My teenager and I took a midday train to Oakland. It was a first for us both riding Amtrak and an adventure for sure! We started in Roseville; we took an Amtrak bus from Roseville to the Sacramento station. We easily found the correct platform to board our train to Oakland.
Not only did we avoid the traffic and stress of the Sacramento to the Bay commute we experienced a new perspective on the way there. We went below spots we previously were on top of, saw behind the Chocolate factory that we have seen hundreds of times, side by side to the ocean at ground level in some places seeing local fishermen and wildlife. Heck even some of the graffiti was amazing!
We watched people along the way get on and off at their stops. Some looked like college students from Davis and Berkeley, other looked like commuters to work and lots of people looked like they were also on an adventure. We were headed to a wedding.
If you are trying to get to San Francisco city itself, you will not get to see Jack London Station in Oakland. You would be getting off at a few stops before and taking the Amtrak Bus to the city. We however needed to be in Oakland. Jack London Square was our first place to visit after getting off the train, after taking our luggage to the hotel of course. I try to teach my teenager to be travel savvy like don't wear your flashy jewelry, don't put on headphones and keep your face in your phone (plus you will miss the cool stuff if you're not fully paying attention to the experience) and to never put your luggage in the trunk the wander off to explore. These to me are simple ways to stay situational aware and still enjoy your time. But if you do need to leave luggage in the car in any big city its best to park in a paid parking garage.
One of the days we were in Oakland there happen to be a Farmers Market at Jack London Square located across the way from the train station. I was delighted since I love Farmers Markets! We also discovered while walking the market many of the great restaurants located in Jack London Square. Sadly, one of the restaurants we visited is now closed so I won't include that info BUT thankfully a very vibrate open air seating place Plank is still there and thriving.
While waiting for our train that would not arrive for a few hours we decided to sit down and enjoy brunch at Plank. My son being the teenager he is ordered Mac N Cheese with Streak.
I opted for a sweeter option by ordering the Churro Waffles with strawberries and chocolate with a pink lemonade to drink.
We had delicious food, it was a beautiful day, and our server did not make us feel rushed. It was wonderful! We sat there with our luggage and enjoyed watching sports on the big screen TVs outside. I did notice on the dessert menu that they had a NEW lemon-flavored dessert. I under no circumstances cannot try something lemon flavored that I have not tried before and being in vacation I splurged. It was WELL worth the money. Lemon Tres Leches Cake was soooooo good! Even topped with blackberries it was divine!
After hanging out at Plank we decide to check out the arcade a bit then head back to Jack London train station. It is so architecturally beautiful inside. The high ceilings, shiny floors and huge windows filled the space with light. It was so clean inside as well as super clean bathrooms.
The Jack London station had maps to show you how the different train lines can take you all over California. The rails of adventure definitely are calling to my heart to travel by train more.
The staff was super friendly and the space calm and inviting. We were able to wait inside comfortably for our train since they had info boards and announcements about arriving and departing trains. Also, a vending machine for grabbing a water before boarding was helpful.
For our train ride back, we did not need to take a bus. This train took us all the way back to Roseville where our epic journey had begun. I oddly did not take as many pictures while on the train than I thought I had; I attribute that to being caught up in enjoying the scenery. I had to comment when I saw cows, make sure my teenager looked at the cows and wowed at how close to the oceans edge we were traveling. It was an easy was to travel from the Sacramento area to Oakland and it stopped at other parts of the Bay Area. If you are looking for a new way to see the places you have before I say, take a train you will be delighted! I look forward to the next epic train adventure my teenager and I go on.
