. And she met a couple girls her age from South Korea. They spoke no English but they made it work, even building a snowman at the Frasier stop.
I'm not sure if this is on all Amtrak lines, but I was happy about it. Shared tables broke up the trip with regular conversations three times per day. I think room service was available for those who preferred it.
Thanks for the amazing video - I'm doing this trip n a few weeks. May I ask where you catch the Amtrak shuttle from? I'm staing at the Hilton in Union Square. Cheers.
That's the inherent problem with high-speed rail here--the US is really big. TGV travels about 199 mph at top commuting speeds, and this trip is about 2150 miles. Non-stop from SF to Chicago would take almost 11 hours non-stop. SF to NYC would be over 14.5 hours versus a flight, which is 5.25 hours. I love taking the Shinkansen and Eurostar, but they rely on a population density beyond many parts of the US. Boston-NYC-DC might work, and SF-LA, but I don't know if anything outside those markets is feasible.
You're correct. I think of the whole body of water connecting to the Sacramento River as SF Bay, but it's subdivided into other bays north of the Richmond Bridge. San Pablo Bay, Grizzly Bay, Suisun Bay, etc.
I haven't done any trips from LA yet. You have a few options to get from LA to Chicago, then on to NY. I hear they're not as good as the California Zephyr, but I'm sure they're fine and have nice scenery. The Southwest Chief is probably the most direct.
3:37 Here we copy the name of a train station in Buenos Aires. "MARTINEZ", which is on the outskirts of that metropolis. Our station should be called "SMITH", NOT "MARTINEZ"
Please tell me what makes your trip considered First Class. Is it that you booked a sleeper? I'm trying to understand how a person is able to use the Metropolitan Lounge in stations that have one. Thanks
Yes, I believe the sleeper makes it first class. There's no lounge in San Francisco, but I used the one in Chicago ahead of the second leg of the trip. Not sure how other lounges stack up, but I was unimpressed with the one in Chicago. Plenty of seating but only a few bags of chips for food.
This was my third trip on this route, so I'd definitely do it again. The first was as a college student riding in a coach seat the whole time. The trip's not for everyone and has changed over the years due to phone and internet reception throughout most of the ride. Fewer strangers talking with each other. The rooms and beds are comfortable enough, but you'd certainly want a bigger room for two adults than where I stayed. It's not up to foreign train sleeping standards, but a great way to see the U.S. without the stress of driving I-80 for three days.
Tough to say. First class meals on domestic airlines have improved a lot. The meal in my ANA video was excellent. I usually only get snack boxes if flying economy. Amtrak has some good food on the long distance routes if they have a dining car such as on this route.
Meals were all pretty even. Maybe the veggie chili with bacon on top was my favorite. The first night, everyone slept well as we crossed the desert. Better than usual, actually. The next night wasn't as good as we tried to make up lost time on more curvy track.
It's a good question. I'm not sure, but I don't think it's identical views each way due to daylight hours. The views also depend on the train running on schedule, which rarely happens.
@@thebayrambler thanks! I'm hoping to go from San Francisco to Chicago this August, and yours is the first video I've found of the Zephyr going in this direction :)
You should see most of the Rockies on the trip even if you're running late. We missed the last part into Denver because it grew dark, but saw the rest. Have fun!
Good question. Not as many went the whole way as I thought would. There were certainly a few, though. Some I'd greet for two days and then they'd suddenly be gone.
Funny! I was just recollecting how I did this trip in the opposite direction, Chicago to SF, 30 years ago and it was delayed about that many hours then too.
Taking Amtrak through the western U.S. demands flexibility with your time, for sure. I hear it's more timely on the east coast where it owns the tracks.
I’m taking this trip but have a 6.5 hour layover in Chicago before continuing on to New York via amtrak. Can anyone tell me how worried I should be that I might miss my connection 😅
You should be somewhat worried. I missed that connection the last time I took the Zephyr years ago and would have missed it this time if I was traveling on that same night. In the past, Amtrak put me up in Swisshotel for the night. I'm not sure if they still do that. It was nice spending an extra day in Chicago, but would have caused a problem if I had to be at my final destination that same night.
No personal comments or opinions makes this video useless. I'll stick with the 100 other postings of this route that actually give some insight and information on how this train trip is.
I purposely try to avoid giving my opinions in the videos but instead show an accurate representation of the experience so viewers can make up their own minds. That being said, I'm happy to give my opinions in the comments if anyone asks.
@@thebayrambler Why can't you give "an accurate representation of the experience" while giving your own opinions and insights as well? Sorry, you are making excuses for being lazy.
@@carolemerckel3461 Oh, I have watched them and they are very good and helpful! And I took the LSL earlier this month as well, but in coach, which few travel vloggers will post about!
I've taken this from Sacramento to Granby, Co to go to Rocky Mountain National Park. Ive done that probably 5-6 times. I've also taken the coast starlight and empire builder from Sacramento to Portland and Portland to east glacier, to go to glacier national park.Probably did that 10-12 times. You go through the cascades, the Columbia River Gorge and wake up going thru western Montana. Spectacular doesnt even begin to describe it! I like both but have to give it to goung to glacier. I will say, it's only 1 night going on the zephyr vs.2 nights going to Montana
I've taken the Coast Starlight from Seattle to San Francisco and will have a video soon. Looking forward to the second half down to LA sometime. The trip to Glacier sounds nice. I've driven there from Seattle but never took the train.
@@thebayrambler there's nothing like that trip. You take the starlight and change to the builder in Portland. You go over an awesome train trestle over the Columbia River right Vancouver, WA. From there, follow the Gorge then up to Pasco and Spokane. Wake up the 2nd morning at East glacier, right across the street from glacier Park lodge. Talk about a rail fans dream. They come off from Marias Pass. Its still my all time favorite vacation destination, and the train is just as much fun as glacier
$1222 covered a one-way sleeping car ticket from San Francisco to Chicago, one night at the Drake Hotel, and a coach ticket from Chicago to Cleveland. This was booked through Amtrak Vacations, but I probably wouldn't use them again
I think this portion was around $800 one way. It was originally $100 more but I waited and it dropped about a week before departure, so I bought it. This was part of a hotel and travel package through Amtrak Vacations so the total was over $1000. If I did this trip again, I would buy the tickets and hotel room myself without using Amtrak Vacations.
I don't know if I have a refined enough palette to give food ratings. I heard Amtrak was only offering microwaved meals for a while, so I was glad with what I got. The veggie chilli with bacon was probably my favorite.
A lot of good things here, but it falls very short in terms of seeing the two main things that the California Zephyr is famous for: the crossing of the Sierras and the Rockies....virtually nothing was shown of either. It seems inconceivable that anyone would make a video of the CZ and leave those out. I also did not like the wide angle lens which greatly distorted so much of the views that WERE shown. I also noted that very few references were given to let the viewer know where the train was and what the viewer was looking at. But I AM glad that this was not just another 'talking head' video where about the only thing shown was beaming smiles of the narrator.
I have travelled from Chicago to Seattle in a roomette...great fun! I was very interesred in this video but subtitles with no first hand account is boring to me .....not gonna watch.
Thanks for the critique. I know this type of video won't be for everyone, but my hope is to give as accurate a representation of each experience as I can.
@@thebayrambler I wish you success...I think you will have it as the vid seemed well done and with good info from what I saw...fact remains...not gonna watch it...but others will...just not my thing. Carve out your niche!
Хороши только та техника и те машины и механизмы, которые образуют выгодную экономию потребителям от их продолжительной выгодной надежности и продолжительной выгодной безопасности, это обеспечивает даже безопасный их технический отказ или даже безопасную их техническую поломку.
Subhanallah lakhaulla wallakuattaillabillahillallliyyil adhzim Allohu Rosyid Allahu hulghony Allahu mugghny Allah Akbar walillahilhamd, labaikallah humalabaik labaikallah di dunia
I rode the California Zephyr from Chicago to Sacramento in 1952. I was 4 years old then. I can still remember the smell of the dining car. It was winter time so crossed the sierra's through the many snow sheds. I have always wanted to relive that ride.
I have crossed the country on Amtrak a couple of times. I love the Chicago/SF trip. The roomettes are certainly cozy, but you have just enough time on the train. You get to meet people in the dining room and also on the breaks when you go outside and chat with them. The hard working crews are pleasant and helpful. Traveling along with your video brought back what a wonderful feeling - the beauty and the bigness of this country. You don't get that when you fly.
I agree with you on the pleasure of talking with strangers from various backgrounds. There are a lot of seasoned travelers in the sleeper cars and it's fun to swap stories.
161 days until my Emeryville to Chicago Zephyr trip. Thank you for the scouting report! Appreciate the effort.
Have fun and let us know how it went!
Nice to see a video from the very beginning of the trip instead of starting already on the train.
Thank you. I'm glad you liked it
I went from Chicago to Klamath Falls Oregon. It was the trip of a lifetime; magnificent. Nowt,ten years later I hope to go from California to Chicago, my home town. Thanks for this video.
I'm glad to hear it. If you liked the trip to Oregon, I think you'll like the California Zephyr.
Pretty and very nice
Did this trip on the original CZ. Remember much of it to this day. Train was classic luxury. Scenery was breathtaking. The Vista Dome cars offered an amazing 360 degree view experience.
This is an outstanding video 👍🏻👍🏻. The quality of the scenery captured of this beautiful country was impressive. Brings back a lot of memories.
Thanks, Mark. It really does remind me how big and pretty the U.S. is.
I'm three months away from taking that trip. Can't wait.#6
Thanks for sharing this trip - fantastic views of the west (all those states I have yet to visit between the coasts). Greatly appreciated you letting us enjoy the ambient sounds and your written commentary vs verbal narration. Made it that much more relaxing.
Thanks, Far Cloud. That's exactly what I was going for.
Thank you for taking us along for the trip... loved the scenery! Fun fact: I know the "clown" Martin, he's been a friend of ours for quite a long time. He's just as humorous in real life, besides being on the train.
I asked Martin about seeing someone in a clown wig and he told me to stay away from that person because he's unhinged. Ha!
I really appreciate the format of the video: no words or focus on yourself, well filmed and edited, with authentic sounds and emulates actual experience more than any other person's train trip videos that I've seen. This is the first time I've seen one of yours. I've taken many long Amtrak trips across US, and miss the train since Covid began. Your video brought back the feeling of the trip. I look forward to watching more of your videos. Not sure what you were asking about combining or keeping separate, but I'd like to view separate videos for each train route. Would be great if you recorded round trip, since different scenery available during waking hrs, and to compare/confirm experience.
Thanks for the kind words, Reenah. Most of my trips are one-way but I hope to offer other videos in the future similar to what you're suggesting. I'm thinking maybe the California Zephyr westbound during the winter.
I can't find any videos on your channel other than a flight from Tahiti to Bora Bora. Do you have others posted somewhere?
I started the channel two months ago and only have the two videos so far. My goal is to release about one per month. I already have two more recorded and simply need to edit them. Please feel free to subscribe and turn on notifications if you'd like to see them as soon as they're released.
Absolutely fantastic. This was truly inspiring. I definitely want to do this trip.
Beautifully filmed. Love the captions, and no verbal commentary. Many thanks. Wish we had trains like this in Australia. Gary.
Thanks. Australia has The Ghan. That sounds like a pretty great ride.
@@thebayrambler it is a great ride but it is a premium train that costs $$$$ All our "great train journeys" now are, the Ghan, the Indian Pacific and the Great Southern. I will say having done the Ghan it is a brilliant trip and the food and service are next level in general so I guess you get what you pay for but you do pay for it! 🤣
I really enjoyed your San Francisco to Chicago trip. The views are awesome!😊
Glad you enjoyed it!
Beautiful trip ❤
Beautify filmed. Nice not having a constant commentary. Loved your choices of images to include. Look forward to more.
Thank you. That's helpful to know. The next four videos are already recorded in the same manor. I expect to release the next one in 2-3 weeks.
I also have taken the Amtrak and used the roomette. Was ok for one person. I would suggest taking a pair of flip flops for when you have to go to the restroom in the middle of the night. On the down side I took the train in August 2021 and nine days later had covid. But, I would do it again in a heart beat. Great video.
I brought flip flops and was glad to have them. I did worry a bit about illness since it's such an enclosed space.
I took this train trip in June this year. There were several delays but it was an amazing experience
Glad to hear you liked it. I think it's probably the best train trip in the US
Loved the suite, the piano room and the carriage at the end...the Eunos island was a surprise..interesting food ...thanks you tube for these lovely times
I think you're on the wrong trip ....no suite, piano room or carriage @ the end ....or Eunos Island to surprise!
Great video! I just completed a round trip on the Zephyr in April and about the nicest compliments I can make are we arrived ahead of schedule on both trips and the scenery was incredible! I rode this same route thirty years ago and it was amazing! However,this time I found the train to be filthy! Not only that,but there was a very unpleasant odor in the sleeper cars and finding a room attendant was difficult. Meals were served Luke warm and on our last days lunch was served from ten thirty until eleven thirty. Many did not get to eat. We had only one section of the trip with any sort of tour guide and that was it. I will go on another trip ,however I was very disappointed on the lack of service on this trip.
Thanks for the thorough feedback from your trip. I'd agree that the cleanliness and service is very dependent on the car attendant who's tied to your room throughout the journey. This might have been one of the older sleeper cars as well. I believe they only have a volunteer docent in the view car between Sacramento and maybe Reno? Short meals can be a possibility when there's a final stop soon. Sorry you didn't enjoy it more but I'm glad you liked the scenery.
Except for an hour or so long coach seat ride between Sacto and Stockton a few months ago, my anticipated trip next summer will be my first ride on Amtrak. I have no idea where or exactly when I'm going -- the concert schedule for June-July isn't set yet -- but videos like this make me really look forward to the experience. I want to make my 65th birthday an amazing experience, and Amtrak and Home Free will certainly make it so. Even if the guys have no shows or go out of the country, I think the beautiful views alone will make it special.
What concert?
@@AlphaGeekgirl I fell in love with the a cappella group Home Free almost 3 years ago and it took me almost a year to decide to go see them live, then find a convenient venue that had available seats since they were all a hold over from the tour that go interrupted by covid. I flew to Canada for my first show and got Greyhound tickets for the next two shows in California. I never made it to the first show because the damn bus NEVER SHOWED UP. I cancelled the bus ticket for the next one and wet by Amtrak instead. Stateline, NV, Omaha, NE, and Denver, CO held my next three shows, the last one just 3 weeks ago, and I traveled by Amtrak and the rides were wonderful. Much more comfortable and with fabulous views.
Loved the trip, thank you from Australia.
I recently took a trip around the country on Amtrak. The westbound Sunset Limited from New Orleans arrived in Los Angeles 7 hours late, but on the other hand, the eastbound Empire Builder from Seattle arrived in Chicago less than 20 minutes late, so you can never tell. I rode roomettes on both trains and on one of them, the bathrooms were bigger. On other trains I traveled in coach and found noise-cancelling headphones to be a must. The food was quite good, though I wish that different trains had different choices related to the regions they travel in, and all the Amtrak personnel were friendly and helpful.
Thanks, James, that's helpful. I tried to keep noise levels accurate in my video. The roomette was really quiet. I agree noise-canceling headphones are useful when stuck in a designated seat in coach. You never know who will be making noise nearby.
Greetings from Australia. Thank you for a wonderful, enjoyable video coverage. 😀
Thanks, Rob!
Great tour. Thank you.
13:00 BNSF yard slug 65! Nice catch!
Thank you❤I will take it from Chicago to San Francisco soon.
Chicago to SF is the more traditional direction. It's nice in winter to go from somewhere cold to somewhere warmer.
Good job. I liked the way you did this
Sleeper trains are nice. And the view was great.
That is a super huge, long train!!! Looks like fun and something we'd like to do. Thanks for the video
It's a fun train. I'm sure there are bigger, but it does take two engines to pull it through the mountains
So relaxing, thank you so much for posting this!
Glad you liked it!
cool trip 😎 👌 greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪👍🤟
We've just done this trip last month first class from Emeryville to Chicago it was excellent. We even had "Mooners" on the upper reaches of the Colorado River. Very entertaining. LOL
I'm glad you enjoyed your trip!
The Moon River is a tradition on the zephyr look it up on google.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
You're welcome!
Excellent video. Made me want to make a reservation!
Thanks, Judith. It's worth taking if you like trains.
Looks amazing!
A great video and thanks for sharing. Oh, and a BIG thumbs up!!!
Excellent video. Well done.
Thank you
Good videography! Thanks for presenting your trip. However you did not show many beautiful and historic landscapes. I did not see any video of the Sierra Nevada route. I have ridden the Zephyr both ways many times and have enjoyed every one of them. If someone wants to make the trip, book a Roomette. This offers an opportunity to take rest breaks during the journey, and riders can visit the lounges or dining and food cars, and meet and greet fellow travelers. And if you have sufficient funds, a full bedroom is the best! That way you can take your family!
You're right, some areas weren't represented as well as others. In the case of the Sierra Nevadas, some of that came down to the afternoon sun hitting dirty windows. The footage wasn't good enough to use.
I've gone from Emeryville to Reno in December. The views were wonderful. I would like to take this train to Denver to see the Denver station.
Denver station was a surprise. I've taken this route three times but this was the first going inside during the stop. I'm looking forward to spending more time there when I take a trip to Denver this winter.
@@thebayrambler I hope the Rails to Trails program with National Park Service volunteers soon. These wonderful folks ride the train with birds watchers charts, nature books on trees and flowers plus history books of the region. That route crosses the Sierra Nevada mountains and Rocky Mountains.
I haven't heard of that program but it sounds nice. The typical narration in the view lounge is generally good as well.
@@thebayrambler I've been on the Starlight when the volunteers rode with us. The had a backpack of educational information.
I am going on this trip next month in November...can't wait
Have fun!
Man... A handful of Tramadol, bottled water and only eating dinner. This would be the ultimate trip to relax and enjoy.
I've done this route, in this direction, three times. I"m about to do it a fourth time with three Amtrak rookies, in December.
Let us know how it goes. Three days on Amtrak can be divisive for rookies. Having big enough beds will likely be key.
Outstanding job of editing and compilation. Would love to do this trip!
Thanks for noticing the editing. It's not the hardest I've done, but was surprisingly difficult with three days' footage and trying to color grade changing light through the train's window wraps.
@@thebayrambler was very skilled, and also tight in the sense of every shot containing just the perfect amount of the essence of the material. Enjoyed it!
Yes the roomettes are tight for two people. But in our case we were in a Viewliner II on the Lakeshore Limited round trip from Chicago to Albany/Rensselaer a few weeks ago. If we get the chance to take a trip on the Zephyr we will try for 2 roomettes or 1 bedroom.
Yes, a description of each type of sleeping arrangement would also be helpful. Put all reviews on one separate video would be my recommendation.
The Zephyr is worth trying if you already like overnight trains
It sounds like you'd prefer a video that compares various room types (roomette, bedroom, family) and puts those into one place. I'll give that some consideration.
@@thebayrambler Thanks!
Looking forward to see the description of each type of sleeping arrangements, please add the costs of each trip. Can we take part of the trip ? Thank you.
I'll try to do a quick review of other rooms in the future. And I'll probably add costs in the details beneath each video.
great video, fabolous¡ greetings from the south
Glad you like it!
I had the best trip with my 6 year old daughter at the time in Christmas of 2018 going from Chicago to Davis, Ca.
It's good to hear your daughter enjoyed it. I wasn't sure if children would like such a long trip.
@@thebayrambler I did have a portable DVD player for nights but she enjoyed watching the scenery. Plus we played UNO a lot, even with some Amish teenagers. And she met a couple girls her age from South Korea. They spoke no English but they made it work, even building a snowman at the Frasier stop.
There were a couple of Amish teenagers in our lounge car for a day or so patiently answering people's questions. Glad you had a good trip.
Great video!
Thanks, Ken!
hi taking the same route gonna use amtrak vac ations chicago ultimite and fly back took this route two times ty for bringing back memories
Have a good trip!
I've been listening to Credence Clearwater Revival for decades and I finally see the Green River.
Beautiful America 🇺🇸
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Wow beautiful video watching from nepal.i love ur vlog so much keep it up...
Interesting, the last time I was on a long-distance train, back in April, they had not gone back to communal dining yet.
I'm not sure if this is on all Amtrak lines, but I was happy about it. Shared tables broke up the trip with regular conversations three times per day. I think room service was available for those who preferred it.
Thanks for the amazing video - I'm doing this trip n a few weeks. May I ask where you catch the Amtrak shuttle from? I'm staing at the Hilton in Union Square. Cheers.
You can pick it up from next to 555 Mission St. It's a short Uber ride from the Hilton. Have fun!
I have a HO scale model train that is the zephyr!
Nice job
Thanks
All Aboard the Amtrak California Zephry Passenger Train. I said All Aboard
If a French TGV were to do this journey non stop it would take 5 hours 30 minutes.
That's the inherent problem with high-speed rail here--the US is really big. TGV travels about 199 mph at top commuting speeds, and this trip is about 2150 miles. Non-stop from SF to Chicago would take almost 11 hours non-stop. SF to NYC would be over 14.5 hours versus a flight, which is 5.25 hours. I love taking the Shinkansen and Eurostar, but they rely on a population density beyond many parts of the US. Boston-NYC-DC might work, and SF-LA, but I don't know if anything outside those markets is feasible.
That's Suisun bay
The Benicia Martinez bridge
You're correct. I think of the whole body of water connecting to the Sacramento River as SF Bay, but it's subdivided into other bays north of the Richmond Bridge. San Pablo Bay, Grizzly Bay, Suisun Bay, etc.
Hi, I watched one train trip from Los Angeles to New York. Have you done that, if so, would you please give me some info on how to book. Thank you
I haven't done any trips from LA yet. You have a few options to get from LA to Chicago, then on to NY. I hear they're not as good as the California Zephyr, but I'm sure they're fine and have nice scenery. The Southwest Chief is probably the most direct.
I'd like to bring my Jeep with. Toss a couple of auto hauling cars to the back of the train.
3:37 Here we copy the name of a train station in Buenos Aires. "MARTINEZ", which is on the outskirts of that metropolis. Our station should be called "SMITH", NOT "MARTINEZ"
Or just "Martin."
There are lots of Spanish and Portuguese town names in California from the explorers who first documented the coast.
Please tell me what makes your trip considered First Class. Is it that you booked a sleeper? I'm trying to understand how a person is able to use the Metropolitan Lounge in stations that have one. Thanks
Yes, I believe the sleeper makes it first class. There's no lounge in San Francisco, but I used the one in Chicago ahead of the second leg of the trip. Not sure how other lounges stack up, but I was unimpressed with the one in Chicago. Plenty of seating but only a few bags of chips for food.
Thank you so much for your reply!
yes nice scenery but was it comfortable and would you do it again ??
This was my third trip on this route, so I'd definitely do it again. The first was as a college student riding in a coach seat the whole time. The trip's not for everyone and has changed over the years due to phone and internet reception throughout most of the ride. Fewer strangers talking with each other. The rooms and beds are comfortable enough, but you'd certainly want a bigger room for two adults than where I stayed. It's not up to foreign train sleeping standards, but a great way to see the U.S. without the stress of driving I-80 for three days.
From France , wonderfull
Merci!
I am about to trave[ from Denver to Chicago in a roomette, is the food any better than airp;lane food?
Tough to say. First class meals on domestic airlines have improved a lot. The meal in my ANA video was excellent. I usually only get snack boxes if flying economy. Amtrak has some good food on the long distance routes if they have a dining car such as on this route.
I would like to do that.
Great video! How much does a trip like this cost?
This is about $700 one way but it depends on the time of year.
What was your favorite meal on this train? How many hours of uninterrupted sleep did you get on this train?
Meals were all pretty even. Maybe the veggie chili with bacon on top was my favorite. The first night, everyone slept well as we crossed the desert. Better than usual, actually. The next night wasn't as good as we tried to make up lost time on more curvy track.
Are the views the same if you go SF-Chicago compared to if you go Chicago-SF?
It's a good question. I'm not sure, but I don't think it's identical views each way due to daylight hours. The views also depend on the train running on schedule, which rarely happens.
@@thebayrambler thanks! I'm hoping to go from San Francisco to Chicago this August, and yours is the first video I've found of the Zephyr going in this direction :)
You should see most of the Rockies on the trip even if you're running late. We missed the last part into Denver because it grew dark, but saw the rest. Have fun!
El hotel, está cerca?
Cerca de la terminal en Chicago? Mi hotel estaba a 3 km, pero tambien hay muchos hoteles cerca
Did the train arrive at Chicago Union Station behind schedule? It is supposed to be arriving at 2.50pm.
We were 6.5 hours delayed due to freight traffic.
@@thebayrambler is it often to have 6.5 hours delay for California Zephyr?
I've taken this train three times over the years. One was on time and the other two were 6.5 hours late
Did many of your fellow passengers travel the full distance of the route?
Good question. Not as many went the whole way as I thought would. There were certainly a few, though. Some I'd greet for two days and then they'd suddenly be gone.
Really loved this video, looking forward to doing it also
It was dark when you pulled into Chicago, you were delayed at some point weren't you?
We were delayed by 6.5 hours, which was the same as the last time I took the trip years ago.
Funny! I was just recollecting how I did this trip in the opposite direction, Chicago to SF, 30 years ago and it was delayed about that many hours then too.
Taking Amtrak through the western U.S. demands flexibility with your time, for sure. I hear it's more timely on the east coast where it owns the tracks.
You didn't show the food.
The food's at 16:30
How much was your ticket
Surprisingly expensive. I think the SF - Chicago portion was about $700, and even that required watching the fares and waiting for a price drop.
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I’m taking this trip but have a 6.5 hour layover in Chicago before continuing on to New York via amtrak. Can anyone tell me how worried I should be that I might miss my connection 😅
You should be somewhat worried. I missed that connection the last time I took the Zephyr years ago and would have missed it this time if I was traveling on that same night. In the past, Amtrak put me up in Swisshotel for the night. I'm not sure if they still do that. It was nice spending an extra day in Chicago, but would have caused a problem if I had to be at my final destination that same night.
@@thebayrambler thanks so much for the reply!! Might honestly just extend my New York trip by a day just in case the trains are running super late
Nothing to eat?
Menu and food starts at 16:30
No personal comments or opinions makes this video useless. I'll stick with the 100 other postings of this route that actually give some insight and information on how this train trip is.
I purposely try to avoid giving my opinions in the videos but instead show an accurate representation of the experience so viewers can make up their own minds. That being said, I'm happy to give my opinions in the comments if anyone asks.
@@thebayrambler Why can't you give "an accurate representation of the experience" while giving your own opinions and insights as well? Sorry, you are making excuses for being lazy.
Try Grounded Life Travel. That's how I started watching these train videos before gong on the Lake Shore Limited earlier this month.
@@carolemerckel3461 Oh, I have watched them and they are very good and helpful! And I took the LSL earlier this month as well, but in coach, which few travel vloggers will post about!
@@mikeymutual5489I prefer the non talking video so go somewhere else if you don't like it.
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Was the train late into Chicago?
It was 6.5 hours late.
Just completed this tour. It wasn't what I expected. Horrible experience!
No food?
An overview of food is at 16:30
I've taken this from Sacramento to Granby, Co to go to Rocky Mountain National Park. Ive done that probably 5-6 times. I've also taken the coast starlight and empire builder from Sacramento to Portland and Portland to east glacier, to go to glacier national park.Probably did that 10-12 times. You go through the cascades, the Columbia River Gorge and wake up going thru western Montana. Spectacular doesnt even begin to describe it! I like both but have to give it to goung to glacier. I will say, it's only 1 night going on the zephyr vs.2 nights going to Montana
I've taken the Coast Starlight from Seattle to San Francisco and will have a video soon. Looking forward to the second half down to LA sometime. The trip to Glacier sounds nice. I've driven there from Seattle but never took the train.
@@thebayrambler there's nothing like that trip. You take the starlight and change to the builder in Portland. You go over an awesome train trestle over the Columbia River right Vancouver, WA. From there, follow the Gorge then up to Pasco and Spokane. Wake up the 2nd morning at East glacier, right across the street from glacier Park lodge. Talk about a rail fans dream. They come off from Marias Pass. Its still my all time favorite vacation destination, and the train is just as much fun as glacier
Yeah the price
$1222 covered a one-way sleeping car ticket from San Francisco to Chicago, one night at the Drake Hotel, and a coach ticket from Chicago to Cleveland. This was booked through Amtrak Vacations, but I probably wouldn't use them again
Cost?
I think this portion was around $800 one way. It was originally $100 more but I waited and it dropped about a week before departure, so I bought it. This was part of a hotel and travel package through Amtrak Vacations so the total was over $1000. If I did this trip again, I would buy the tickets and hotel room myself without using Amtrak Vacations.
"Pretty good" is good to know, but a more detailed review of the food would be better.
I don't know if I have a refined enough palette to give food ratings. I heard Amtrak was only offering microwaved meals for a while, so I was glad with what I got. The veggie chilli with bacon was probably my favorite.
clown 🤡 on the train, lol 😆
A lot of good things here, but it falls very short in terms of seeing the two main things that the California Zephyr is famous for: the crossing of the Sierras and the Rockies....virtually nothing was shown of either. It seems inconceivable that anyone would make a video of the CZ and leave those out. I also did not like the wide angle lens which greatly distorted so much of the views that WERE shown. I also noted that very few references were given to let the viewer know where the train was and what the viewer was looking at. But I AM glad that this was not just another 'talking head' video where about the only thing shown was beaming smiles of the narrator.
Most video between Sacramento and Reno was the Sierra Nevadas. The Colorado River portion was mainly in the Rockies.
Bed does not look very long
I'm 6'1" (1.85 m) and the bed was more than long enough for me.
I have travelled from Chicago to Seattle in a roomette...great fun! I was very interesred in this video but subtitles with no first hand account is boring to me .....not gonna watch.
Thanks for the critique. I know this type of video won't be for everyone, but my hope is to give as accurate a representation of each experience as I can.
@@thebayrambler And from what I saw you did...just my perception, I guess.
I like narrated videos, too, but I can name 5-10 people who are crushing those right now. Better if I add something different to the conversation.
@@thebayrambler I wish you success...I think you will have it as the vid seemed well done and with good info from what I saw...fact remains...not gonna watch it...but others will...just not my thing. Carve out your niche!
Хороши только та техника и те машины и механизмы, которые образуют выгодную экономию потребителям от их продолжительной выгодной надежности и продолжительной выгодной безопасности, это обеспечивает даже безопасный их технический отказ или даже безопасную их техническую поломку.
3 days from SF to Chicago! slowest train in the world
It ain't fast, but it's a nice trip.
Subhanallah lakhaulla wallakuattaillabillahillallliyyil adhzim Allohu Rosyid Allahu hulghony Allahu mugghny Allah Akbar walillahilhamd, labaikallah humalabaik labaikallah di dunia
Would've been better if you showed your meals.
16:30 - Menu and food review
did you not eat on the train, why would you not show what the meals look like
16:30 - Menu and food review
ОК ОК ОК
These American trains today are complete garbage when compared to Canadian trains.
It all depends on the route and operator. There are some excellent trains and some I'd avoid in each country.