San Clemente to San Diego via the #564 Pacific Surfliner, 1 hour, 9 minutes
The San Clemente Amtrak Station is just a small covered pergola to protect the ticket machine. There are no air-conditioned wooden benches to save me from the mid-day heat, so I’m glad I’m leaving early. I do want to come back, though. This is a beautiful oasis of a town, especially down by the beach. The tracks heading south are just a stone’s throw to the sand. I’m looking forward to the scenery.
The views on the way to San Diego are not as good as I expected. For me, the best views on the Pacific Surfliner are between Santa Barbara and the town of Ventura. I arrive in San Diego in sweltering heat. Just like San Clemente, there is no air conditioned station here. There is a Venezuelan restaurant close by, so I’ll drag my luggage there, eat slowly, and try to make it my home for a while. The food is great and the server lets me stay as long as I want. My original plan was to catch the 2:10pm train to Los Angeles, but using the Amtrak app I am quickly able to modify my rail pass for a 12:10pm departure. I appreciate the flexibility of the rail pass. When booking single tickets I have found canceling/changing tickets to be difficult and subject to penalties. With the rail pass it’s a breeze! On my way back to the station, walking in the hot sun, I feel the outside of my cooler. It is sizzling hot! Maybe black was not the right color choice.
San Diego to Los Angeles via the #777 Pacific Surfliner, 2 hours, 47 minutes
After an uneventful ride I arrive at Los Angeles Union Station and head straight to the air-conditioned passenger waiting room. I’m not allowed entry, though, because it is only for passengers with departures within the next two hours. Mine is seven hours away, but my lack of entry is probably for the better. Using the Bounce app I find a place to store my luggage that is only half a mile away. I drop my bags off and search for an air-conditioned restaurant. Two blocks away I see a big antique neon sign on top of a building that says “Philippe The Original French Dipped Sandwiches”. I go inside to get out of the heat.
The restaurant is cool inside in more ways than one. Looking around, I feel like I’m in a restaurant museum. In fact, I think the only concession to the present is the air conditioning. I order a French dip sandwich and beer at the counter, and then find an out-of-the-way spot in a back room. Reading a Wikipedia entry for Philippe puts a smile on my face. Years ago, Mary and I took a self-guided tour of many of the spots in Los Angeles that were mentioned in author Michael Connelly’s book series about detective Harry Bosch. We ate at the historic Musso and Frank on Hollywood Boulevard where all the movie stars used to eat. The fictional Harry Bosch ate there too (and so does Michael Connelly). Wanting to go there again, earlier today I tried to get a reservation but they were booked solid. The smile on my face is because I learn that Philippe’s is a hangout of another one Michael Connelly’s characters; Bosch’s half brother Mickey Haller, AKA The Lincoln Lawyer. Working out of his car before cellular technology, I can imagine him using one of these phone booths.
Los Angeles to Alpine via the #2 Sunset Limited, 20 hours, 45 minutes
The temperature cools down to the upper seventies so I leave Philippe’s, retrieve my luggage and head back to LA Union Station. The 1930s era waiting room is beautiful, but the 16 ft by 100 ft video screen above us is fighting with the architecture and unfortunately winning. Maybe it provides ad revenue to Amtrak, but in my book it’s an eyesore and complete waste of resources. I go outside to a quiet central courtyard to calm down. No one else is here, so maybe I’m the only person bothered by it.
The Sunset Limited leaves on time and I have a vacant seat next to me! The train car is half-full at most, which surprises me. When I checked the app earlier this evening it showed only one seat being available for a Los Angeles to Alpine ticket. I have had this same experience before. I get another surprise when the conductor announces over the PA system “When sleeping in your seat, don’t let any part of your body interfere with the walkway. If you need to stretch out, go to the observation car.” Wow! She just sanctioned my indiscretion! Just for the challenge I try sleeping in my assigned seat for a while but eventually dodge people’s body parts on my way to a nearly empty lounge car, where I luxuriously stretch out over three seats.
I move to a table, have my breakfast and then darn a pair of socks to pass the time. A man notices the “OK to Sit Here” sign I put on the table and sits down. He has a cardboard box full of small rusted parts and small tools. “Is that a fishing reel?” I say. “Yeah. I found it in a lake and I’m fixing it up to give to my sister.” We all have our own ways to fill the day.
To Be Continued
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