All Aboard

This Southern–to–Central Coast California tour puts Amtrak to the test. See what it takes to get from here to there while riding the rails.

By Ron Donoho

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Los Angeles to Grover Beach

The trip to the Central Coast takes five hours. Get a seat on the west side of the train. The coastline views are, in some places, sights you can’t see from the roadway. At sunset, passing through Ventura County, you can see dolphins play in the surf.

The Surfliner goes as far north as San Luis Obispo (buses can take you to the end of the transit line——Paso Robles). My stop is Grover Beach. The destination du jour is The Cliffs Resort in Shell Beach, just south of Pismo Beach. The Cliffs——3 miles away—— sends a shuttle to pick up train passengers.

The Cliffs greatly exceeds expectations. I’m not just referring to the “upgraded bathroom amenities” (a bidet). A central pool and hot-tub area has a fire pit that lights up the night. Suites have breathtaking pano - ramic views of the Pacific. My photo-op patio overlooks the ocean and a trail that leads down a rocky cliff to the beach. On the property, Mexican-theme Marisol res tau - rant connects to a fun bar with a sce nerydelivering outdoor patio.

The area is relaxed and rural, but activity abounds. Nearby Oceana dunes are available for four-wheeling. And several Central Coast wine regions are geographically proximal. The smallest and closest is Edna Valley, home to 15 wineries. I contact Jill Tweedie of Breakaway Tours. Tweedie drives the tour van, and doesn’t consume wine, natch. Still, she’s the life of the party.

“Wine is like shoes,” opines Tweedie, who runs tours all over the Central Coast. “You can like five different kinds for five different reasons . . . and once you’ve had expensive wine, you can’t go back——just like shoes.” Tweedie drives to Bailyana, where the wine-tasting room is an old schoolhouse. Then to Saucelito Canyon Vineyard, where owners and patrons debate the merits of the movie Sideways. And also to Clairborne & Churchill, built with stucco-covered, ricestraw bales of hay. We lunch in Old Edna at an historic bed-and-breakfast called Suite Edna.

Grover Beach to Santa Barbara

The Grover Beach train stop is quaint. San Diego’s fair-size Santa Fe Depot is architecturally stunning; L.A.’s Union Station is noisy and colossal. Grover Beach is . . . functional. It’s manned by one volunteer with a walkie-talkie. “Train’ll be here in three minutes,” he politely informs me. And he’s exactly right.

The Santa Barbara station at the foot of State Street has full-time personnel. If you hadn’t just come from Grover, however, you’d call this place quaint. An electric bus route runs up State, two blocks from The Upham Hotel & Country House. This New Eng land–style, mega-B&B has 50 rooms. It’s Santa Barbara’s longest continuously operating hotel. My three-room suite comes with a fireplace and a backyard garden and lounge chairs. The Upham serves breakfast each morning in the lobby; wine and cheese are put out every evening.

Everybody eats on bustling State Street. I’m pointed toward two highly satisfying, off-the-main-drag restaurants. Quantum serves fried oysters that are melt-in-yourmouth delicious. Elements Restaurant & Bar is across the street from an ornate court - house and sunken garden. Elements pours a “bottomless mimosa” for $15.

Heading home on the train, I ponder doing this travel mode again. I take stock: Seat reclined. Footrest out. Plenty of room. A conductor is getting cutesy with his station arrival announcements: “Fullerton is the next stop——fabulous Fullerton, epicenter of Orange County,” he deadpans. And later, “Anaheim——animated Anaheim, gateway to Disney, the mouse’s house.”

Cheesy, sure. But I conclude that absent the hassle of driving, it’s quite a manageable distraction.

If You Go

FOR AMTRAK schedules, call 800- USA-RAIL or go to Amtrak.com. For hotel information: The Huntley, 310-394-5454, the ; The Cliffs Resort, 800-826-7827, cliffsresort.com; The Upham Hotel, 805-962-0058, uphamhotel.com. For wine tours, contact Jill Tweedie at Breakaway Tours, 805-783-2929, breakaway-tours.com. For information on Santa Barbara dining and activities, call 805-966-9222.