Training Down the Coast

The final leg of my trans-California train trip had me heading down the last stretch of coastline, bypassing the Los Angeles area to see if notoriously sprawl-y San Diego could be explored car-free. Things to Do: 1. Most visitors head directly to the beach, but it’s worth spending at least a day in downtown San Diego. While it’s not the easiest city to explore car-free (it’s hillier than you might expect!), it

Leg three of my coastal California train trip has us trading in the green valleys of San Luis Obispo for beach-y environs of Santa Barbara, the gateway to SoCal—and, more importantly, to excellent Mexican food. Things to Do: 1. When you think Santa Barbara, you think beach. The good news is that, unlike in L.A., you don’t need gasoline to reach the best beaches here. If you want a bike for

The second leg of my epic trip on the Coast Starlight Train took me from Monterey, down into Central California and stopping in San Luis Obispo—the idyllic blue-sky city that loves to tout its recognition as “the happiest city in America.” Getting There: The train from Salinas station to San Luis Obispo takes 3 hours, 20 minutes (from $40, or $55 total for a direct ticket from San Francisco). The

The drive down US-1 from San Francisco to San Diego is widely celebrated as America’s most scenic drive. But what’s a car-free traveler to do? Many people don’t realize there is in fact an eco-friendly route down California’s coast, via Amtrak’s Coast Starlight train. While certainly not a choice for those who insist on traveling fast, the Coast Starlight’s path is just as picturesque as a coastal drive, and even