Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Moving from NYC to San Fran (2024)

Amtrak may work for you, but do you know, the train doesn't go to the city, only to Emeryville or Oakland, and from there the connecting bus.

Where are you staying? In a hotel? At somebody's house? If in a hotel, the train may be so late, you can lose 1st night reservation. If with somebody, you don't have to worry about it.

Amtrak is not bad, only slow, and usually behind the schedule.

If sending most of your belongings as luggage by a slow luggage carrier and flying, is it out of the question? This is probably the best choice.

To drive by yourself, to be at the wheel all day every day, nobody to talk to, nobody to take over for a couple of hours - would you do this?

Thank you for your response. Well you see I have not made up my mind yet and nothing is in stone as far as the move itself goes. I'm trying to do as much research as possible now so when the time comes that I know that I'm moving, I'll have a game plan. I'd rather do the leg work now and be prepared when the move comes then have to rush and come back to this forum with a nightmare of a story.
I really would like to do Amtrak. I will probably be meeting my friend on the other side (they live in Oakland) so the schedule does't really matter much.
My biggest concerns are my packages - is Amtrak trustworthy when it comes to people belongings - can I trust that no one will steal them at a stop.
The uncomfortable seats and people I can handle (I'm from Brooklyn - I ride the subways all day here - Amtrak will be a luxury).
I have a car that I'd like to take with me. Its a 98 Jeep Wrangler and I've read that you can hook it up to a truck and tow it. I don't know if it would handle a 3000 mile trip. Taking Amtrak would mean leaving behind or shipping it and I've looked into that as well - it will be about $1000.
I have a feeling my friend would probably take the drive with me if I do choose to drive. If I do drive that leads to a million more questions like motels, and what to see and stay away from.
Have you taken the cross country trip on Amtrak? Do you feel my belongings will be safe? I'm not really worried about schedules except if I had to transfer then I'd worry about my stuff following me. I believe there is a direct route from NYC to Oakland.
Thank you again for taking the time to respond. Any information is appreciated.

Regards

I did Amtrak Chicago to San Francisco, and of course my main complain that it was so late, and they ran out of food in the restaurant :)

You don't take all suitcases with you, you check your luggage in, and take with you smaller things - this is included in the ticket price. Check Amtrak's website how much luggage you can check in for free.

There are luggage racks on the lower level (are you sure you want to be in a coach without shower all this time? Can you afford a roommette?) A simple lock and cable like they use for bicycles will cancel all your worries.

Whether or not you can take a car on Amtrak cross-country I don't know. I know they have this service from NY to Florida (or had in the past?).

I don't think there is a direct train from NY to Oakland, you will have to change trains in Chicago. And your station will be Emeryville, not Oakland (few minutes from Oakland, your friend will easily meet you there, it's a safe place with a full-service station)

I like your road trip idea, though I would probably sell what I could, have a moving company take care of the rest, and drive the Jeep.

What time of year do you want to do this?

Lee Ann

I don't know what you own - but Amtrak doesn't ship belongings. You can take a couple of suitcases (but you have to haul them around) but anything more than than is totally impractical by train.

If you're hesitant to drive cross country alone - although I can't think of why you should be - then just send your belongings by van and fly to SF.

(I don't know how much stuff you have but the last time I moved it was from a large one bedroom and it took the crew almost 4 hours to load my furniture, books, belongings etc - and another 3 to unload at the other end.

So, unless you have nothing but clothes the train simple isn't an option.

I would not suggest getting a U-Haul and pulling your car behind it. First, U-Haul is not that cheap these days. But more importantly, unless you're used to pulling trailers. Still not by yourself, and not for a trip over all the mountains.

So, you need to think about what to do with your car. Your choices are 1) sell it, 2) ship it, and 3) drive it.

Apparently, if you're driving it, then that's how you're going to get over there. Ship the rest of your stuff. It's about 2,900 miles, which you can do it solo in 5 days, pretty easily, unless you're thinking about doing in the winter. And it's safe, as long as your car is well maintained and has no known problems.

But if you decide to not drive the car, then you'll either fly or train. Do the train only if you want to train across the country. It's not cheap if you get a bed on it. And time consuming.

For driving, just use maps.google.com, mapquest.com or similar sites. If you're doing it late spring or later, then just take I-80 all the way across. If you're doing it in winter or early spring, you need to watch out for the weather, and plan your route accordingly. You can drop down to I-40 without adding many miles (only about 100 mile extra, 3,000 total). Dropping to I-20/10 will add another 400 miles (3,400 total), which will be tougher to do it in 5 days.

A lot of this depends on you and what kind of person you are and what kind of life style.

I'm a woman and have driven across the US and Canada several times, twice alone. The shortest time was four days - that's coast to coast.

I happen to like driving long distances alone. It doesn't bother me. Gives me time to think. How do you feel about driving alone? Four or five days by yourself is not that long a time to be alone. Do you routinely drive a lot?

Alone gets difficult when you see something beautiful, memorable, etc. and have no one to share it with. That's about the only negative I can think of. My solo trips were done when there were no cell phones.

Driving long distances is just like driving short distances - only longer. :)

How much time do you have? How much in personal belongings? Are you going to try and bring everything you've ever owned with you? Are you planning to stay forever or just a year or two? Can you store some of your stuff with family/friends, if this is not a permanent move?

I think we need more information on your situation before we can properly say whether you should drive, train, bus, or fly.

Please help us help you! :)

My then 23 year old daughter and I drove from NY to NM 3 years ago. I already lived here, she was moving here.

We were going to put her stuff in a u haul trailer and pull it behind her new SUV. We got cold feet at last minute. We packed what we could in SUV and shipped the rest, which included living room and bedroom furniture, tv, bookcases etc. using a regular moving van.

We drove the 2000 miles in 3 days. I did most of the driving. I hated it. We stayed in motels just off interstate and while we felt relatively safe, we weren't thrilled with the journey. We were concerned with leaving stuff in the vehicle at night. I can only imagine the temptation of a soft top jeep with your stuff in it; sounds like an invitation to break in.

There are freight companies that will ship boxes of packed "stuff" if you don't have furniture.

When I moved from NY to NM in 2001, I sold as much of my furniture and took only what I really wanted/needed. It worked out to about $3 a pound back then; I tried to decide if a thing was worth that much to me or would I be better to sell it and buy after I moved. The answer for a lot of stuff was sell it, not worth taking it across the country.

Driving on interstate with 18 wheelers whizzing by you [or you having to pass them, even worse] was really unnerving and I have driven in metro NY all my life.

Time of year is another huge factor. Driving in winter will only add to challenge.

As rkkwan said, have you ever driven a truck, while towing a jeep, on an interstate when your truck probably has minimal acceleration and comfort in the cab for you.

Another thing to keep in mind is the fact that parking in San Francisco is IMPOSSIBLE!! I don't know what insurance rates are, but that might also be something to consider.

Public transportation in SF is great, you may not even want or need a car there.

I saw something pretty neat while in SF. zipcar.com is a car co-op, that you join and can use a car when you need it. It would be far less expensive that trying to park and use a car in SF. You pay for it by the hour, only when you actually need the car.

Have you been to SF? Sounds like you might not be too familiar with SF area. Be sure you know what you are getting into.

If your belong to a road club, they may do a trip plan for you.

Good luck
Deb

Wow. Thank you all for this great advise and information. This is why I'm glad I started looking into this now, because there are some great points mentioned here that I did not think of - like driving through the mountains and the Amtrak luggage deal.
I'd really love to do the drive. I don't have any time frame at the moment because nothing is in stone. I'd be making this move in the summer early fall so it sounds like that would be the ideal time to do the drive.
As for the amount of "stuff" I have well its mostly knick knacks. The only furniture I have is a big chair, a small kitchen table and 2 chairs (I will not sell because they were my Grandmothers from the 40's and its the coolest set)I also have a few small tables. I DO NOT have a bed, or a dresser. So I will not be taking any big furniture -just the small stuff and Pictures. I've moved three times in the past 2 years I've done it without moving trucks - just my jeep and a million back and forth trips from apartment building to apartment building.
The more I read about Amtrak from you guys, the less I want to take it. Shipping my stuff may not be as expensive as I thought.
I am looking to move to the Oakland area as well - San Fran is like NYC and I'm done with NYC - Oakland (Piedmont, Lake Merritt, Adams Point - any good locations you guys can think of. I've been looking on Craigslist for an apartment. I'd work in the city) is looking better and better every day. I do have a friend that lives in Oakland so I'm sure I can use their place to ship some stuff to for a while.

So as I start to end this entry, I realize that I've always wanted to drive across the country and if anytime is a good time... this move would be it. RKKWAN mentioned that I could ship my stuff and then take the drive... and that is looking more and more like the way I'd like to go. Damn I only live once ritht??!!
I can tell you all this... I know that Amtrak is out of the question.... changing trains, checking luggage and not having a shower is not sitting well with me

DebitNM - I know ZipCar. I was once a customer - great thing but can get expensive. Thank you for the tip.

You all have been so helpful. RKKWAN also mentioned Google Maps - that is the safest way to go if I drive? DebitNM also made a good point, I'm part of an Auto Club with my insurance carrier - they may plan something out for me... yet another idea thanks to you guys.

EasyTraveler you made a great point as well... driving alone is great because you're in your own head and thoughts.... BUT not being able to share such beauty may not be something I prepared for. I think my friend will come wtih me.

You all are so kind to take the time out and respond to my inquiry. Thank you all so much.

<i>San Fran is like NYC</i>

I grew up in NY and visit often. I've lived in SF for 36 years. San Fran is NOT like NYC!! Why? Because most of the residential areas do not have high-rises, and there are many many more private homes here than in Manhattan. In NY, one neighborhood moves seamlessly into the next, and the big streets are continuous, whereas in SF, there are very few "long" streets (Market Street, yes, but even that is only commercial for part of its length, same for California or any of the east-west streets). There is no place in San Francisco where you can walk for 55 blocks and have it be all commercial/retail (like Fifth Avenue).

If you're going in summer, there's no snow to worry about. All the interstate routes are safe, with cellular coverage. Some of the US highways out west can be pretty empty with little service, so stay on the interstate unless you have a good reason to take the US ones.

I-80 is a straight shot. But traffic can be bad around the southside of Chicagoland. You may want to time yourself to go around that early morning or late at night; or you can take a different route - take I-78/81/76/70 out of NYC to Indianapolis, and then take I-74 back to I-80.

Or you may want to take I-70 to go through the Rockies for its scenery, instead of I-80. You'll take I-70 to Green River, Utah, and then US6 to cut back to Provo, then continue on I-80.

Not that much mileage difference among those routes.

I'd suggest driving in the summer. Any other time and you may meet with snow somewhere along the way. Early spring is too early and late fall is too late. You don't want to be stuck up in the wilderness in the mountains all by yourself. There will be long stretches of very open road and miles and miles between settlements.

If you have been going back and forth in your car in moving from apt to apt in NY, you will need to trim down your stuff. Think of it this way: for the cost of shipping, you could get a like but new piece of furniture here on the West Coast.

Another way to ship is by Greyhound.I haven't looked into this recently, but they do take relatively big boxes that they'll ship across great distances. The catch is that you have to take the box down to your local Greyhound station and then have someone pick it up from a Greyhound station at destination. At one time, Greyhound was the cheapest for shipping big bulky items. Since they're relatively inexpensive, I'd ship only the stuff that I could afford to lose with them - security was always a question for me with Greyhound.

Whomever you use, be sure to have the boxes sealed and try and make them as tamperproof as possible.

With larger pieces of furniture, it's probably best just to have a moving company come, pack, ship and deliver for you.

Last thought: Oakland and Richmond are not the best East Bay cities. The areas up in the hills are fine, but down below, it can get sketchy. I believe that Oakland has the greatest number of murders per year of any Bay Area city. Is there a reason for your choosing Oakland besides your friend being there? There are safer neighborhoods around the Greater Bay Area.

<i>The areas up in the hills are fine, but down below, it can get sketchy. </i>

That's all true, but there are nice parts of Oakland, too -- for example, Rockridge and Montclair are both in Oakland.