I was stationed about 45 minutes out of S.F. in the service and was forced to take the train (Amtrak) home to Boston for economic reason. I will tell you as a veteran Eur Rail traveler it was nothing exciting. Once you hit Reno it becomes tortuously slow and of course you wind up in Oakland and have to bus to the Transbay terminal in San Francisco. I lived in San Francisco for about 14 months, during the poorest times of my life unfortunately, but it is one of the greatest cities in the world. I have little doubt no matter how diverse your interests you will find something enjoyable to do.