Amtrak - Crapshoot

This past weekend I took Amtrak round trip from Sac to SF. While waiting to board the train in Sac, a twenty-something y/o girl asked if the train in front of us was for SF. After telling her it was, I assumed our conversation would be over. Boy, oh boy was I wrong. She proceeded to ask me little questions such as, "Where are you getting off?" and "Do you have a taxi phone number for when I get to Emeryville?" The shocker was when she asserted, "I am going to sit next to you."

This caught me by surprise because there were maybe five people waiting to get on the train. Being sick, I was not exactly in the mood to chit chat or sit next to somebody on a train only carrying five people. I told her that my plan was to sleep the entire trip and that I would not be the best company. She said she understood, but her personality was to sit next to me. Hmm...

So I got onto the train, picked two seats and put my luggage in one of the seats to make it clear she would not be sitting next to me. She chuckled and took the seat across the aisle from me. After about five minutes I fell asleep, but every time I woke up or glanced over she was staring right at me! A little creepy.

I generally enjoy taking Amtrak for the quick hour and forty minute ride from Sac to SF. Sometimes I'm lucky and get a seat to myself, or sometimes I get stuck sitting next to a chill person. This time I was not so lucky. Seems like Amtrak is a crapshoot. You could be lucky or you could be miserable.