The Trouble with Amtrak

The Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal (aka LA Union Station) opened in May 1939 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Here’s how it looked in January 1964.



Oh, to know where that Gruen clock ended up!



Union Station is still there, still looking good — even though the world around it has changed quite a bit.



Last weekend for my trip to the Hollywood Heritage Museum, I decided to skip the traffic and the headache of driving and travel by train instead. Unfortunately, I can’t say that Amtrak was worth the switch. A round trip from San Diego to LA is $70; even with the price of gas these days, traveling by train is more expensive than driving. But wait…there’s more. 



While taking pretty photos of Union Station was a definite plus for traveling by train, my trip cost had to factor in another $70 for round trip via Lyft from Union Station to the Heritage Museum in Hollywood.



Who knew that sustainability was so much more expensive?



To make matters worse, my train from San Diego to Los Angeles ended up being almost an hour late that day, which cut into my already short amount of time to spend at the museum. AND my time to take photos. You know it’s a bad day when I only take five photos of an architectural treasure!



At least the train home was on schedule, allowing me to make my San Diego photo shoot on time.



What I was able to trade in stress for traffic was replaced by the stress as to whether Amtrak would pull through on time, making the stress factor a wash. Another negative about traveling by Amtrak is the train schedule itself, with trains running approximately every 2 hours. Yes, I understand they are trying to minimize their costs by not having empty trains, but it sure does not add a convenience factor for those trying to avoid twiddling their thumbs in between trains. On the day I traveled, they ended up canceling a few of their scheduled routes, which does not instill confidence that Amtrak is going to perform when they say they are. Although Amtrak’s text to passengers said that they can make up for the lost time, my train did not. Leading to another mystery…how is it that cars in traffic (visible from the train window) are able to go faster than a train that has the track to itself?

C’mon Amtrak; help a brother out! I want to ditch the car but you don’t make it easy.

See more L.A. Union Station photos at my main website.

90th in Philly

Once I was able to board my Amtrak train to Philly (after a 90 minute delay), things moved quickly. If you’ve never been on an Amtrak train, here’s a tip: don’t dawdle. The trains rarely wait more than a few minutes at each stop before departing. There were very few stops between New York and Philly and it seemed like barely any time had passed before I was seeing the city of Brotherly Love in the Golden Hour. Once I got to my Mom’s retirement community, I was greeted by the giant inflatable decoration that was in front for Halloween. Bryan - does this quality for a cat?



On the one day that I took some time for myself to go for a run (and breathe fresh air!), I was so happy to be able to experience Fall. This is the one season I miss from the East Coast.



Granted, the leaves had already turned and were falling off most of the trees, but I was still able to see some of those magical reds and golds.







Note: some of these photos were taken on my iPhone, so they aren’t necessarily up to snuff. However, when you are able to escape family and go for a run, you have to make do with what you have! The gas prices were almost as exhilarating as the leaves; at the time I left California, they were hovering around $7/gallon. The East Coast was almost $3 cheaper. Yowza.



For my Mom’s 90th birthday, I selected the General Warren Inne, which is also where we dined for her 70th. With the pandemic, you never know what you might get when you return to an old favorite.



I am happy to report that the Inne was the perfect venue (again) for Mom’s big celebration.



Established in 1745, it has seen a lot of history over the years, especially during the Revolutionary War.



My oldest brother and his wife were able to make it as well.



 A champagne toast to Mom was a great way to start off the evening. 



For dinner, I chose the Beef Wellington. It was delicious and melted in my mouth.



For Mom’s dessert, the firecracker candle lit up the room!





The service at the Inne was fantastic; our waitress gave the right level of attention and did everything she could to make it a special evening for Mom. All of us were pleased with the experience. Thanks, General Warren; see you in another 20 years? Actually, I hope to go back much sooner. Apparently they have a few rooms that they rent, and that’s something for my bucket list next time I return to the area.

For years, Mom had talked about how much she enjoyed lunch at Neiman Marcus in the King of Prussia Mall. I got tired of hearing about it and told her she better take me next time I’m in town, and she did!



I’m not much of a mall person anymore, so being inside this place really took me back in time.



The Neiman Marcus Cafe lived up to the hype.



One of my teachers from junior high (who also happens to be a very good friend of my Mom’s) joined us for lunch, too. The large popovers on our plate are a signature of NM’s lunches. I know I enjoyed mine!



Outside of the restroom, I enjoyed looking at the vintage ads hanging on the wall:



And that pretty much wraps up my East Coast trip. If it appears that all I did was eat, well…that’s just about what occurred. When the family gets together, you’re planning the next meal before you’ve finished eating the one in front of you. This is why I run!
 
See more Main Line photos at my main website.

On The Town: Bryant Park Farewell

It’s the final day of my New York City “On The Town” tour, which took place in Bryant Park. Sorry to report that I didn’t ride the Carrousel; Melissa (aka “The Colonel”) and I had a lunch appointment at the Grill to meet my friend Michael. I hadn’t seen him in over four years.



Sorry Willis…I didn’t see a dog on the Carrousel.



Every park has to have a fountain; here’s the one at Bryant Park:



Melissa throws in a splash of “Jungle Red” to spice up the otherwise standard looking fountain:



We made it! Just in time for our 11:30 reservation.



I loved the interior; so far, it looked like Melissa had made a very good choice (this is one of her NYC faves).





The trio, awaiting their delicious lunch. It was soooooo good to see Michael after all this time. There was lots to catch up on.



The butternut squash soup was a great way to start off the meal:



The grilled chicken sandwich on brioche roll hit the spot. What?!? How did those french fries get on my plate? I’m sure it was an accident…



And desssert…heavenly.



Recipe for a perfect afternoon: good food, good friends, and great conversation. Of course the best conversation occurred when Melissa excused herself to the restroom. Michael, it was awesome to see you! It better not be another four years!



Even with a train to catch, if I see a photo I’m going to stop and take it, dagnabbit.

I walked to Penn Station for the train to Philly. This was my first experience here (I’m usually at Grand Central).



Beautiful station; cool architecture, clean, and spacious.



But that damn clock…it served as a constant reminder that my Amtrak train was delayed for AN HOUR AND A HALF!



Onto the next part of my trip…

See more New York City photos at my main website.

Anaheim's New Entrance

When I stepped off the train from my most recent visit to Anaheim, I was totally confused. Where the heck was I? Somebody changed the station on me! Opening in December 2014, this new facility is extremely impressive, and a far cry from the dump that still stands a few blocks away.



Certified LEED platinum, the ARTIC (Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center) is even more impressive at night.



Inside, there are ticket counters as well as retail space and restaurants. At the time of my visit, it looked like they were still attempting to fill the retail space.



Kudos to HOK and Parsons Brinckerhoff for the impressive architecture. I was having such a good time taking photos I didn't even really mind that my train was over an hour late!



This station should do more than its share to poise Anaheim for a future of growth.



See more Anaheim at my main website.