Grand Train Journey across USA - Day 5

Guest · 6 Apr 16, 02:59 PM

DAY 5 – ( 22nd June 2006) – City by the Bay

I’m up early this morning.It's 6:30a.m. The “Coast Starlight” has rattled along the tracks through the night but it's running late. You get used to this on Amtrak. The book we bought prior to booking our trip warned us of this time and time again. I make my way to the observation car where I can grab cereal and pastries and a much needed coffee.
Darrin sleeps on:

At 8:30a.m. we are approaching the suburbs of Sacramento – the capital of California. It’s been so since 1854 much to the scorn of Southern Californians who think their cities are glitzier. In 1849 the gold rush started nearby at Sutter’s Mill. (Gold had first been discovered a year earlier). A rail link over the Sierra Nevadas brought the train here soon afterwards. In this shot you can see the 1869 domed Capital building which features ornate plaster works in its interior and splendid oak staircases:

Many 19th century houses have been preserved and a reconstructed Fort Sutter stand on the east side of town. Sacramento is the hub of food production specialising in almonds, peaches and pears. Sacramento has the famous California State Rail-road Museum. How I wish we had time to pop along and see it.

As we pass south of the city we come upon the almond growing areas. Just fields and fields of almond trees.

I guarantee many of you reading this have had a tin of these:

well, this is where they grow.

The next town on the route is Davis. It’s Amtrak station is built in the Spanish adobe-style and dates from 1913 as evidenced by the South Pacific rail-road logo.(Hidden by the trees in this photo).

The train races on over flat agricultural land past a ridge on the right, beyond which is the Napa Valley famous for its wine production. To our right is Boeing’s experimental wind farm generating electricity on a small scale.

We are now passing the shoreline of Suisun Bay. A large fleet of transport ships floats here mostly dating from World War II but some saw action in Vietnam and the Gulf War of 1991.

On our left are docks packed with imported Japanese cars. The “Coast Starlight” crosses the impressive steel, double track Benicia-Martinez bridge spanning the Carquinez Strait. Before this bridge opened in 1930, trains had to be ferried, in sections, across the water. The rail bridge runs parallel with the road bridge on the left.

Darrin now comes to join me in the observation car. Cereal and coffee for him.

There’s a chap with some gadgetry behind us and it’s not long before Darrin goes investigating. There is some device suckered to the train window which apparently picks up signals from satellites revolving around the earth. Using triangulation (that’s as technical as it’s getting!) it shows on a lap top exactly where we are.

They call it GPS – Global Positioning System and it’s something that has been around since the 70s. I’ve never heard of it. Of course, inspector gadget, Darrin knows all about it! Technical advances now allow the man in the street (or on a train) to use it. I find it quite miraculous.
(** Little did we realise back then this would be fitted in cars and be available on our phones).

We chat to people from Montana, Texas and St Louis. All of them have a fascination for the British Royal Family. Considering they fought us to get rid of a King I find it incredible that they show so much interest in the Windsors.

The next on route town is Martinez. It’s named for a Spanish Governor and was the birthplace of Joe DiMaggio – the baseball player who married Marilyn Monroe. It’s also the place that gives the drink Martini its name! We continue along the rocky shores of Pablo Bay passing a sugar factory and several oil refineries. To our right are the Marin County Hills and Mount Tamalpais. We now come into Richmond famous for its shipyards during World War II. In the station we can see BART trains (Bay Area Rapid Transport) the Underground of the San Francisco area.

San Francisco’s skyline appears across the bay as we pass through Berkeley. Golden Gate Bridge is to the north and Oakland Bay Bridge is to the south.

Our train arrives at Emeryville (for San Francisco) over four hours late. This has lost us a morning in this great “City by the Bay”.

A coach meets us at the station and it’s not long before we are passing over Oakland Bay Bridge and into the city.

Look very carefully you can see one of the tall support towers of the Golden Gate bridge in the distance (mid left of the picture just under the reflection).

The coach drops us at the Embarcadero so we grab a cab to get us to our hotel. We’re in familiar territory near Pier 39 on Fisherman’s Wharf.

Our hotel, the Radisson, is located so that you walk down a small lobby and out of a door straight into the hustle and bustle of the famous pier areas. It’s hot (84 F) and so we opt for lunch at Boudin’s (pronounced Boo-deen) Bakery – the people responsible for bringing sourdough bread to the U.S.A.

A meal of Dungeness Crab Louie for me and chicken Caesar with ice cold, fresh lemonades cools us down.

We take a tour of the bakery and learn how Louise Boudin rescued the “mother dough” – the sour dough, in a bucket during the famous earthquake of 1906 so that the nation could continue to enjoy this unusual and tasty bread.

We spend the remainder of the afternoon in the hotel pool splashing around and cooling down. It’s warm and the water is inviting – we are not normally “pool” people but the bay offers no swimming with its cold water and strong currents – the very reason Alcatraz was such a secure prison.

In the evening we head for Pier 39 and Neptune’s Palace.

This is our fourth visit to “the best views of the bay, the best seafood in town”. Normally you get a great vista of the sun setting behind the Golden Gate Bridge to the west. This evening, the famous “fog” has rolled in (its actually sea mist) and the Island of Alcatraz (the former Federal Penitentiary) is slowly hidden from view. The temperature drops dramatically, mainly due to the breeze and the chill factor of the sea mist.

It has to be half lobster, half crab with melted butter. They provide you with adult size bibs and believe me you need them. (Yes, I know I had crab at lunch but I love it!)

It’s only a short walk back to our hotel and we fall into bed about 10:30 p.m. and slept like babies.

INDEX: http://DIBB.in/11466192

Mr Tom Morrow · 6 Apr 16, 04:28 PM

A lovely day Geoff. I did chuckle about the GPS part! How quickly times have changed.
I thought the Russians were bad at leaving rusting hulks of ships lying around - seems the Americans aren't far behind. Asbestos problems one suspects? Too expensive to scrap them?
So nice to see Fishermans Wharf again! I am battling to get Mrs Morrow to do another West Coast trip again - to no avail at the moment.

Lovely pictures.

Guest · 6 Apr 16, 06:16 PM

Cheers! We love San Francisco. I could easily live there.
The GPS was something quite eye opening at the time. These days we take it so much for granted.

Mr Tom Morrow · 6 Apr 16, 06:34 PM

Geoff. Another point - you mention imported Japanese cars. Has this changed now that there are so many plants in America churning out Toyota's etc etc?
Funny how World dynamics change.

I keep coming back to these pictures and especially the ones from the previous day! So many memories - cannot put a price on that!

Smurfck · 6 Apr 16, 09:28 PM

Brilliant day, I'm off to read day 6 😊

Guest · 6 Apr 16, 09:31 PM

Originally Posted by Mr Tom Morrow

Geoff. Another point - you mention imported Japanese cars. Has this changed now that there are so many plants in America churning out Toyota's etc etc?
Funny how World dynamics change.

I keep coming back to these pictures and especially the ones from the previous day! So many memories - cannot put a price on that!

I guess so Mr T M. It was 10 years ago and it's amazing how things change in that time.

P&S · 8 Apr 16, 06:47 PM

San Francisco is on my list to do very soon looks great

**Eeyore rocks** · 10 Apr 16, 12:12 PM

I bet you were really tired after such a long day.

Thanks for sharing.

Melvin Pearce · 18 Apr 16, 09:08 PM

Another brilliant days report

Love the look of all that Lobster.

Lesley and Melvin

disney owl · 16 Feb 17, 10:46 PM

We stayed at the Radisson in 2012, unfortunately never warm enough to use the pool

6 Apr 16, 02:59 PM	#1
	6 Apr 16, 02:59 PM Guest Guest
Guest Guest	Grand Train Journey across USA - Day 5 DAY 5 – ( 22nd June 2006) – City by the Bay I’m up early this morning.It's 6:30a.m. The “Coast Starlight” has rattled along the tracks through the night but it's running late. You get used to this on Amtrak. The book we bought prior to booking our trip warned us of this time and time again. I make my way to the observation car where I can grab cereal and pastries and a much needed coffee. Darrin sleeps on: At 8:30a.m. we are approaching the suburbs of Sacramento – the capital of California. It’s been so since 1854 much to the scorn of Southern Californians who think their cities are glitzier. In 1849 the gold rush started nearby at Sutter’s Mill. (Gold had first been discovered a year earlier). A rail link over the Sierra Nevadas brought the train here soon afterwards. In this shot you can see the 1869 domed Capital building which features ornate plaster works in its interior and splendid oak staircases: Many 19th century houses have been preserved and a reconstructed Fort Sutter stand on the east side of town. Sacramento is the hub of food production specialising in almonds, peaches and pears. Sacramento has the famous California State Rail-road Museum. How I wish we had time to pop along and see it. As we pass south of the city we come upon the almond growing areas. Just fields and fields of almond trees. I guarantee many of you reading this have had a tin of these: well, this is where they grow. The next town on the route is Davis. It’s Amtrak station is built in the Spanish adobe-style and dates from 1913 as evidenced by the South Pacific rail-road logo.(Hidden by the trees in this photo). The train races on over flat agricultural land past a ridge on the right, beyond which is the Napa Valley famous for its wine production. To our right is Boeing’s experimental wind farm generating electricity on a small scale. We are now passing the shoreline of Suisun Bay. A large fleet of transport ships floats here mostly dating from World War II but some saw action in Vietnam and the Gulf War of 1991. On our left are docks packed with imported Japanese cars. The “Coast Starlight” crosses the impressive steel, double track Benicia-Martinez bridge spanning the Carquinez Strait. Before this bridge opened in 1930, trains had to be ferried, in sections, across the water. The rail bridge runs parallel with the road bridge on the left. Darrin now comes to join me in the observation car. Cereal and coffee for him. There’s a chap with some gadgetry behind us and it’s not long before Darrin goes investigating. There is some device suckered to the train window which apparently picks up signals from satellites revolving around the earth. Using triangulation (that’s as technical as it’s getting!) it shows on a lap top exactly where we are. They call it GPS – Global Positioning System and it’s something that has been around since the 70s. I’ve never heard of it. Of course, inspector gadget, Darrin knows all about it! Technical advances now allow the man in the street (or on a train) to use it. I find it quite miraculous. (** Little did we realise back then this would be fitted in cars and be available on our phones). We chat to people from Montana, Texas and St Louis. All of them have a fascination for the British Royal Family. Considering they fought us to get rid of a King I find it incredible that they show so much interest in the Windsors. The next on route town is Martinez. It’s named for a Spanish Governor and was the birthplace of Joe DiMaggio – the baseball player who married Marilyn Monroe. It’s also the place that gives the drink Martini its name! We continue along the rocky shores of Pablo Bay passing a sugar factory and several oil refineries. To our right are the Marin County Hills and Mount Tamalpais. We now come into Richmond famous for its shipyards during World War II. In the station we can see BART trains (Bay Area Rapid Transport) the Underground of the San Francisco area. San Francisco’s skyline appears across the bay as we pass through Berkeley. Golden Gate Bridge is to the north and Oakland Bay Bridge is to the south. Our train arrives at Emeryville (for San Francisco) over four hours late. This has lost us a morning in this great “City by the Bay”. A coach meets us at the station and it’s not long before we are passing over Oakland Bay Bridge and into the city. Look very carefully you can see one of the tall support towers of the Golden Gate bridge in the distance (mid left of the picture just under the reflection). The coach drops us at the Embarcadero so we grab a cab to get us to our hotel. We’re in familiar territory near Pier 39 on Fisherman’s Wharf. Our hotel, the Radisson, is located so that you walk down a small lobby and out of a door straight into the hustle and bustle of the famous pier areas. It’s hot (84 F) and so we opt for lunch at Boudin’s (pronounced Boo-deen) Bakery – the people responsible for bringing sourdough bread to the U.S.A. A meal of Dungeness Crab Louie for me and chicken Caesar with ice cold, fresh lemonades cools us down. We take a tour of the bakery and learn how Louise Boudin rescued the “mother dough” – the sour dough, in a bucket during the famous earthquake of 1906 so that the nation could continue to enjoy this unusual and tasty bread. We spend the remainder of the afternoon in the hotel pool splashing around and cooling down. It’s warm and the water is inviting – we are not normally “pool” people but the bay offers no swimming with its cold water and strong currents – the very reason Alcatraz was such a secure prison. In the evening we head for Pier 39 and Neptune’s Palace. This is our fourth visit to “the best views of the bay, the best seafood in town”. Normally you get a great vista of the sun setting behind the Golden Gate Bridge to the west. This evening, the famous “fog” has rolled in (its actually sea mist) and the Island of Alcatraz (the former Federal Penitentiary) is slowly hidden from view. The temperature drops dramatically, mainly due to the breeze and the chill factor of the sea mist. It has to be half lobster, half crab with melted butter. They provide you with adult size bibs and believe me you need them. (Yes, I know I had crab at lunch but I love it!) It’s only a short walk back to our hotel and we fall into bed about 10:30 p.m. and slept like babies. INDEX: http://DIBB.in/11466192 Edited at 08:23 PM.

6 Apr 16, 04:28 PM	#2
	6 Apr 16, 04:28 PM Mr Tom Morrow Imagineer
Mr Tom Morrow Imagineer Join Date: Jul 14 Location: The Tiki Room. theDIBB Guidebook Pages Created: 3	A lovely day Geoff. I did chuckle about the GPS part! How quickly times have changed. I thought the Russians were bad at leaving rusting hulks of ships lying around - seems the Americans aren't far behind. Asbestos problems one suspects? Too expensive to scrap them? So nice to see Fishermans Wharf again! I am battling to get Mrs Morrow to do another West Coast trip again - to no avail at the moment. Lovely pictures. __________________ "PAGING MR MORROW, MR TOM MORROW..." ''I drink Wine and know things'' DVC Owners at SSR since 2003. Multiple annual visits to America since 1976

6 Apr 16, 06:16 PM	#3
	6 Apr 16, 06:16 PM Guest Guest
Guest Guest	Cheers! We love San Francisco. I could easily live there. The GPS was something quite eye opening at the time. These days we take it so much for granted.

6 Apr 16, 06:34 PM	#4
	6 Apr 16, 06:34 PM Mr Tom Morrow Imagineer
Mr Tom Morrow Imagineer Join Date: Jul 14 Location: The Tiki Room. theDIBB Guidebook Pages Created: 3	Geoff. Another point - you mention imported Japanese cars. Has this changed now that there are so many plants in America churning out Toyota's etc etc? Funny how World dynamics change. I keep coming back to these pictures and especially the ones from the previous day! So many memories - cannot put a price on that! __________________ "PAGING MR MORROW, MR TOM MORROW..." ''I drink Wine and know things'' DVC Owners at SSR since 2003. Multiple annual visits to America since 1976

18 Apr 16, 09:08 PM	#9
	18 Apr 16, 09:08 PM Melvin Pearce Imagineer
Melvin Pearce Imagineer Click to See My Villa! Join Date: Feb 09 Melvin Pearce's Reviews Restaurant Reviews: 5	Another brilliant days report Love the look of all that Lobster. Lesley and Melvin __________________