After getting our bearings in the terminal we were directed by Amtrak to wait for boarding in a very nice lounge where we enjoyed coffee and juice.
Originally booked in 'coach' for today (which on Amtrak is the equivalent of airline first-class sized seats ... and very spacious) made a relatively last-minute decision to pay a modest up-charge for two roomettes. I wondered at the time if it was the right decision; in hindsight I'm thrilled I made the call. I learned that the Coast Starlight is the ONLY train in the Amtrak system - nationwide - that pulls a historic 1950s Parlor Car solely for use by first-class passengers. The wood trim ... the brass accents ... the curtains ... the real china and glass stemware ... it was like a step back in time, and provided the vistas of the Pacific Coast we had been hoping we might see. Stunning scenery today.
We took both lunch and dinner in the dining car, and I'm proud to report that at one point, just after Emery and Miles had places their dinner order with the attendant, he said, "Kids, I want you to know that you win the award for the most polite young people I've come across on this train in a long time." To which another man - eating at a table across the aisle - chimed in, "I was just thinking the same thing."
In the late afternoon - after the train had turned away from the coast and as it began a beautiful stretch through mountains, farms and vineyards - all four of us participated in activities that can only be found on the Coast Starlight ...
Kristen and I joined about 30 other passengers in the Parlor Car for a wine and cheese tasting that features wines from central California vineyards we were passing. We really enjoyed the "research". I'm tempted to stay on the train past Emeryville tonight just so I can try the Washington wines tomorrow afternoon as the train approaches Seattle. (Well, I guess this gives me motivation to come back some day and hit the northern half of the route!)
While we were doing important research on the wines of California, no one under 21 was allowed upstairs in the Parlor Car. That was okay ... because downstairs there's a movie theatre!
Miles and Emery enjoyed taking some candy into the theatre and watching "Escape From Planet Earth".
Since dinner tonight we have all been hanging out in our roomettes, reading, listening to music, watching the sunset, and anticipating our time coming up in SF.
But I find myself being frequently drawn back to the one-of-a-kind, historic, parlor car.
