Central to Santa Barbara, there is a portal able to transport travelers through time as well as space. The portal was opened in 1887 by the Southern Pacific Railway. Since 1971 the original railroad and dozens like it have consolidated passenger service as Amtrak.
The two principal routes serving Santa Barbara are the Pacific Surfliner, which runs between San Luis Obispo and San Diego several times each day, and the grand lady of West Coast rail travel, the Coast Starlight with its dining car and sleeping coaches, heading north to Portland and Seattle. Both lines are known locally for their cliff-hugging ocean views.
But that may be only the beginning. At Union Station in Los Angeles, the Surfliner and Coast Starlight connect with legendary eastbound trains, the Southwest Chief to Chicago and the Sunset Limited to New Orleans. I have taken both, most recently the Sunset Limited.
