Post #779891 by Hamo on Wed, Sep 20, 2017 11:27 PM

It’s been more than a month since I returned from this trip, and you’ve all been waiting patiently, so it’s about time I reported on my train ride to California tiki places.

PRE-TRIP: 8/3

My sister and her fiancé drove me down the night before the train left, and we checked out Denver’s newest tiki bar, The Hidden Idol at Beetle Bar, which I highly recommend. The place could use some more tikis, thatch, a little less light and more mystery, etc., but the drinks and service are great. Hopefully, they’re successful enough to move to another space where they can really do everything right (which I know they want).

DAY 1: 8/4

Next morning, I walked from my airbnb to Union Station to board Amtrak’s California Zephyr. We left about 30 minutes behind schedule, which wasn’t too bad considering the large number of passengers boarding.

The train spent the day going through some breathtaking parts of the state, including Gore and Glenwood Canyons, past the Colorado River and Grand Mesa, and then as evening settled in, we crossed into rugged Eastern Utah. We got into Salt Lake City about 11 PM, and I reclined my coach seat, donned my sleep mask, and tried to get some shut-eye.

DAY 2: 8/5

Even considering the crying child in the row behind, I slept better on the train than I had the night before in a bed. I also enjoyed breakfast in the diner car with three other travelers.

As we went through Sparks, we passed The Nugget, former home of Trader Dick’s.

The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent traversing the Sierra Madres and descending into urban California. We picked up time toward the end of the trip and arrived in Emeryville (the end of the line) about 40 minutes ahead of schedule.

After freshening up at the station, I walked 20 minutes west to the marina and Trader Vic’s.

I was early for my dinner reservation, so I went straight for the bar, where the bartenders were pre-batching Mai Tais in preparation for a busy Saturday night, and ordered a 1944 Mai Tai, which was a thing of beauty.

I enjoyed dinner, a Navy Grog and another Mai Tai, and soaked in the atmosphere. The whole experience was wonderful. It felt like I was transported to the location’s heyday in the 1970s—just what I had hoped it would be.

I ended the day by checking into my hotel in downtown Oakland and getting ready for my Sunday across the Bay.

[ Edited by: Hamo 2017-09-21 07:04 ]