mbstone
Apr 7, 12, 10:15 pm
Traveling from Las Vegas to Sacramento and back in one day for a job interview. Drove I-15 to Barstow and then SR-58 to Bakersfield to pick up the 7:15A Amtrak San Joaquin.
Arrived in Bakersfield about 5:30A to discover a large public swimming pool (the McMurtrey Aquatic Center (http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bakersfieldswim.us)). It was pitch dark and 44 degrees F. and there were lots of people swimming laps. The pool itself must be 50 yds x 150 yds. I had my suit with me and stopped by for a few laps, cost me $3, the pool was 7 feet deep and 80 degrees.
After my workout went to Bakersfield Amtrak which is a modern Amtrak California station (Amtrak California is a partnership between Amtrak and CalTrans). The ticket to Sacto was quoted as $39 on the website, but because I hadn't made a reservation, I had to pay an additional $12 each way.
The train was 6 brand-new double deck cars, seniors and disabled seating and restrooms on the lower level, everyone else is seated upstairs. The seating was 2x2 and the seats didn't recline, I rushed back to my car to retrieve my beanbag pillow without which there would have been much less comfort.
A snack car was configured with view seats and reserved for food and beverage customers.
The trip proceeded through 275 miles and about 12 stops worth of California farm and prison country. I ate a microwave breakfast croissant of bacon, egg and cheese ($5) and a carton of 2% milk ($1).
A passenger behind me applied two coats of stinky nail polish, bringing back fond memories of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor service through New Jersey.
The 275-mile trip took 5 hours; the train departed and arrived on time. I entered the Amtrak Sacramento station, the only station on the line that wasn't newly constructed. I realized I had left my Ray-Ban sunglasses on the train. An Amtrak employee went to look on the train but said he could not find them. I ordered a double espresso at the station to get up for my interview -- even with the beanbag pillow I hadn't slept much. I failed to see the Starbucks 100 yards east of the station.
I filled out a lost and found report for the sunglasses. To this day, Amtrak doesn't have a computer for any functions related to baggage, express shipments, or lost-and-found.
However, to my great surprise, the equipment was the same on the 4:45P train back to Bakersfield; and my sunglasses were right there in the seat back where I had left them. When does that ever happen?
10:00 PM and we are back in Bakersfield. Enroute I had a pot roast sandwich ($6) for dinner which consisted of a Kaiser roll piled high with pulled roast beef.
I should also mention there was wi-fi onboard which appeared to work for the people who used it.
Getting off the train I passed maybe 50 people waiting for Amtrak Connection buses to take them to points south. They are planning to spend a trillion dollars on high-speed rail in California, but they can't come up with connecting train service from Bakersfield to L.A. or Barstow.
Arrived in Bakersfield about 5:30A to discover a large public swimming pool (the McMurtrey Aquatic Center (http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bakersfieldswim.us)). It was pitch dark and 44 degrees F. and there were lots of people swimming laps. The pool itself must be 50 yds x 150 yds. I had my suit with me and stopped by for a few laps, cost me $3, the pool was 7 feet deep and 80 degrees.
After my workout went to Bakersfield Amtrak which is a modern Amtrak California station (Amtrak California is a partnership between Amtrak and CalTrans). The ticket to Sacto was quoted as $39 on the website, but because I hadn't made a reservation, I had to pay an additional $12 each way.
The train was 6 brand-new double deck cars, seniors and disabled seating and restrooms on the lower level, everyone else is seated upstairs. The seating was 2x2 and the seats didn't recline, I rushed back to my car to retrieve my beanbag pillow without which there would have been much less comfort.
A snack car was configured with view seats and reserved for food and beverage customers.
The trip proceeded through 275 miles and about 12 stops worth of California farm and prison country. I ate a microwave breakfast croissant of bacon, egg and cheese ($5) and a carton of 2% milk ($1).
A passenger behind me applied two coats of stinky nail polish, bringing back fond memories of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor service through New Jersey.
The 275-mile trip took 5 hours; the train departed and arrived on time. I entered the Amtrak Sacramento station, the only station on the line that wasn't newly constructed. I realized I had left my Ray-Ban sunglasses on the train. An Amtrak employee went to look on the train but said he could not find them. I ordered a double espresso at the station to get up for my interview -- even with the beanbag pillow I hadn't slept much. I failed to see the Starbucks 100 yards east of the station.
I filled out a lost and found report for the sunglasses. To this day, Amtrak doesn't have a computer for any functions related to baggage, express shipments, or lost-and-found.
However, to my great surprise, the equipment was the same on the 4:45P train back to Bakersfield; and my sunglasses were right there in the seat back where I had left them. When does that ever happen?
10:00 PM and we are back in Bakersfield. Enroute I had a pot roast sandwich ($6) for dinner which consisted of a Kaiser roll piled high with pulled roast beef.
I should also mention there was wi-fi onboard which appeared to work for the people who used it.
Getting off the train I passed maybe 50 people waiting for Amtrak Connection buses to take them to points south. They are planning to spend a trillion dollars on high-speed rail in California, but they can't come up with connecting train service from Bakersfield to L.A. or Barstow.