About one month ago, a lady and her botanist husband sat across from me on good-old-567 going to Los Angeles and all intermediate stops. She asked the conductor a question that has riveted in my mind all this time. She wished to know where to sit.
"Mr Conductor, which way is the train going." Without so-much-as-blinking-an-eye he told her, "It depends. The train has two heads. One head goes this way to L.A. and the other one turns around to return to San Diego."
Well, the wife of the Rose King in St. Louis still did not get it. but at least I do. The rides feel like waking on air unless a baby is on board. Here are some of my tips to save you time, money and make it a memorable experience.
I am on a budget. Sometimes, I take the Metro-link, the Los Angeles Commuter train. It is less than half of Amtrak and is usually more congested. It costs ten dollars to go from Los Angeles to Oceanside. From Oceanside, you can take the Coaster to San Diego and all of the intermediate stops. It does stop at Solana Beach.
It is about five dollars from Oceanside to San Diego on the Coaster commuter train and three late night Amtrak's. A coaster compass card or ticket will get you on to three late night trains. The earliest leaves Oceanside at about seven o'clock. Both the Amtrak and Coaster takes you all-the-way into downtown San Diego.
The reverse is also true heading for Los Angeles. An Asian lady paid thirteen dollars for an Amtrak ticket to get to Encinitas. She could have paid a bit over three for a Coaster ticket and saved ten dollars. Remember that six Amtrak trains accept Coaster tickets.
There are commuter lots up-and-down the coast. Wearing a watch is a must, as is learning the time tables for the trains and buses. Driving into San Diego is a death march to disaster. You drink a heavily loaded soup of carbon and particles to get there. You'[ll find no parking and even when you do, the meter maids will find a reason to ticket you.
Several big events are coming up. There is Comic-Com, Del Mar Racing, and even the Mira-mar Air show. The gas money you have saved will be exchanged for food, frolic and fun. A word of caution, Amtrak-Coaster tickets may not be used on Friday through Sunday of opening day at Del Mar.
An update to the above. The #567 Amtrak took me to Encinitas. I had hoped to get a parking place on the hills overlooking Moonlight State Beach. Yes, they call it 'State" for some reason. It would be another scorcher -- a day in eighties.
My car, as always, was waiting for me at the commuter station. I felt mad that my A/C no longer worked because of my negligence. After 178,000 miles, I did not change the all the belts. At least I could open the passenger window.
At nine thirty, it was still hot. I drove down D Street across the 101. The car lot was full and many cars exited it for street parking. Then I remembered about a four man volleyball tournament. Yet I found a small curbed area in back of an SUV. I unloaded my umbrella, folding chair, and descended a path.
It seemed that every man was over six feet six inches tall. No only tall, but muscular and lean. What shame I could beef up like them. I found a spot in back of the life guard station. It had a hill overlooking the matches in front of me. I had made sure to drink lots of water before settling down.
In the forties and fifties, all we used were beach umbrellas to ward off the sun. I don't remember my Mom concerned with tanning lotion. At Santa Monica Beach, we used our bodies and rubber rafts to carry the waves to shore. But today, everything has changed. Encinitas Beach now had been marketed as the Finest Beach in the South Bay.
All around me, beach goers huddled inside small circus tents. Four to six poles held the canvas up. And the canvas was heavy to ward off the rays from the sun. Paddle boarders, board surfers, buggy boards took advantage of four to five footers.
The smell of barbecues gave me an insatiable appetite. I felt like many Latino families had brought all of their cousins from across the boarder. Sets of twenty to forty circled the barbecue pits. Planks were tossed over the pits and fired up. Everywhere the fiesta goers played catch with a soccer ball. In fact, they used their feet, later on, to play volleyball -- volleyball is not their sport.
After two hours of watching crisp digging, setting, and spiking, I needed to drink and use their modern toilets. They were clean and even had toilet paper. Wow. Outside, a a food and beverage cafe offered pizza or sandwiches with the usual, a drink and chips.
A friend came by and spoke about the new Whole Foods store on E Street above the 101. He also mentioned a fish restaurant at the Oceanside Marina. My body became too hot, even while holding an umbrella overhead. I left for my car and I drove to Keno's for a fish and chips lunch for a little over six. It included a salad and baked potato. I had enough energy to go to Leucadia and the Town and Country Center to cash my retirement check.
Somehow after taking in too much sun, I made it back to San Diego on the Coaster train. With the new resurgent San Diego Padres playing the Giants of San Francisco, there was only one seat to be had. The others were taken up with beer bottles and whiskey. (Not Edited)
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