“Next Time, Take The Train”

This weekend, I had to take a short trip to Sacramento, scenic capital of our fair state. Not exactly a party destination, I know, but it was for work. Rather than rent a car to drive up and around town, I decided to take the Amtrak/BART/Muni Capitol Corridor connection instead.
It turned out to be a pretty smart move, financially (given how expensive gas has become) and it was way more convenient than I’d expected. Even missing the right BART train to Richmond was no big deal – I just had to do a sprint down the stairs, across the station, and up the stairs (with luggage) to the AMTRAK station at Richmond.
I was lucky in that a) a much larger, faster gentleman than I was ahead of me, clearing the way and b) the train was delayed by about a minute. I made it on board with literally 30 seconds to spare.
Once I got on, however, the trip was really nice. I’ve driven up 80 to Sacramento countless times, and know the terrain rather well – or so I thought. Taking the train took me through many familiar locations, but in a totally different way. I just wish I’d brought my camera to take pictures – it was quite scenic, and much of it is on the waterfront.
Overall it was a great way to head up north, and the connections with BART and MUNI are as smooth as they’re gonna be, and it certainly is cheaper than driving these days!