Food was top notch at all three meals. The only downer was that the cheesecake was not as good as they served last year, but still passable. I had salmon for dinner and I would put it up against that served in the Monterey Peninsula's finest restaurants. It was that good (thought perhaps not as elegantly presented).

Service at all levels was terrific from the moment I boarded. I made a lot of friends in the diner and Parlor Car. I had a lot of fun got some nice photos along the way. I'll post more detail later.

I return home Tuesday/Wednesday.

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Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth.
-Mr. Toy

StriperJack: I have had two horrible experiences on the Lake Shore Limited, the worst two train rides I have ever had. Almost the entire crew were terrible.

I took the Coast Starlight from Los Angeles to Seattle and back, about ten years ago. Other than running late (which was not a problem because I was prepared for it), and the diner running out of food, the trip was excellent.

I only had two meals on this trip, dinner and breakfast. I had the chicken and it was cooked to perfection. Mouth watering. For dessert I had the apple pie with whipped cream. It was served warm, and it had a crumbly cinnamony crust surrounding piles of sweet slices of apple.

My car attendant, Al, was cheerful, lively, and most competent. The rest of the crew was also in top form.

The three sleepers were full, but the four coaches were lightly filled compared to my northbound trip. I was told that Tuesday tends to be a light travel day. That explains why the price of the sleeper was about 25% lower than normal on that day.

And, hold onto your seats, the train arrived at my destination (Salinas) five minutes EARLY!

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Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth.
-Mr. Toy