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I am ticketed for a late November trip aboard the California Zephr. I will arrive evening time (hopefully) in Emeryville, CA and have reservations at the Tuscan Inn at Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco. My ?? is what would you suggest as the best way to make the commute from the station to the hotel and back. (Will not be renting a car.) Am also ticketed after long weekend from Emeryville to Los Angeles to connect with the Southwest Chief. There is a connection from Bakersfild, CA to Los Angeles on a Thruway bus. My concern is that there is only a 10 minute time between train and bus and I am a senior citizen (no longer fleet of foot.) Has anyone recently done this trip that could advise what I can expect?
Dee
Posts: 460 | From: North Central CT | Registered: May 2004
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When purchasing your ticket, you could have very easily arranged to travel from Emeryville into San Francisco (Fisherman's Wharf - Pier 39) via an Amtrak Thruway bus. The ride takes about 20 minutes if there's no traffic.
Even if your ticket has already been issued, you may still be able to obtain this "add-on" service for your trip. Call an Amtrak Reservations agent and ask about it. I don't know how close the Pier 39 stop is to your hotel, but it won't involve more than a short taxi ride. The bus can also take you from Pier 39 back to Emeryville.
As for the train-to-bus connection at Bakersfield. . . don't worry. The bus is specifically for Amtrak passengers, and waits right outside the station for the train to arrive. Although you won't have to break your neck rushing, take care of any "rest room needs" while you're still on the train, and then make sure you head straight for the bus. If you decide to make the proverbial pit stop inside the station, and the bus driver is a bit "antsy," he or she may leave without you.
[This message has been edited by dilly (edited 09-03-2004).]
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You really want to take care of this, Dee, as Dilly says. The Emeryville station is not conventiently located for any public transportation into SF and a taxi will be very expensive. I have been through this before. Amtrak will add the throughway bus to your reservation (you need an actual ticket to give to the driver); some agents will just do it, others may want to add a few dollars charge. You can pick up the paper ticket at the station when you board your train wherever you begin the trip. You also want to arrange for this throughway bus back to Emeryville (or Oakland, I forget which) to get the San Joaquin to Bakersfield. You can select a pickup point most convenient for you. If you don't know San Francisco geography let me know and I'll research it for you (I live here in SF). The trip from B'field to Union Station in LA is about 2 hours and last month my bus had a bathroom on it. John Andrew
[This message has been edited by City of Miami (edited 09-03-2004).]
Posts: 326 | From: San Antonio Texas USA | Registered: Dec 2003
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Thanks for the info !!! I have taken your suggestion and called Amtrak and booked the thruway shuttle from Emeryville to Fisherman's Wharf. While the trip is still two and 1/2 months away --- I am starting to get excited. This will be my first time in San Francisco and my first trip on the California Zephyr. Will finish with a trip to AZ to spend Holiday with family, then continue home (CT)on the Southwest Chief and Lake Shore Ltd.
[This message has been edited by DeeCT (edited 09-03-2004).]
Posts: 460 | From: North Central CT | Registered: May 2004
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I was just in San Francisco on the way home from my trip on #14. I was impressed by how the whole Embarcadero Area has been cleaned up. Be sure to ride the "F" cars. they run down Market from Castro to the Ferry Building and continue to Fisherman's Wharf. Restored trolleys from all over. Fare just went up to $1.25 but worth it.
We also took a Ferry from the side of the Ferry Building closest to that Amtrak stop to Sausalito. Great views of the city, Alcatraz and the bridges. We had a very good lunch at a place on the water about a block from the ferry landing. Name escapes me but it is a grey and white building.
Frank in Sunny SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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When you board the Amtrak bus at Emeryville, tell the driver the name and location of your hotel (in your case, it's on Northpoint Street near the corner of Mason Street).
If the driver is in a good mood, more or less going in that direction anyway, and it's a fairly easy night passenger-wise, he or she might be willing to drop you off at the corner, if not right in front of the hotel.
Mind you, they're not obligated to do this. But I've lucked out twice during the past few years. Both times, my official destination was the "San Francisco Shopping Center" stop on Market Street. But the driver took the scenic route and dropped me off at my Mason Street hotel a few blocks away.
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Hi Dee, Take a look at any online map of downtown SF; when the Amtrak bus dropped me at the pier last summer, I walked across the street, and within a minute, was at the cable car stop that took me up to Chinatown, where my hotel was. easy and cheap and fun. San Fran is a great city to get around in; be sure to see Golden Gate Park! And somewhere along one of the cable car lines, up on Russian Hill, I think, is the famous Swenson's Ice Cream. The original store. Enjoy your trip! Posts: 171 | Registered: May 2002
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