I took a 32-hour Amtrak trip up the West Coast. It was great, but I wouldn't recommend it for routine travel.

I took a 32-hour Amtrak ride up the West Coast. Ripley Mayfield I rode the Amtrak Coast Starlight by myself from Santa Barbara to Seattle, a roughly 32-hour trip. My private roomette was great, but it was pretty bare bones for the nearly $500 price tag. The journey offered incredible coastal views, but I wouldn't recommend it for routine travel. Last year, while visiting a friend in California, I decided to stop in Seattle to see my sister before returning home to Texas. Instead of booking ...