There are several ways to run along the West Coast, in a boat following the Pacific shorelinew, by car on interstate, or, in style, aboard of a luxury train.
The Amtrak line Coast Starlight stretches between Los Angeles and Seattle with many on route stops near the main attractions of coastal parts of California, Oregon and Washington state.

  Among the places passed by the train are Santa Barbara, San Jose,Albany and Portland. Several other are joined with the route by connecting trains, or Greyhound buses: Monterey Bay, San Francisco,Redmont and Ontario. You can also extend the journey from Los Angeles to San Diego ( a local train or panoramic Pacific Surfliner), or from Seattle to Vancouver in Canada, which is a starting point of another famous train Rocky Mountaineer. Vancouver is also a port of call of several Alasca cruises.

  Coast Starlight features day coach cars and sleeping carriages of Superliner class, which means a fold-out table and a chair, but also a private toilet and a shover, everything in cabin.

  Two adjacent rooms without a wall make Superliner Bedroom Suite capable to accommodate four to six passengers.

  The meals are included in the price, and there is a special Pacific Parlour longue car with wireless internet, a library, the tables with complimentary drinks and the movie on a lower deck.For children, play equipment and console games are provided in the Arcade Room and everybody can enjoy the views from the observatory cars, which feature large windows covering the walls and part of the roof.
Due to the track repairs on some part of the line in the last years the train run slightly behind the schedule, but recently the conditions largely improved.

[photo courtesy of Steve Wilson]