Riding Along The Coastal Starlight (with video)

 This December I had to go to Portland to help move my friend Evan back to California.  I could have flown, but I decided to spend about $50 more than an economy fare and take the train first class.  It may have been 15 hours longer of a trip, but it was absolutely worth every minute. When I arrived I showed the station agent my ticket and they gave me a pass to park for free for the duration of my trip. I then proceeded to go through no TSA lines, body scanners, pat downs, or even metal detectors. I was even able to bring my swiss army knife on board, which helped me later when I needed to open an excellent bottle of Petit Syrah that I'd also brought on board without trouble (you can drink whatever you want in the privacy of a your sleeper cabin.  When I got on board, I had a bed already made up, and I was rocked off to sleep as we departed Emeryville.  

When the sun started rising, I woke up naturally to the light, and found myself in front of an amazing view. The view kept changing as the day moved on from Wild West to snow-capped peaks to Oregonian farmland. I spent a lot of time in the Pacific Parlor Car, where there was free wifi and comfy chairs. Breakfast and lunch were good, and I was forced to sit with some interesting fellow travelers. The porter was a cool guy and he showed me where the stash of California sparkling wine and Martinellis were.  I finally arrived in Portland thankful my friend was driving me to his house, but rested and disappointed that the train had arrived early (I was enjoying myself so much).   

Below is a quick montage I did of the trip. Oddly enough I was listening to one of my favorite bands of 2010, Dead When I Found Her, for most of the trip. When I got to Portland I checked my facebook and learned that the next night they were playing there (their home town apparently) live. With a coincidence like that I had no choice but to go see them. Or was it synchronicity?  

A great tip: I went by myself, but if you are travelling with a friend or a significant other, you actually split the cost of the upgrade to first class, which includes cabin, personalized service, meals, and unlimited fruit, juice, coffee, etc (and sparkling wine if you are lucky and are nice to the porter). That makes it TOTALLY worth it. I've now also been in the economy seats, which are very much like first class seats in most domestic flights. Very comfy, but nothing beats having your own cabin if you are going overnight.

More tunes from Dead When I Found Her: