We (Sophie and I) are weighing in our traveling options for getting down to Comic-Con. We’re planning on leaving for San Diego on Thursday evening, and heading back around noon on Sunday. We’ve really narrowed it down to:
1) Drive
2) Amtrak
3) Plane
Driving would probably be the most inexpensive option. Thing is, it is the least relaxing, and parking in San Diego is a bitchass (although we might be able to park it at a friend’s). Also, it’s the most risky, since I’m not sure about how my car (we’d be taking my car, no other car is available) would be able to hold up.
It’s a 1991 Honda Accord @ 177,000 miles, undergone no major repairs like engine replacement or anything, but it’s never broken down, either… had its oil changed yesterday, its tires are fine, and overall, it’s very reliable. So despite high mileage and old car, think it might be able to handle the drive back and forth?
Amtrak is slightly more expensive, at $112 round trip per person. Also, the schedule is not as flexible… there are only a few trips available each day, and they don’t really fit us. But it would definitely be the most comfortable.
Flying is probably out of the question. It’s the fastest, definitely, but it’s really expensive… more than twice that of Amtrak. Probably ridiculous to reserve a flight down to San Diego around this time, anyway.
Any suggestions, ideas, responses, pandas, free refills?
I’d vote for the train, however your car will be fine if you decide to take it. I do that drive all the time and if you’re really worried you can just take a lot of breaks and whatnot. If you were to go straight through, it would take you about 10.5 hours so a break every couple of hours should be fine.
I actually went from LA to SR on the 5 once with my mom, in an old Vanagon. Took something like 8 to 9 hours, at night mostly. But yeah, thanks for the car ‘fo.
yea but LA is much closer than SD. We usually take the 5 too. It’s nice. I love Casa de Fruita. 🙂
1)Your car can handle it if you can.
2)Go greyhound. It’s cheaper than amtrak and almost as fast as driving, and parking-free.
I was told that Greyhound is a really really bad idea for some reason, from someone. I forgot.
Buses aren’t too comfortable.
huh. Greyhound takes FOREVER. nearly double the time it takes to drive. Especially scary LA station, and they will make you wait for an hour or more there.
I say Amtrak, definately. 🙂 and with sky-high gas prices, it’s not much more expensive than driving.
You’d think that by now I’d know better than to respond with my two cents. I haven’t.
I hate driving, never have taken the train or flown. So you’re in luck, I can’t help anyway…
Oh okay.
fly southwest, they have sales right now for flights w/in cali. as low as $39 depending on airports
Hmm… thanks for the tip – they DO have really low fares but the only trip that would fit our schedule is still twice as much as Amtrak. (The $39 fare is for 14-day advance planning…)
I took the amtrack about once a month all last school year, and it was always at LEAST 2 hours late. The worst was coming back to UCSC it was 6 hours late. Its a comfortable pretty affordable way of transporation, but beware, there are always train delays!
quel coincidence, I and everybody I ride with to CCSD all take Amtrak. We drove once but the cost of the train is not even $10 more than the cost of parking anywhere in the city that weekend.
I can’t speak for how well it runs north of here, but from LA/OC it’s without a doubt faster than driving, because it doesn’t involve 5 or 405.
The last train out each day (8 or 9pm) can be kinda crowded, but everyone puts on their headphones and sleeps anyway. I recommend it.