ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ก.ย. 2024
- There is no single train from San Francisco to Los Angeles. But I found an alternate route. This is what it's like to take trains from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
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I think it’s downright criminal that there isn’t direct train service between the two marquee California cities. I hope that the high speed rail gets finished in my lifetime (and I’m not even that old).
Another great video, Adam. Hope your channel blows up soon. It deserves it!
I agree! It's just such an obvious place to have it. I'm not holding my breath, but hopefully things get moving soon.
The Coast Starlight does run from Los Angeles to Emeryville/Oakland... There is train and bus connections across the Bay to San Francisco, and from San Jose to San Francisco... It isn't as if San Francisco is cut off from bus or train services to Amtrak...
@@ronclark9724The problem is that San Francisco is a peninsula without a normal gauge tunnel continuing on (BART uses a non standard gauge). So, you can't have through service like the Coast Starlight and have it go to San Francisco itself.
@@ronclark9724 one of the greatest advantages of trains over planes is that trains almost always go from city center to city center. This is lost when you have to embark/disembark from Emeryville when traveling to/from San Francisco. It would be wonderful to be able to take the train from Salesforce Transit Center.
@theo9976 Aren't they working on that? I read they got federal funding to build thst tunnel to the Salesforce transit center. I believe that same tunnel will be used by the CAHSR trains.
Your videos feel like a love letter to California, Especially the bay area. And the production quality is so good for just you doing all the work yourself!
Thank you. It means so much to hear you say that. In a way they are a love letter to this place. It might be more popular to make fun of CA and the Bay. So someone should be doing the opposite.
Samr as with my sister, i can make fun of her but when an outsider does it,
nah brah
-1pt for campers in the view car
@@TheKillerPURPLE
I love this personal take on mass transit. I mean, you could do arguments and run the numbers on transit. But, I like how your videos are personal and tell a story. Keep it up!
Thank you! I like to make it a bit more about my actual experience and glad you enjoy that!
Back in about 2005, I took the Coast Starlight between LA and San Jose. It was a yearly trip and I normally drove, but I took Amtrak just to try it out. I only did it once because the train was so slow that the extra time outweighed the views.
However, on the trip home, I ended up in the observation car with a group of creative folks. Me with my camera, a guy with a guitar, a poet with her notebook, and a sketch artist with his notebook. We all just happened to find each other there. And the guy with the guitar played a few songs for us, including two that he wrote. He even played the Firefly theme and we both sung the lyrics.
Four random people just chatting about creative stuff. I'll never see them again, but I'll remember that evening forever.
That's awesome. That story could be a movie!
I'm a train conductor in the UK, and if someone has their feet on the seats wearing socks - that's a positive thing. Most people put their feet on the seats with shoes.
I'll buy that!
love the public transit vids 😃
Thank you!
In 1999 I took Amtrak from Emeryville across from San Francisco down the coast to Los Angeles. For the first three hours I was enjoying the experience. Then I became very bored and very ready to arrive at my destination. I looked outside and realized we were only a few miles south of San Jose, still in the S.F. Bay Area. I suddenly felt as though I was in a moving prison cell. In the end it took twelve and a half hours, twice the time it takes to drive the distance. I vowed NEVER to do that again. I haven't ridden Amtrak since. Will I ride the future high speed rail line from San Francisco to Los Angeles in a planned time of under three hours? No. Why? Because statistically I'll be dead of old age by the time the line is ready for full operation some time in the 2050s. I'll literally be dust in the wind yet still traveling faster than anything Amtrak can manage.
I'd love to ride high speed rail to LA, but I'm certainly not holding my breath!
If you want to travel fast to SF/LA then take a plane, if you want to travel with convenience to SF/LA then drive a car, if you want to travel with comfort to SF/LA then take a train.
Move to China don’t torture yourself
Its really not their fault
If you are in a hurry FLY...
hey! native san franciscan here. i go to school in san luis obispo-i love taking the train back to the bay! it’s much more comfy and scenic, can grab a snack or just chill. to san jose, it’s only 30 minutes slower than the bus with less potential of traffic jams-UPRR owns the rails but they’re not carrying tons of freight anymore so it rarely gets delayed on this stretch. they’re looking to run more service between slo and sj, pending funding!
also: love the videos. currently studying city planning, so having a transit/baseball content crossover on my feed was surely a shocker!
Haha, thank you! Not gonna lie I'm pretty jealous, SLO is incredible. I'd love to see more service but I suppose they have to work out that pesky funding first!
The comments from those who don't realize how well you know Bay Area transit amuse me. I realize you started in SF because it's such an iconic city, and perhaps to demonstrate the City's poor connections to Amtrak, but I think it's worth pointing out that the East Bay has so many more rail connections than SF does.
BTW, if you haven't tried them yet, the new electric Caltrain sets are wonderful. I hope you made it to this weekend's grand opening celebrations.
Yeah you got it. I'm certainly not saying this is the best way to get from SF to LA. Just, if you were starting at the ferry building, this is one way to do it, and that's what it was like for me.
Haven't been on the new Caltrain yet, but I will soon!
first step is the Amtrak bus to get to the train in east bay, oops that's not a train. and sometimes they have buses instead of trains.
@@AdamDoesNotExist Whoa! You definitely need to check out the new Caltrain! It's awesome!
Quality content persists on youtube so long as Adam is posting. Now I want to take this trip myself!
Thank you, sincerely!
Just rode the electric Caltrain this weekend, massive improvement over the old diesel trains, and can't wait until they run out of the transit center in downtown!
Nice! I'm excited to ride one. They look great
When I was in high school, I took a Greyhound bus from SF to Ventura. It was 12 hours and sucked. This was in 1986, when they had a smoking section at the back of the bus, with a curtain separating the smoking and non-smoking sections 😂. We were in the last row of the smoking section 🤢. Anyhoo, i enjoyed your video more than that bus ride, and probably more than a train ride. I hope high-speed rail in CA becomes a thing. It's sad that the US is so far behind many countries in high-speed rail. 😢
Smoking section! Yikes! Glad you liked the video :)
It’s not just the U.S. the whole continent of Americas is captured by private oligarchs
dude you deserve at LEAST 500,000 subscribers for these videos you’ve been putting out
I really appreciate that!
Ive been riding the Amtrak round trip from Martinez CA to Grand Junction CO, twice a year for the past decade...its a 24 hour slog. But packing a carry on with snacks, a laptop with a DVD player make for 4 hours of Movie time. Also inflateable camping pillows and a light blanket help to make it fun in coach. The views are amazing...with mountains, desert scenery. I would recommend doing it. And Grand Junction is a fun college town with great hiking and biking trails. And my House, since I just rent and work in Bay Area...and looking to retire and move back to Grand Junction CO, which is honestly really great place to live.
I've been to grand junction once, and I was shocked by how nice everyone was there. I guess it must be a great place to live!
i cant believe this man went to LA and back for us... on a train.
To be honest, I'm not sure I believe it myself! Thanks, Humphrey!
Glad you rewarded yourself with the beer, Adam, as a reward for the crazy trip. I like day trips, though I don't go on many as often as I'd like. The last time I went to Maine, my phone died, and I had to go to a T-Mobile and buy a charger which took a few hours away from my trip. Then i got stranded somewhere😅. Never again since I always come prepped now. But like your videos show, the stories you have make it so unique and rewarding. Sure your pedometer counts must be insane. Keep it up as always👏
Sometimes when things go wrong it makes it more interesting. It certainly makes for an entertaining story!
As a European it does astound me how America functions without intercity train service - I hope you guys can get California High Speed Rail built eventually.
I guess we just love cars here. And the population is so spread out!
Unfortunately the two largest private major railroads that did build overhead electric lines over their tracks serving New York City, the Big Apple, went bankrupt soon after electrifying their tracks. And Europeans wonder why other American railroads have NOT electrified their tracks outside of several light rail and presently in California commuter rail... NONE of the major freight railroads desire to electrify their tracks, they are leaning presently for hydrogen locomotives to eventually replace their diesel locomotives... Even with this short distance of commuter rail in California is over budget... America is not a TINY nation like Germany or France. Just the one state of California is larger than both of these large European nations...
Everyone has cars. It actually reduces the need of trains a lot more substantially than people would like to admit. The interstate system is far superior to the Autobahn (not in surface quality, but in overall design and ease of use) and most US towns and cities are extremely spread out, making it necessary to use cars within them. This makes the car the first choice, whether you are travelling 100 miles, or 1000 miles...
In much denser parts of the US, train service improves drastically like in the Northeast corridor, where density is more like europes.
@@aswinhanagal4293 Not everybody in the US has, can afford, or has the ability to drive cars. US car dependency is an accessibility nightmare. For example, it’s a tragedy when somebody looses their privilege to drive due to cognitive decline. The lack of indecent access to society quickly speeds up the decline.
Intercity trains are not useful without local public transportation networks. Once you arrive at LA Union station or whichever Amtrak station in any major city you are stuck taking a taxi or car rental. I have traveled in Europe everywhere by rail and once I arrive on the ICE train I know there will be a subway line or tram within a 3 minute walk. Here you will be looking at a parking lot when you arrive. This is why the high speed rail will fail.
This was a fun video. Thanks for sharing your experience on the train, both good and bad
Glad you enjoyed it!
Your videos keep getting better! Somehow kinda convinced me to do this ride lol.
It's a long one! A very long one. But those views between SLO and Santa Barbara are really incredible.
People who dislike Amtrak are being dramatic. I fly around 30 times a year. Once I put aside the internet drama about Amtrak it’s pretty great… much better than any regional bus service (like Bolt Bus). Those rarely leave or arrive on time, like Amtrak.
People who complain about it “being slower than car.” Some people don’t have a car. I do. They clearly list the expected travel time… kinda like an airplane ticket. Do y’all also complain that “everything looks the same” on a TransCon flight? After 30 minutes?
Not to invalidate those who experience travel that way. It’s a valid experience. But so is mine and I’ll share it so that people who don’t get bored after 30 minutes might consider a relatively decent travel option.
On the car thing… you try riding in an Uber or Lyft for a ride longer than 60 miles. Let me know how cheap that is. And how on time the driver is. Just a hint: Lyft will inflate expected travel time compared to Maps/GMaps. It’s much more obvious if you try to go more than 60 miles.
There are pluses and minuses to every transport option. I am pretty certain the people who “get bored” after 30 minutes get bored after 30 minutes with anything.
I could have flown from Santa Ana to Oakland for about the same price. So in my case it does feel a bit silly. But I still think the train is great!
We need Adam on Jet Lag
I found Jet Lag a few weeks ago and have since watched every single season. What they do is incredible.
I took an Amtrak from Sacramento to Los Angeles twice and it wasn’t a bad experience, it wasn’t the coastal view but a view of just farms and fields for 10+ hours. the trains can use some upgrading but had to stop at Bakersfield since that was the last stop and had to take the bus from Bakersfield to Union Station. CHSR is a big upgrade to all this and hopefully is completed in my lifetime
This is definitely good option even from the Bay Area
Despite living in the bay area all my life, I've sadly only heard of Amtrak in hushed whispers. Watching this video, I'm already thinking up excuses to make my way, if only just to experience one of the views and one of the few rail-lines in California. Great stuff as always Adam!
Even with CHSR it will take more than three hours to go from LA to SF as HSR will not be going 200 mph through both the SF and LA urban metropolises north of San Jose and south of Lancaster...
Thank you! I've heard the trip up to Tahoe is really beautiful as well, and a bit shorter.
@@ronclark9724CAHSR will have a 2 hour 40 minute travel time from San Francisco to Los Angeles, not "more than 3 hours".
Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) is the North Bay’s passenger rail service providing a safe, reliable and congestion-free transportation option for Marin and Sonoma counties. The current 45-mile system includes stations in the Sonoma County Airport area, Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati, Petaluma, Novato, San Rafael, and Larkspur. SMART’s system also includes a bicycle and pedestrian pathway along the rail corridor. Future extensions are planned for Windsor, Healdsburg and Cloverdale. The full project will provide 70 miles of passenger rail service, connecting SMART passengers with jobs, education centers, retail hubs and housing along the Sonoma-Marin corridor, and a bicycle-pedestrian pathway.
I love the smart train. I took it in another video about taking transit to santa rosa for the pliny the younger release.
@@AdamDoesNotExist which video was that?
SMART should be integrated with the Caltrain via Golden Gate Bridge and be a part of a greater Bay Area regional rail network
@@nalaredneb78 It's called "and absurd journey to get the world's best beer...'
As far as alternative options -- the worst would probably be something like a Greyhound bus... I've done an Oakland --> San Bernardino trip which took almost 12 hours, had no legroom, and had to deal with the same traffic issues that cars do!
Anyway, public transit in the US is such a pathetic joke... 😩
There's room for improvement, absolutely. But there are some good systems out there!
LFG! Awesome video! thank you for idea for my next rail the adventure!
Thank you! Glad you liked it!!
I took the train from SF to Bakersfield to meet up with friends that were going on a ski trip to Mammouth. The catch was the night before I was leaving one of my good friends was getting married in SF. Huge wedding huge party. I ended up leaving an Embarcadero hotel @ 3am to rush home, pack, grab by snowboard and be on the road by 5 am. I made it , but wow. Just wow. My friend was there in Bakersfield to pick me up and we drove to Mammoth from Bakersfield. Door to door it was nearly 20 hours. Ah to be in your 20s. Oh and I did the driving from Bakersfield to mammoth. We had an awesome trip it was worth every min.
Sounds like a sweet trip! Those are the weekends you never forget!!
Such beautiful land and coastline near San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara! Los Angeles Union Station is an incredible, historic building. It's easy to see how it used to be the spot where famous actors and actresses of old Hollywood would arrive to the paparazzi.
I knew the coast was going to be great, but I was kind of shocked how nice the train station was.
1:56 love the Mitch Hedberg reference 😂
haha, thank you!
That sunset view along the central coast is better than I thought!
You don't get the same angle of the coastline going south, and the sun really does light up all the grime on the outside of the windows, but it is still pretty nice!
Im from Irvine, shouldve let me know, wouldve been more than happy to stop by! (My shifts are soo late)- maybe next time- Love the Work as Always!
Thank you! I had no idea people in Socal watched these videos!
I love the Coast Starlight and have taken many times between LA and Portland. Another favorite is the Empire builder Last March from Chicago to Seattle, Great snow scenes. I will be on. it again in November. Never bored and more comfortable than a plane. I am retired so I am not in a hurry. The seat are good for sleeping and we each had 2 seats which makes an easy sleep spot.
So much more comfortable than a place if you can spare the time!
@@AdamDoesNotExist Plenty of time and don't mind if it's late.
2 1/2 years ago I took Amtrak for the first time from LA Union Station down to San Diego. The train departed around 10:45 AM and we got to San Diego around 1:30 PM. I had a pretty good time. We got Wetzel’s Pretzels at Union Station, we enjoyed the scenery and got to sit on the right side of the train which showed us the views of the ocean When you head south, got me a couple of beers at the café. The staff was super friendly and helpful as well. I know it’s not the route you took in this video but it was my experience and it was about the most opposite thing compared to what I saw here.
In 2010-2011, I rode the California Zephyr from Reno to Chicago (and back once) on three different trips. The first time was such a beautiful disaster, I fell in love with it. Over 13 hours of delays in a normally would-be 44-hour trip. Everybody was friendly, we talked about how much more comfortable it is than Greyhound or any bus and I got to see some US cultures that we don't readily see west of the Rockies. The landscape though? Majestic and unreal are words that come to mind. The Ruby Mountains are stunning and the tracks don't exactly run parallel to I-80 so you see parts NOBODY else gets to see unless they also enjoy the train. Nice video, earned a new follower. 👍🏼😎
Glad to have you here! Your experience is a perfect example of how these trains can be a great experience. Are they fast? No. Can you see incredible places and have cool experiences? Yes!
I've taken this type of trip before as well. It was a long and exhausting trip, but it has some great views and is much cheaper than flying; you don't need to worry about driving either. Its best to leave very early incase the train has delays though (and it will).
It really is!
Whoa! The Irvine bubble in the wild! Shoutout to Scotty your conductor on the Surfliner 😎
He was great! I had a major issue with the railpass on the way back, and a different Surfliner conductor was also really great to me!
@@AdamDoesNotExist They're always awesome. Love the videos, keep em coming long as you enjoy making them!
Also worth noting on that route from LA to OC, Metrolink also run (for a lot cheaper), and they've just massively boosted their schedule. Worth noting if you're ever in the area again.
Enjoying your content recently. Keep it up :)
THANK YOU! That means a lot to me. Glad you're enjoying these videos :)
As a born and raised San Francisco/ East Bay person, I thoroughly enjoyed your content. Thanks!
Thank you!
Truly appreciate your style. Amtrak’s all about the adventure. I do recommend making the reservation for the dining car and paying the $20 breakfast, $25 lunch or $45 for dinner. Dinner includes that adult beverage.
We took the same route in August and getting on in San Jose. Very excited for the new electric CalTrain also.
Me too! I missed the dining car reservations but would do it next time!
That was a fun video, thanks. Amtrak does a good job of servicing places that aren't near major airports, and gives you a lot more comfort than a bus, with less cost than a plane. You did Santa Barbara so dirty with that missing A though!! xD
This is an absolute nightmare! I am glad that I have never bothered to try what you did from SF to LA. I have traveled widely especially in China where bullet trains run between ALL of the major cities. At a max of 185 mph, getting from Beijing to Shanghai (750 miles) is 4 hours. $25-30. Don't know how when the California bullet train will ever be completed between SF and LA. America really needs to get its act together.
China's public infrastructure has been built with borrowed money in order to stimulate economic growth so that by the end of 2024 its debt to GDP ratio will be 312% (vs 125% for the US). Much of that has been borrowed by local governments to build apartment blocks people can't afford to buy, highways to nowhere and, yes, high speed rail. If the US had a comparable figure to China, just the interest on that debt (at 5% interest rates) would be $1.5 trillion annually and would squeeze out a lot of spending on other things. But we could build shiny rail networks if we wanted to borrow money like China, even if no one wanted to ride them (I suspect the majority of Americans would still prefer to drive or fly).
I started leaving Oakland more just to explore the rest of the urban and natural beauty this place has to offer thanks to you and your videos. Please keep up the great work so I can learn what I'm going to do next in my favorite place.
Thank you! This is one of the highest compliments I can get. I appreciate that!
I've been riding The Coast Starlight since the mid '80's & will not go unless I'm in a Roomette or Bedroom. Booking a private space on a train allows me to have privacy & quiet place to enjoy the experience. Riding coach can be noisy & disruptive-especially at night. I also allow myself extra time for connections since trains are notorious for being many hours late.
Yeah the private rooms look like a much better experience!
I took Amtrak going from Stockton to LA, requiring a bus connection from Bakersfield to LA Union Station. Then from there I took the Metrolink to City of Industry. I went through Central Valley, it wasn't as picturesque but it was still nice as I took a table seat and still enjoyed the view with the sun rising overhead. I did also take a short nap as well. About 5 hours on the Amtrak, I got to Bakersfield to get onto the bus connection. The bus took about 2 hours to get to LA Union Station. And then finished my final leg, about 30 minutes with Metrolink.
Would I do it again? Yes, if I needed to. I'm actually interested to doing a longer trip to somewhere for vacation in the future. Would definitely be paying for a sleeper unit.
I think the sleeper unit would be a gamechanger! Like an even better upgrade than business class.
Emy-bfd train San joaquins, rent a car or take a bus through to Laus, Metrolink or drive through to oc.. personally I prefer the scenery in the valley, the mountains, green fields, orchards, vineyards, rivers, and big open sky are so much more interesting than the coast and the grapevine is, I believe, the most beautiful section of interstate altogether. People seem to forget about the valley or think it's still a boring backwater thanks to the horrible positioning of i5, but the train ride, at least until about Hanford, is stunningly beautiful and rather densely packed.. in a state where the "heart" has been torn out by crappy politics, the geographical heart holds the spirit of the state, and the future is looking up
I'd like to take the train to bus into Yosemite. In general I try to avoid the Amtrak busses these days.
This is the reason long distant train service in the US is dead with few passengers esp in Cal. 99% of travel is by plane. People are treated like trash but at least it is fast.
14:44 Ms. Streisand would appreciate this title card. 😜
Hahaha. Love it!
Another great video. Keep up the amazing work. I love your content
Glad you enjoy it!
Great video!! You should do one on the SMART train that goes from Marin to Sonoma!
I did... sort of. It's titled "An Absurd Journey to the World's Best Beer | Pliny the Younger"
I live in Los Angeles and I used to travel frequently for business to San Francisco or San Diego. I’ve often taken the 2 1/2 to 3 hour train to San Diego, but never in 20 years have I actually taken the 12 or 14 hour train to San Francisco. Last week I had a really nice evening in San Diego by taking an afternoon train to old town, and staying in a hotel right by Amtrak and enjoying the café and park. Before business meetings the next morning.
For business purposes, that Surfliner to San Diego is great. The Starlight, maybe not as much.
The Coast Starlight is such an epic journey. I'm so surprised that people weren't going in an out of the observation car! I'd be annoyed too if I couldn't ever find a spot.
There were some people cycling in and out. But there were some people that literally never left!
Mitch Hedberg reference. Nice!
Yes, nice catch!
OMG my local Safeway got featured!!!
I have a crazy story about that Safeway. Perhaps my most embarrassing moment ever. Maybe some day I'll tell it!
Great video! Thank you for this.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for braving the trip for us to watch!!! Cool to see, probably gonna stick to car or plane 😬
I think plane and car are probably the best option for most people!
Great video. I’ve only taken Amtrak’s California Zephyr from Roseville to Reno when I was younger. I think it took around four hours or so, can’t exactly remember. I’d like to take the Coast Starlight even thought it will cost a decent amount and will take a long time.
The stretch between San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara is incredible. It might be worth it just for that.
I took this train in the reverse direction on a ticket that included the restaurant car. Handily one of the best meals I've had on a moving vehicle!
Oh cool to hear! I should have eaten in the dining car.
Well, there's always a next time, right? 😅
Love the video man, I used to take this train up from LA in college a lot.
Thank you!
That was a cool video to watch. It's crazy that there is no high speed rail between these two cities. It's the same crap here in Canada. I think it's slightly better here though. But still, nothing like Europe or Asia.
Also, you're cute! ;)
I take this train a few times a year and I agree that it is a place of solace well worth the time.
Probably my favorite part about it!
That high-speed train warning sign was hilarious. 😂
Right! I literally laughed out loud when I saw it.
Wow, thanks for that, and good luck to you!
Thank you too!
The fact that Caltrain takes TWO HOURS to get to San Jose is bonkers to me. Utterly insane
It's under an hour now on the express route!
Well there are numerous stops on the commuter line... Every stop takes a few minutes slowing down, the stop, and speeding up... Caltrain does not offer EXPRESS services, just LOCAL...
@@ronclark9724 They renamed "Baby Bullet" to "Express"
respect to the homie at 8:57 with 2 bottles of wine to himself hahah
Love all the moments of suspense haha.
Hahaha. Thank you!
Love the content please keep it up!!
Thank you!!
I've taken this same trip (Caltrain - Coast Starlight - San Diegian) many years ago, and while it was scenic and comfortable, the travel time was long, and the trains arrive in Los Angeles late at night. I have since taken many more train trips throughout California and elsewhere, and have found options that are 3 hours shorter and much less expensive. I would have taken a San Joaquins train from Jack London Square at about 9:30am to Bakersfield, with a connecting bus to Los Angeles Union Station, and then taken a Surfliner to Irvine arriving around 9:00pm. While not as scenic a trip, it is more efficient by saving both time and money, while being just as comfortable and more likely to be on time. I believe the San Joaquins service, while having several more daily trip options from the bay area, is highly underrated and under utilized. I can only hope that some day there are more coastal options to choose from, and that the San Joaquins will connect directly to Los Angeles without a bus connection. However, if and when completed, California High Speed Rail will make the latter of these happen. Thanks for the very nice video. I use my time on trains as a day off to disconnect, decompress and relax, while watching the scenery go by.
Hmm...I should take the Coast Starlight. Retired now.
It's pretty spectacular through some sections. As long as you can handle the downsides.
Yes do it. I'm retired and love Amtrak. Taken it all over the US. Coast Starlight is a beautiful trip. Don't be in a hurry. It's relaxing, there is ample room to move around, the people U have met are friendly. It would be a shame to lose the last remaining coast to coast rail service if Amtrak's gone.
Ooh, the Coast Starlight is definitely a bucket list item for me! I've made it from Sacramento area to Socal a few times on the San Joaquins/bus/Pacific Surfliner track, but those endless hours on the connection busses are rough. Gotta make this trip happen at some point now that I'm closer to the bay. Thanks for a great idea!
Thank you! There's only that one train a day so you do have to be careful to book the train and not one of the many busses.
My favorite is when Amtrak doesn't have a service available so they give you a ride/connection in an old white panel van instead, usually with a nice old dude who like to talk a lot.
Oh I saw you at Target today! Didn’t recognize you until I left. Great video btw!
Whoa no way! Yeah I was just there.
Secured the hat! Phew, was worried there
Oh man so was I!
It’s a very nice hat.
Thanks for a very entertaining video. I just use Amtrak to get from LA to San Diego. I heard that the track got washed out; your video prompts me to check if things are back to normal.
I love your optimism about the high speed train. I predict it will be canceled.
Canceled! That would be sad. I wouldn't be surprised though.
@@AdamDoesNotExist I hope it isn’t too, but I just can see government poring more and more money into the project.
Surfliner from LA to SD is wonderful. Makes a short trip into a medium trip, but gets so close the the ocean that they're going to have to move the tracks as soon as is possible given how our country keeps up with infrastructure and preps for climate change.
I would be into a video involving ACE. Nice that a smart solution (train), came out of a dumb problem (commuting from Mountain House and wherever).
I have the ace in there for a split second but only the outside. I was trying to figure out how to get down to SD to make a full Surfliner video, but couldn't work out the schedule on this trip.
I would love to do an SF to LA trip by train, I must do it. As much as I hate traffic, I do enjoy driving SF to LA. with my own pit stops. I've even done SF to Palm Springs in one swoop drive...with traffic and a few stops... 13hrs. 101 all the way to LA. I never take the I-5. Thank you for the Vlog.
Glad you liked it!
99% of my travel on Amtrak has been between Washington DC and New York Penn Station. It’s a trip where taking the train is a very viable choice and one taken by a bunch of people every day. However, I did find myself a couple years ago needing a couple more train segments to keep my frequent traveler status and since I was in LA working on a project, I took the train out of LA Union station up towards San Francisco far enough so that the round trip earned me enough points. I did this on a Saturday and took my computer and a bag of snacks for the trip. The scenery was nice but the train was delayed both ways. I was happy it was just a miles run and I wasn’t in a hurry. I’ve had to make the trip for business a few times and I’ve always chose the air travel route. The train is just too slow and not reliable enough for business travel.
I know people who take the train to and from LA for business because of environmental reasons. But I can't imagine how much additional stress that would add to something like business travel.
This video makes me glad I live in New Jersey with an actual high speed rail line
You're lucky!
i live in Oakland. The price of a one way ticket on Coast Starlight (11) from Oakland Jack London Square (OKJ) to Los Angeles Union Station(LAX) is $71 value $77 flex. 12 hours.
I have made this trip before. I am retired and got the time. I am considering going. The return trip via Pacific Surfliner and Amtrak bus Mixed service is $55.
You can take the Starlight back as well, though the bus routes are always cheeper!
@@AdamDoesNotExist I would enjoy the change in scenery. Better view of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo , Santa Maria, Paso Robles and return to Oakland.
Any day Adam posts is a good day
You get on at 10:32AM and you get off at 10PM... Switch the P and the A and you have the perfect schedule for a sleeper train... Dreamstar is a complete joke though.
Yes, Coast Starlight already exist, but it's only one train.
when you got on the surfliner the reason you couldn't get food is because LA Union is a restocking stop so they were closed while they filled all the shelves and stuff back up
Having just gone on BART (from North Concord), to the N line, to Caltrain on Saturday for the electric launch, it was fun to spot all those same places in your vid!
love the bart hat glad you got it back haha
Me too!
Glad you mentioned Santa Barbara 14:44, but you missed an “a” there.
Yeah not sure how I f'd that up!
A la Streisand!
I was worried for you a couple times. Jeez. Anyway, I'm taking the opposite journey next month, from L.A. to San Jose. Hopefully everything will go according to plan...
Good luck!
I once traveled on Amtrak from Portland to LA. I think we were 8 hours late. Lived in SF later but I had already learned my lesson. NEVER TAKE Amtrak. I prefer driving the CA coast from SF to LA - so many cool places to visit on the way.
Fun Adams❤
I mean I would have taken BART to Emeryville and hit the train from there (Emeryville ain't Oakland!)
edit: before anyone else comments, yeah I now realize there's no Emeryville station, as it would take a bus ride from the West Oakland station to get there.
Bart doesn't go to Emeryville, you have to take the 7 bus or get a taxi
Please point to the Emeryville BART station on a map.
I just wanted to share my experience on the train. A faster option would be to just fly. And there's a bus that goes to Emeryville, but no train
@@arxligion Ah my bad, I was thinking Richmond but then I see the train south doesn't stop at the Richmond station. I'm used to taking the Capitol Corridor which does have a stop in Richmond which is literally right where the BART station is.
Great video to start my day - I last took Amtrak SF - LA 40 years back as a college student. Maybe I'll take Amtrak from San Francisco to our other place in Indio for fun.
It's not fast. Not at all. But it can be fun!
Thanks for sharing what I will not be missing out on. You are a glutton for punishment. 😂
Hahaha. Thank you!
2:24 oh damn i remember that hayward delay. cant believe these videos get done in like a week given how good they are
Thank you! This one was a long day on the train, then like four days of editing.
A funny bit of irony on my part - I got a Nissan ad before this video, as if I was being suggested to buy a car instead of trying to take trains for such trips.
You should try the state supported Amtrak San Joaquin to Bakersfield and Bus to LA next. I think it’s 9 hours so it’s a decent bit shorter and is less likely to run into delays. Also there are multiple train a day on that option. A lot less scenic but that’s where HSR is going through!
I'd like to do the trip up to Yosemite, but I'm not a huge fan of the Amtrak buses.
The new caltrain is very nice. On the new bullet it took me 50 minutes to get from oracle park to mountain view
Amazing! what a massive improvement.
I did this trip 30 years ago. Nearly eight hours by train, and then I still had to take the bus from Bakersfield to LA. Put it this way: the best part was the dried microwave spaghetti in the dining car.
It's a tough one!
@@AdamDoesNotExist I also had a problem just finding a way to catch the train in SF. I believe I had to actually catch a different train to board it in the East Bay! It's a little different now but somehow it's still the same...
As a VTA Light Rail Operator, I challenge you to a speed run of the system. I'm nearly certain you would be the first to attempt it (at least document it). And who knows, maybe we can set up a ride for you on my train!
We ride Amtrak often. The nicer the weather the longer the train will be delayed.
cool vids, keep it up, and there is absolutely no way god will keep u as a small creator. You will definetly grow big, js keep up the grind
Appreciate it!
I've taken amtrak up between norcal and socal several times when I was younger. I very much enjoy travelling by train and the coast starlight is a very pretty route. But if you have a car that runs, you'd be crazy not to take it. The cost in gas is probably about 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of the amtrak ticket (not even counting costs to get to and from the train stations at each end of your trip), the time is easily 3x longer by train (also excluding time travelling to and from the station at each end). If you're driving, you still can enjoy the views although not as well as from the train. You can leave when you want, you have a car when you get to your destination, you can take a whole bunch of stuff. You can make stops, detours, etc. If you bring a passenger, you just halved the cost. I don't see how amtrak makes even the remotest bit of sense unless you have no car and would rather pay double the price of Greyhound so you can stretch out on the train. Even taking it for the experience has some stiff competition. I mean take the 16 hour travel time, you can drive down Highway 1 leaving plenty of time for long stops at a bunch of amazing views and eateries.
One edit: To answer your question "Who takes Amtrak?" it would be interesting to hear from your fellow travellers.
It looks like Flixbus has a service from SF to LA over around 8 hours. Sure, it's less exciting than this, but I'd include that in the comparison too!
Good point! Bus is absolutely an option