Seattle WA to San Francisco CA - Travel Help for an Aussie

thowden Aug 9, 2014

  1. thowden

    thowden New Member

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    Hi All

    I will be in Seattle early September with my 22 year old son and I am trying to work out a trip by train with Amtrak from Seattle down(up) to San Francisco. But I seem to have to 'know' which stations to use in order to book. I keep getting service unavailable or bus connections?

    Hoping that someone local can guide me.

    Grand plan is or was: Seattle depart Thursday 4th Sept and I think it is 22 hours to SF and we want to end up somewhere near the cable trams to get to our hotel. Is it a worthwhile trip ? With it being 22 hours we either sit up a lot or get a sleeper and we prefer the sleeper option.

    Key points: I am the train buff. My son is presenting his computer game at the PAX convention in Seattle. The extra week or so is just chill time for us both. He likes comic books, superheroes, planetariums, science museums, and pinball / computer games. I am trains and toys from the 1960's. Driving is not an option, as my last attempts in the USA ended with me on the wrong side of the road, twice! 40+ years of RHD is hard to unlearn for me.

    Would appreciate any pointers to model trains or similar touristy things that we should do. We have around 8 days with 3 in Seattle and 5 in SF.

    Thanks in advance.

    cheers
    Tony
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 9, 2014
  2. GN-Z-phile

    GN-Z-phile TrainBoard Member

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    You would want the Coast Starlight. The code for Seattle is SEA. The code for the Bay Area station at Emeryville is EMY. Emeryville is across the San Francisco Bay from San Francisco itself. Locals more familiar with the Bay Area can tell you how best to get from Emeryville to San Francisco itself. It might be Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART).

    Definitely get a roomette (at least) on a sleeper car. There's plenty of scenery along the way (southern Puget Sound, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, Mount Hood, etc., though, so the observation car during the daylight hours is recommended, too.

    Mike
     
  3. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    There are several destination codes for San Francisco. Book as soon as possible. Many Amtrak trains can be full well ahead of time. Early September will still be a busy time of year.
     
  4. fitz

    fitz TrainBoard Member

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    Some of the bus connections you get may be because of frequent mudslides south of Seattle that put the rail line out of service for a day or two. Amtrak also has bus connections on several segments, but Seattle to San Francisco should not require busing unless there is a problem with the rail line. Wish I could help more.
     
  5. RBrodzinsky

    RBrodzinsky November 18, 2022 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter In Memoriam

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    If you book to San Francisco, there is a bus from Emeryville to SF, run by Amtrak. And, it is always there, no matter how late the train arrives in EMY. Drops you off near Fisherman's Wharf.
     
  6. thowden

    thowden New Member

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    Hi

    Thanks for the help. I have now booked SEA to EMY.

    cheers
    Tony
     
  7. Kevin Anderson

    Kevin Anderson TrainBoard Member

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    There is no train from emery vile to San Fran. It is a bus connection only. Take the starlight train 11 to Emy then transfer to San Fran. Two bus stops there. One is a staffed station at the ferry building the other is down off of pier 39.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free
     
  8. YoHo

    YoHo TrainBoard Supporter

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    Emeryville to fishermen's warf by bus works, but if it were me, I'd have taken a ferry which I think can be accessed from the Jack London sq. Stop. Maybe Emeryville. Or, go through to San Jose and come back up the Penninsula by CalTrain.
     

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