USA Rail Journey: San Francisco to New York City
No, I did not take the train back to NYC. I flew back from SFO. If you are reading this blog series for the first time, a quick introduction. I did a coast — to — coast train journey. Yes, a 3400 mile long train journey.
I started from New York on June 20 and reached San Francisco on June 29. I have logged my trip here.
Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9 and Day 10.
Many people have been asking me about my trip details. Let me clarify one more thing, this is not a ‘Tour Package’. I planned every leg of this journey.
There is a famous Amtrak train from Chicago which goes till Emeryville (15 miles from SFO). This train, called California Zephyr, runs daily either ways. Also, there is a direct train to Chicago from NYC, called the Lake Shore Limited, which runs daily. I took the Lake Shore Limited to Chicago and spent a day at Chicago. I, then, hopped on to California Zephyr the next day. In between, I stopped at Omaha, Denver, Glenwood Springs and Salt Lake City. I used to spend a day or two, roam around, and then catch the next day train.
My excel sheet finally looked like this:
Amtrak has a USA Rail Pass system which costs $460. With this pass, you can do 8 rail journeys and validity is for 15 days. After buying the pass, you have to call up Amtrak and make separate reservations for each of your rail segments (just reserving the seats, no extra payment needed).
If you don’t want to stop at places in between, you can buy the direct tickets. NYC to Chicago costs $85 and Chicago to Emeryville costs around $135 which, in total, is just around $220. But, if you are doing this trip, do pit stops at major destinations. It will be less tiring and you also get to see different cities.
The trip was amazing. I spoke to so many random people on a plethora of topics, played Uno with a family and stayed in many AirBnB houses. I spoke to a retired English professor for about two hours on India, Indian architecture, France, Amtrak history, etc. In Omaha, I was staying with a couple. The guy was working as a Microbiology researcher in University of Nebraska. We spoke till 1 at night on how data mining is used in Microbiology research. I also spoke to a farmer on how he uses Facebook, how he looks at weather forecast and how it is affecting his efficiency, etc. I stayed with a family in Glenwood Springs. They did organic farming and grew tomatoes, basil and other culinary herbs. We discussed philosophy, Indian Mythology, Yoga, etc., while sipping masala chai at their backyard overlooking the valley. So many random discussions with a variety of people. It was totally worth it. Here are some of the photos of the entire journey:
The California Zephyr train has unique observation cars with wide windows that go all the way up to the roof.
Overall, the trip was totally worth it. An epic 3400 mile train journey across USA. The train journey provides you with a rich experience, sights, stories, discussions which you can never experience with your eyes fixed on the road while driving or on an uncomfortable domestic flight. If you have time, just do this. You, definitely, will not regret it.
Not to sound too cliche, it is the journey that matters more than the destination. This, definitely, was a beautiful journey. People smile at you, talk to you, direct you, and help you in every possible way. The train journey was a great way to connect with so many strangers.
Epilogue
As I got down from the flight and took the NYC subway, I smiled at the guy sitting next to me. He gave me a weird look. The reality started hitting me. It was 8 AM and the rush hour traffic was at its peak. Fast paced people with a Starbucks cup in hand, women doing their hair and checking themselves out in a handheld mirror, people holding the closing doors, etc. Amidst all this chaos, I think I heard a distant voice, “Ladies and Gentlemen, It’s Showtime”.
I smiled to myself. Yep, I am back. I am back to the ‘Urban Jungle’!
