Ridin’ The Rails…A Drei-Tale From The Rails…From L.A. to Portland…Up the Coast Starlight…12/3-4, 2019

Holiday Greetings to you. Since I was a kid travel by rail has always been my favorite mode of transportation. Since my grandmother took me on my first rail trip on Amtrak on Thanksgiving Day, 1983, I’ve had an unconditional love affair with the rails. 

It has been awhile since i’ve had a chance to take a long distance trip via the rails. When I say long distance, I mean a trip beyond San Diego or The Bay Area. My last long distance trip on the rails was the summer of 2010 to Albuquerque. 

With the decade coming to a close, I told myself, do it. So I found myself riding along Amtrak’s Coast Starlight, Train 14, from L.A. to Portland. It was something I decided upon a whim. Though the route goes all the way to Seattle, a route i’ve done in it’s entirety a few times, I decided upon Portland, knowing that there probably wouldn’t be much to see past Southern Washington given the sun goes down early during the winter months.

So here are some highlights from my journey up the coast…

L.A. to NoCal

Giving this Christmas tree in L.A. a touch of Blue…The kid seems to be amused. The tower show’s it’s a quarter to 9, Tuesday morning. My train won’t be leaving for another hour and 15 minutes…

A couple of ocean views before arriving to Santa Barbara. One of the things I try to do is take shots of as many stations along the way, especially those that still retain that old-school charm. Of course, I also have to take as many selfie’s of my station stops…

 

 

A couple more ocean shots before arriving to San Luis Obispo. SLO would be one of several rest stops. Because we’d arrive at SLO early, I had a chance to venture a little further away from the train before coming back on. Every now and then when a train arrives at a rest stop ahead of schedule, if lucky, it will arrive really early that you can walk around outside the station and do some exploring. 

In SLO we come across this statue of Chinese rail workers, The Iron Road Pioneers. 

Here’s a pic I took 10 years ago…

That is quite a sculpture…

Another station stop selfie. Gotta love what’s behind me. A photo-bomber and a never-ending seen at train stations, airports and transportation hubs worldwide, the hug. (I’ll miss you, be sure you write when you arrive. OK, in today’s world, “Text me when you arrive”)

Just north of SLO. In the distance you can see Highway 101. You can also see the glare of the cafe car. Hey, I never said this was a professionally done tale…

Oakland Jack London Square station, just around 10 PM. 

With not much to see at night, time for some solitaire before calling it a night. This is not a good start, especially hands 2 through 4…

Departing Redding, early Wednesday morning. Not much to see here in either direction due to the early morning arrival times each way. Before we enter Oregon, let’s ’bout some Weed ?

Passing through Weed, CA as we’ve reached the 2nd day of our journey early Wednesday morning. (What we’re you all thinking when I said Weed?)

Southern Oregon to Portland

Klamath Falls. The first stop in Oregon, sometime around 9AM…

Gotta get that Klamath Falls sign in there to make it official…

ALL ABOARD ! There’s something about this station that take’s me back in time…

Hey! A sunny and clear sky out there. But have we left the snow yet?

 

Not quite…

Hey, we can see the front of the train !

Now arriving Eugene, OR

I wonder if the local’s are interested in taking Chip Kelly back…

Passing Albany and Salem…

Willamette University Baseball Field. Willamette U is a NCAA Division III school. Perhaps someday a future MLB player, maybe a future Dodger makes his way through here…

Now approaching PDX…

As we approach Portland Union Station across the Wilamette River to the left of what looks like a power plant is the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the home of the Portland Trail Blazers from 1970-1995. To kick off it’s 50th season, the Blazers held an exhibition on October 8th back where it started.

Amtrak, with it’s reputation of being behind schedule, for the most part got us to town on time, arriving about 30 minutes after it’s 3:25 scheduled arrival. Not bad at all for rail travel.

Well, that concludes the L.A. to Portland part of Drei’s Tale from the rails. Portland to L.A., or Van Nuys will be coming soon. We’ll see how much different the scenery is on the way back, you know, parts we may have missed on the way up…

But since we’re in town, let’s take in a Blazers game…Tonight’s opponent? The Sacramento Kings

Coached by former Lakers coach, Luke Walton…

Pride Night  at the Moda Center. 

Celebrating 50 years in Rip City…

Greetings from Rip City, Oregon.

L.A. to The Bay…February 16, 2019

DTLA FlixBus Stop
Saturday morning, February 16th. The second of my L.A. to The Bay excursions and again I find myself taking the early morning econo-bus to The Bay. This time, my trip takes me Palo Alto, CA, 20 minutes north of San Jose, where the FlixBus will take me.
Just days after one of our heaviest storms of the season that closed The Grapevine, the main route used by FlixBus, the weather on this Saturday afternoon has cleared up enough to allow passage through. San Jose here we come !!!

Once again, our rest stop finds us at Kettleman City. Unlike the last time when I stopped at In N Out on the way back to L.A, I decided to change it up a bit…

If I had more time I’d have loved to check out some of the other local eats, especially the ice cream. Instead I settled for this pulled pork burger from Wild Jack BBQ…

Pulled pork burger with cole slaw and black beans. Actually not bad…

Something about these kitschy road stops along the interstate…

Though the rain would stay away throughout the day, the clouds would continue to follow. My timing could not have been any better. The winter storm would clear up in time to re-open I-5 through the Grapevine. I-5 would close up again the next day…
After arriving to San Jose, I would catch the light rail to the neighboring town of Mountain View.

Before catching the commuter train to Palo Alto I make a quick stop for a sweet treat at Olympus Caffe and Bakery…

Revani. A semolina cake with heavy sweet syrup…YUM…

Off to Palo Alto…

And moments later…Later that evening I would head to Maples Pavilion for that evenings college hoops game between UCLA and Stanford…

Maples Pavilion. Home of the Stanford Cardinal…

This is the fourth Pac-12 school I have ventured to see my Bruins in action…As for the result, well…

Even with the huge loss, there’s no such thing as a bad road trip…Check out my review of the Stanford Basketball gameday experience at Stadium Journey
Back to L.A., Sunday 2/17/2019

Sunday morning in Palo Alto. Waiting for the Caltrain to San Jose where I will catch the Amtrak’s Coast Starlight back to L.A…

Just before 10 AM in San Jose. Southland Metrolink riders should be familiar with those cars…
Though my train to L.A. is scheduled for a 10:10 AM departure, as per Amtrak custom, the Coast Starlight, originating from Seattle, is running two hours late. Hey, it could be worse. Over a week later passengers on this same train found themselves stuck in a rural Oregon town for 37 straight hours…

To kill time I would walk a few blocks to San Pedro Square and find myself here at The Farmers Union.

Eggs benedict with lump crab and home potatoes…Overall a pretty satisfying breakfast
My overall dining experience on this trip to The Bay wasn’t so hella overwhelming this time…(Oops, there I go again with hella. Spending hella time in the hella Bay will hella do that to you…)
Vida Abundante

Abundant life. Life should be so filled with abundance. This is the featured mural from this trip to the bay…Between L.A. and The Bay are an abundance of murals from many talented artists. I really should take more pics of our murals in L.A…

A hella vibrant abundance of fruits and veggies…Here’s more on the Da Anza Mural dubbed “Vida Abundante”

Old Glory waving proudly in front of San Jose Diridon…

Inside the lobby…

Some local rail memorabilia…

Waiting patiently with Blue for our train to arrive…In the distance, the SAP Center, home of the San Jose Sharks…

Just a few more minutes before Drei heads to L.A….

And finally…Train 11, The Coast Starlight to L.A., now arriving…

Goodbye for now, San Jose…
Along the way to L.A…

This shot has me thinking of The Wizard of Oz…
Passing through Salinas…

And now Paso Robles…

On the way to San Luis Obispo…

We’re almost home Blue !!!

I was hoping once we passed San Luis Obispo there would still be enough sun for us to catch the sunset along the ocean. With the train running late and being in the middle of February unfortunately there was no chance at snapping some shots of the sunset out in the ocean…
Almost home…

As we now pass through Van Nuys, we’re about 30 minutes away from L.A. That old dilapidated pedestrian bridge that’s never in use? That’s an old pedestrian bridge from the days when a Busch Gardens theme park was housed here. Should you ever take a tour of the Busch Brewery you just may see some other remains from the old theme park…

Van Nuys, CA

As we make a quick stop in Van Nuys, as we wait atop this overpass on Van Nuys Blvd. in the distance in our not-so-great quality photo atop the sign is a neon blue P greeting visitors to The Plant. Opened in 1999, the shopping center once housed a General Motors automobile factory. Below us in the Van Nuys Blvd. underpass is a mural of several GM vehicles…

After being delayed almost 2.5 hours we make it home to L.A. only 50 minutes past its originally scheduled 9PM arrival. Anyone who works in for Amtrak or travels the rails frequently will tell you that trains while always never on time always make up time along it’s route…

Finally home…

Union Station L.A.

Feels good to be home don’t it Blue? In no time plenty of Dodger Blue clad fans will be roaming these confines on their way to the Dodger Stadium shuttles…It’s almost that time of year for our favorite catchphrase…”IT’S TIME FOR…”

The old ticketing hall and waiting area, located at the front. Today, it stands mostly vacant, used mostly for filming and other special events…
Well, that’s my L.A. to The Bay recap, part 2 of how many this year. This time, a little history revisited. What will Drei’s next L.A. to The Bay journey bring?

From L.A. to The Bay…And Back…With Drei…’Til the Next Episode…

L.A. to The Bay…January 12, 2019

Thanks to econo bus services like Flixbus and Megabus, turnaround trips from L.A. to The Bay have been possible for me. As a freelance writer for Stadium Journey who has provided news and reviews of venues from SoCal to NoCal, these budget friendly busses do come in handy. However, every now and then I do like to travel by rail.

Last year, I was able to travel to The Bay a total of four times, reviewing both the homes of baseball’s Giants and Athletics, as well as Haas Pavilion, the college basketball home of the Cal Golden Bears.

My first L.A. to The Bay trip for 2019 will take me to the campus of the University of San Francisco, where I will be doing a review of War Memorial Gym…College basketball home of the USF Dons. But first, the journey toward The Bay…

Up the Grapevine, Saturday, January 12

Prior to my departure from L.A. just after 7AM, we had been rained upon heavily. As we made our way up I-5 toward The Grapevine the clouds would follow but the rain would hold off. After a little over 3 hours, our rest stop would find us in Avenal. Our choice of eats was very limited as our stop only had one gas station and one of two choices for eats…Little Cesar’s and this…

The nice thing about El Sabroso is that it’s a convenient 24-hour stop for those drivers along the outskirts of I-5. As for my machaca burrito…

Meh…But what do you expect from your typical rest stop eatery…

The sun is starting to peak through…

Waiting patiently for our driver so we can hit the road…

After arriving to The City just past 2, with a little over 4 hours to kill I decide to walk around and take some pics of the construction of the Golden State Warriors new home over at nearby Mission Bay as well as the changes around the Giants yard… Time to change that sign…

The future home of the Golden State Warriors, the Chase Center, located in Mission Bay down the street from the Jints, ahem, Giants playground…

After taking some pics of the construction progress of The Chase Center, it’s time to take a walk up 3rd Street…

From the Lefty O’Doul Bridge. New board coming…

3rd and King…

Oracle Park. Oracle won the naming rights earlier in the week. In the meantime, AT&T Park signs are still up…

No need to change the name of our beloved classic yard, right Blue Dog?

Hey Sammy, that’s 4 names in 20 years already….

One last pic before they take down the AT&T sign. Hey, I got my SF on…Forever Hella Faithful, right? Did I just say, Hella?

After a quick stop to my hotel, I head toward The Haight for a quick bite before heading to the USF campus. In the past I would have just done an immediate turnaround back to L.A. but these days I just don’t have the energy to do late night bus rides anymore…

Something about this corner that happened in some Summer of ’67 that draws tourists here…

USF. A Jesuit college just a few blocks north of The Haight…

War Memorial Gym, aka The Hilltop. Tonight’s game features the USF Dons against the number 5 ranked team in the country, Gonzaga. Whenever I think of Gonzaga hoops moments taking place in The Bay, these sights and sounds, and the voice of Gus Johnson comes to mind…

The Hilltop is your old-school gym. When filled to the rafters, as it was on this evening, The Hilltop can have that classic intimate charm. 

The Dons would put up a great fight on this Saturday evening but the ‘Zags would pull away late. USF could be one of those sleeper teams that could wear a glass slipper come March if they can continue their strong season and show a stronger presence come conference tourney time…

Gonzaga comes out on top…

 USF Glory…

Postgame autographs…

Kickin’ it with Don Francisco…

 My standard postgame shot from halfcourt…

Drei’s Bites…Slice House Haight by Tony Gemignani vs Escape From NY Pizza

Prior to the game I went over to Slice House Pizza. After the game I went back to The Haight, this time to Escape From New York Pizza. After some previous Yelp searches, I decided i’d cruise through these two and do a comparison…

The Purple Haze, Slice House Haight…

My first slice for the night was the Purple Haze. Topped off with Mozzarella, Pancetta, Rosemary, Pesto, Feta, Oregano, Romano, Garlic Oil and the featured Purple Potato this slice managers to fit all these ingredients nicely while also being nicely presented. 

You Say Potato, Escape From NY Pizza…

My postgame appetite would bring me to Escape From NY Pizza for a slice of the You Say Potato. This slice would be topped off with Roasted Potatoes & Roasted Garlic Cloves over Pesto Sauce. Oh does Drei love him some garlic. 

So, between the two, which slice comes out the winner?

The Purple Haze does a nice job of putting all those ingredients together while at the same time not having any one topping be to overly dominant

You Say Potato has a nice concept and I can never have enough garlic. But unlike the thinly sliced purple potatoes on The Purple Haze, the potatoes on my slice of You Say Potato are just to thick. Even with the cloves and pesto, my potato slice probably could have used more flavor. So the winner…THE PURPLE HAZE

More on these two eateries soon…

Back to L.A., Sunday, January 13

Before heading back to L.A. I head toward the Castro for my morning bite at Orphan Andy’s for some Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs. This is probably the first time I set foot into this 24-hour diner while the sun was up…

My happy breakfast…

Across the street from Orphan Andy’s is this newly painted mural of Harvey Milk…

Between the rival cities, L.A. and S.F. have their fair share of attractive murals. Here’s one of Robin Williams on Market Street…

Allright, time to head to Oak-Town to catch my ride back to L.A. 

Somewhere by those cranes a new ballyard will be in place for the Oakland A’s…Hopefully

The ride across the Bay Bridge…

Down 101. Hey, I don’t see Candlestick Park anywhere…

Of course, one last rest stop before heading to L.A. This time, our rest stop takes us to Kettleman City in front of this…

Now we can never go wrong with an In N Out as our pit stop…

Oh yeah, a 3×3 with extra onions…

With fries, Extra Well. I always ask for them extra will. I love that crispiness that gives my fries that hot off the fryer, potato chip texture…

Well, that wraps up my first L.A. to The Bay adventure for 2019. Next one will come next month as I make my way toward Palo Alto. What will come about on my next L.A. to The Bay adventure?

That hella vibe I get when I visit The Bay…I’m almost to that point where every other Hella word I say is gonna Hella turn out to be…Hella

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cruising Wrigleyville With Drei

Leading Off

Captain Clutch, back at it again as he starts the scoring off for The Blue. After a 1st inning home run from Kyle Schwarber to give the Cubs an early 1-0 lead, Dre would answer back and The Blue would never look back in a decisive 6-1 win, putting them 1 game away from the World Series for the first time in 29 years ! Though Dre’s playing time has diminished the last couple of years due to injuries, every Dodger fan including Dre himself knows his time may be running out. Is this the year The Blue...Wins It All For Dre ?

 

Cruising Wrigleyville…

 Taking in the action at Wrigley Field, June 2004

Wrigley Field is one of 16 current MLB parks I’ve had a chance to venture. It is the 2nd oldest yard only behind Fenway Park. The 3rd oldest? Of course…Our very beloved Chavez Ravine! Wrigley Field is one of those classic yards that’s got that neighborly old-school non-retro vibe. The neighborhood around Wrigley Field really does become festive on game days. Even a stroll through Wrigleyville on non-game days gives off that vibe where you can hear the great Ernie Banks yell…”LETS PLAY TWO” ! Here are some pics from my visit to Wrigley, June 2004…

 The late great broadcaster, Harry Carey, and his famous pose encouraging the fans during the 7th inning stretch…

 View from above 3rd base. Even in the highest reaches, your not far from the action. Now if we can just get that pole out of the way…

 Just a friendly rivalry with the St. Louis Cardinals…

 The famous Wrigley Field Bleachers and Ivy. Above the CF bleachers, Marlon Anderson’s in game stats for the Red Birds. 2 years after this pic, Marlon would make some kind of history for The Blue…(Kudos if you know…)

 This mural at the El station across the street, depicting two HOFers from my childhood, Ryne Sandberg and Ozzie Smith. You can see the flash on Ozzie’s mouth as he slides in to 2nd. I hope this mural is still up at that El station. Oh, speaking of El, or the letter L…

The Blue “L” flag. A very familiar site to many generations of Cubs fans. Over the years, it’s a tradition to fly a white “W” flag for a victory or a blue “L” flag for a loss after each home game to let the neighbors and commuters on the El how the Cubs fared. Recently the Cubs have rally cry has been “Fly the W”! The Dodgers and the rest of us our hoping we see that BLUE “L” flag one last time….

FLY THE L !!!

LETS GO DODGERS !!!

This could be our year Dre !!!

No Off-Season for Dre’s Thoughts, MARAMING SALAMAT…THANK YOU !!!

I guess there is no off-season when it comes to posting stuff is there ?  It’s been almost a month now since we last set foot inside The Ravine.  My latest thoughts…

NL Rookie of the Year

 

 

As much as I would like to see Jose Fernandez build upon his ROY status in 2014, I really do have to question this one. Yeah, our own Yasiel Puig has at times done some things to rub fans, reporters and even teamates the other way but when you compare the impact that these two had on their teams it really does not compare. Before Puig came up in June the Dodgers we’re in the NL West basement looking up until Puig’s June callup provided the Blue Crew some much needed spark. And who could forget his magical June ? He would struggle down the stretch but there is no arguing the impact the Cuban Missile had on the Blue. What is surprising is that the votes we’re not even close.

So you didn’t get ROY. It’s all good. Perhaps the MVP next year ?

Meanwhile, Down South…

It was announced on Monday that the Atlanta Braves will be leaving Turner Field after the 2016 season to move into the suburbs of Cobb County. Should this go through as planned this would be the first of the post Camden Yards era yards to be left in it’s dust. Feelings are mixed amongst the fans in Atlanta about the move. Having been to Turner Field in 2007 I wouldn’t exactly put the Ted amongst the top yards in terms of game day experience but it certainly is nowhere near the bottom either. A lot of it has to do with location. Not exactly in the greatest part of town and access isn’t the greatest either. Having said that, the Ted really isn’t a bad yard at all. If the plans for the new stadium go through in time for the 2017 season ( though a rendering of the yard has not been released ) this would mean that Turner Field will have lasted only 20 seasons not counting the 1996 Olympics. Not good considering that yards built after Camden Yards we’re designed to last a good long time.

With my souvenier tomahawk

Looks like you may be moving to newer digs Hank

Other Post-Season Awards

Puig may have missed out on the Rookie of the Year, but 3 other Dodgers certainly didn’t miss out on their share of accolades. Zack Greinke, while outstanding on the mound even after battling back from a broke collarbone, was also pretty lethal with the bat as well, winning the Silver Slugger Award for his .328 average, best amongst all pitchers. Not too shabby considering his previous 8 seasons we’re spent in the American League where he hit a combined .170

Also, Juan Uribe was named the Dodgers Wilson Defensive Player of the Year for his outstanding work at 3rd base this season. Yeah, like many of you, I had my doubts about Juan coming into the season, and in spite starting the season backing up Luis Cruz, Uribe would have a strong season, highlighted by this 2 run home run off David Carpenter the Braves in Game 4 of the NLDS, sending the Blue to the NLCS.

And Finally…

Was there really any doubt who the 2013 NL Cy Young Award Winner would be ? We’ll let the numbers speak for themselves…

Congratulations Kershaw on your 3rd consecutive Cy Young !!! Next season, a World Series ring !!!

OK, now back to a more serious topic. By now all of you are aware of the devastation that the people of The Philippines are going through. Over 1,700 have been confirmed dead, and the numbers are likely to rise. I am proud to say that California is home to the largest Filipino community not only in the United States, but also outside the Philippines. I am also proud to say that Los Angeles, with a Filipino population of over 330,000, is also home to the largest Filipino population of any U.S. city, so it would be safe to say that the Dodgers have the largest Filipino baseball fan base as well, ranked even higher than the Giants Filipino fan base ( Yeah, I had to go there. I’m sure our friends up in Daly City are reading this too…LOL… Hey, a little humor to a serious bit never hurt anyone…) . All kidding aside, understandably, there is much concern amongst the Filipino community here in California from San Diego to The Bay Area and of course all the way back here in Los Angeles as many relief efforts are being put to place. In addition , AT&T and Verizon are waiving fees for those who need to contact their loved ones in the Philippines.

If you are interested in helping the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, you can click here for a list of organizations where you can donate funds to assist those in need. From this Filipino-American Dodger fan, other Filipino Dodger fans in Los Angeles, but more importantly, Filipino’s in Los Angeles, throughout California, and everywhere, we say, MARAMING SALAMAT !!!! THANK YOU !!! Also, a huge MARAMING SALAMAT to the good people of Team Rubicon, a team of military vetrans that are also assisting in The Philippines under ” Operation Seabird “. If you’re unable to contribute, a simple thought and prayer will also do.

Filipino’s repping L.A. and the Dodgers !!!! Thanks Jon for the pic !!! Oh yeah, if you’re a Filipino Dodger fan here in L.A. and have any pics of you and your friends and family at Dodger games, or any sporting events here in L.A, please do send them my way. I would like to feature them here on my blog.

Times may be rough for our fellow citizens of The Philippines, but the sun will shine once again…