We (my family) have taken the train several times recently. My son took the Amtrak to SF to visit my daughter, and then again to Arizona to see his grandparents. I took the train to Santa Cruz to pick up a car I bought, and my husband and I take the Amtrak Wine Tour every year. We also have taken the Metrolink to LA from Lancaster several times. You couldn't pay me to fly commercial these days. They would have to sedate me just to get me through "security" at the airport. We love the train.

We use Amtrak quite a bit. Most recently I went from Bako to Santa Cruz, which you can do almost entirely on train if you don't mind taking a little longer. It was cheaper than driving solo. Also, our whole family went to San Francisco -- again, cheaper than driving and paying for parking in the city. We've also gone from Bako to Denver. Good experiences all. It's a great way to travel and far less stressful than either flying or driving.

I use Amtrak to visit St. Herman's Serbian Orthodox Monastery in Northern California.  I found the train the most comfortable way to travel if you don't own a car.  The train gets you up to Stockton/Sacramento and then you have to ride an Amtrak bus to Redding.  In the past I have made several long trips to Texas on a Grey Hound bus which were nightmares.  I think that because Grey Hound doesn't have much competition they are not to concerned about the quality of there service and so I take Amtrak when ever possible.   

I can see how taking the train to San Francisco would be more relaxing. It's a couple extra hours of travel time but you're not driving. Also, one thing I forgot is what a nightmare it is to park anywhere in San Francisco.

took Amtrak to Stockton in February. Round trip ticket was about $80. Took own beer and no one seemed to mind.

My daughter looked into taking Amtrak on a family trip and found it would cost her four times as much as the gas to drive up and back, counting each individual passenger's fare.  Carpooling rocks. 

The Amtrak train code for Bakersfield is:  BFD 

I've taken Amtrak several times to Fresno to visit a relative. Easier & alot less stressful than driving. And now, cheaper than driving. Stay out of the exorbitant club car and you'll do o.k. Took a Subway sandwich, snackies, and bottled water with me when I took the train to Sacramento.

Haven't price compared Gray Hound. Haven't taken that nightmare in years. I think I'd rather take my chances hitch hiking.

Amtrak buses by contrast are roomier and cleaner.

Cars parked in the Amtrak lot at the station while you're away are reasonably safe. I understand the parking lot in Bako is under camera surveillance but that just makes it more unlikely your vehicle will be broken into or damaged, not a guarantee.

I took the train a couple of months ago to visit someone just outside San Francisco. It was great. And I didn't need to take the bus because a friend was able to pick me up at one of the stops.

It cost $80 roundtrip, which at the time, was less than what it would cost in gas. I was able to take a nap, watch a movie on my computer and read.

If they were to lay down tracks to Los Angeles and Las Vegas, that would be tops.

My granddaughter and her mom are in town this week, visiting from Sacramento. They took the Amtrak down here because my granddaughter loves riding it.

And amox, you can bring your own beer on the train? I guess I won't be driving to Sacramento ever again. I'll just need someone to help me lift the ice chest.

I took the Amtrak to Modesto on business several times and found it comfortable. Wish I had known I could take my own beer - we were always in the lounge coming back anyways - gotta be close to the bar, ya know!

My daughter frequently goes to Stockton or Sacramento on the train to visit friends, and has done so for the past several years. This summer she and a friend went to Washington on the train. The was up was overbooked and they wound up on the floor for 1/2 the night. YUCK. But that was the only negative experience she has ever had.

We've taken the train to Seattle and back.  Last fall we took the train to Chicago (via LA) and back.  We got a roomette so we could sleep lying down -- meals were included in the price of the ticket.  Taking the train is relaxing, most of the time, and is a lot less hassle than flying.  My husband used to have to go to Sacramento for union meetings -- he usually went by Amtrak.  All in all, it's usually a very pleasant trip -- even the hour or so bus connections.

I rode the train for the first time about 3 years ago. I went from Bakersfield to Sacramento and on to Reno, NV.  What I had trouble getting used to after I got off the train was the fact that I felt like I was still rocking back and forth when I was standing still.  It was a really weird feeling! The train ride from B-town to Sacramento was really smooth and  I was even able to catch a few zzz's (if I didn't mind the horn blowing at every rail crossing or when we pulled into another little town).  The bus ride from Sacramento on to Reno was not as nice. It's an Amtrak Railways Bus, so it's a little nicer than your average Orange Belt, etc., however, it IS still a bus.....and it pulls into every little town at 1/2  hour intervals from Sacramento all the way to Reno.  But, I'll ride it again for sure :-)

I've never heard of objections being raised about passengers taking their own food & beverages. Amtrak does object to taking it to the club car to consume it. My kid took her own cans of coke, but drinking warm soft drinks---yeech! I'll stick to water, thank you. Beer or booze? Never tried that one, but then, what are they going to do? Tell you to put it away.

On more crowded trips, the conductor usually insists the lower levels on the cars be reserved for elderly and infirm. I like the fact that they get consideration.

Went up North to Santa Rosa,Ca. several years ago,the train was great ~ fast,easy access with Kelsey and his chair.My only problem came with the bus connection~ even though I had made special arrangements alerting them to the fact we had a chair and a handicapped person with us~ they were not prepared.At 11:00pm we struggled to disassemble his chair so we could get it in the bus,and then I had to hold him in a regular bus seat with no seat belts,for 2 hrs.I am not sure who was most unhappy,me or the driver. All turned out well and we had a friend drive us all down to the station rather than risk a bus trip back.Hopefully the situation is better now for others. Otherwise the train is fast,easy and a good deal depending on your destination

My girlfriend lives in Fresno and she has used the train to visit rather than drive a couple of times this summer. With booking in advance and utilizing discounts, a round trip ticket cost $34.00 and she didn't have to drive, and was fully relaxed upon arrival.  Her only complaint was on the amount of stops ( I think she's used to traveling with this former trucker, the fewer stops the better) in just that 110 miles. She can still drive cheaper, but the train saves wear and tear on her car.

The last time I travelled by Amtrak, my only complaint was the state of the on-train bathrooms. There's no gentle way to put this. They shouldn't have unisex restrooms without urinals because they quickly become usable only by men due to invariable issues with a rocking train. This was several years ago and hopefully they've got a better setup now, but quite frankly it put me off the thought of using a train for any long trips after that.

My dtr goes to college in San Fran and we have used Amtrak many times.  I dropped her off by car after Thanksgiving once and I-5 was a parking lot, the few bathroom break exits were backed up onto the freeway.  We will never do the holiday drive again!

Amtrak is a nice, comfortable ride, clean except for the bathrooms after a few hours.  If there were more destinations, I'd take them.  Parking is free here in the lot.  For more than one or two travelers, it would be cheaper by small car.  Everyone should try it once.

I ride amtrak at least once per month,  mostly to Sacramento for meetings on air quality and global warming.  In Sacramento, the Capitol, the Air Resources Board, the Energy Commission, and other agencies are all within walking distance of the train station.  You get 4 to 5 hours of relaxing time to read or plug in a laptop and do work.  It costs around $100 for a roundtrip from Bakersfield.  The gas to drive the 500 miles would cost the same but who wants an extra 500 miles on their car plus the pain of driving for so long.  You might save an hour by driving but is it worth it?

I also travel by train to Fresno for meetings.  A one dollar bus ride gets you from the train station to almost anywhere in Fresno.  The buses are every 30 minutes.

I had a nice trip to downtown San Diego last month but you have to take the Amtrak bus to LA from Bakersfield.

People are in too much of a hurry.  You can get almost anywhere in the state by Amtrak and other public transportation.  A couple weeks ago I took a very nice train from San Jose to AT&T Park to see a Dodger-Giant game.  The train station in San Jose was only a couple blocks from several nice hotels.