Train to San Francisco

May 20, 2024

Today I got on the train to the California Zephyr on my way to San Francisco. There, I’ll see my friend Zacchaeus before heading off to Korea for about 2.5 weeks. I bought a new camera for this trip and will share my journey here on the blog. For now, here a few photos from the new camera of Union Station in Denver.

May 20 Afternoon Update

Here’s some more photos from going through the rockies. There’s a noticable reflection off the glass, I should think about getting a polarizing filter for situations like this.

May 21 Morning Update

The sleeping situation in coach isn’t phenomenal, but the views in the morning were great.

May 21 Evening Update

Nevada had some pretty views, but entering into Tahoe National Forest is a nice change of scenery.

Final Takeaway

The California Zephyr offers amazing views, and I think it is worth doing (once) from Denver to Emeryville, provided you reserve a roomette.

Pros

• A great way to see amazing scenery
• I met some nice people, and enjoyed chatting

Cons

• Sleeping in coach is not a fun experience, hence the recommendation to reserve a roomette
• The cheapest non-coach option (a roomette) is quite expensive. Partially mitigated if you travel with a partner and split the cost
• It is slow, and delayed. I arrived 5+ hours late to EMY due to various delays
• I heard from others that the Chicago to Denver section of the route isn’t worth it; the views are quite monotonous, hence the recommendation to start in Denver