Roads Rivers Rails OR Coasting the Coast Experience the vibrant cities and astonishingly diverse landscape of the West Coast aboard Amtrak's Coast Starlight. Written By Maria Lenhart Illustrated By Orlando Hoetzel Sure, you can cover the same distance from Seattle to Los Angeles in less than three hours by airplane. But then you'd miss the Douglas fir forests and snow-capped peaks of the Cascades, the golden hills and rich farmlands of Steinbeck's Salinas Valley and perhaps even a pod of gray whales spouting just beyond the hidden shoreline of California's Central Coast. Amtrak's 10-day "West Coast Spectacular" vacation package, which features land-based interludes in Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles linked by a classic train experience through matchless scenery, evokes a more gracious age of travel. The basic package price includes eight nights of hotel accommodations, a night on board the train in Coach accommodations, one dinner and complimentary passes to selected area attractions.