After two years of pandemic and a work shuttle, those commuter benefits have been building up in my account. Turns out Amtrak accepts commuter benefits. Put two and two together, and we got ourselves quite the scenic free ride down to Los Angeles for Presidents' Day weekend. The Coast Starlight Train isn't for anyone in a hurry, but it's fantastic if you enjoy a day disconnecting with a good book and some scenic views. To top it off, if you've nabbed yourself a seat in the business or sleeper cars, you can even enjoy some literal fine dining - fresh cut flowers, real fabric table cloths, and a proper three-course meal, all enjoyed in a booth gently rocking to the rhythm of some very slow train tracks. It definitely felt as though we'd stepped back in time to an era when no one had to worry about rushing or maximizing productivity. Honestly, that dining car meal my very well have been my highlight of the trip, other than of course meeting the woman who's about to become my cousin-in-law and her very hungry cat. Unfortunately there's no photographic evidence of the latter highlights, so here ya go, proof of a lovely long "commuter" weekend.
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| While our co-workers toiled away on the Friday leading up to the long weekend, we took in the views between the naps and books. |
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| While Meghan squeezed in some grading and Ryan enjoyed a Sunday afternoon off, Nicolas and I hit up downtown LA, a major highlight being The Lost Bookstore - no end of photo-worthy hidey holes. |
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| An extra slow ride home when the cops blocked the tracks just outside LA for over 3 hours. We slowly realized we'd definitely need to find on-train dinner options, which turned out to be quite the unexpectedly pleasant surprise. |
