Monday, September 26, 2011

from the rails


My first ever blog post from the railway, how very exciting!! I'm currently on the Amtrak Coast Starlight run from Los Angeles to Seattle, heading home. If there are no delays, the trip will take 36 wonderful hours. Thank God for the sleeping car and wifi! And of course the free wine tastings are lovely too! I love traveling by train, it so much more of a relaxed and humane way to travel.

Flying used to be enjoyable, but over the years it has become a very unpleasant means to an end, trading quick passage for being treated poorly. Traveling by rail offers the opportunity to slow down and actually enjoy the journey in style.

Part of the enjoyment of train travel is seeing the delightful historic train stations. Los Angeles Union Station is gorgeous!

Los Angeles Union Station

Old ticketing room

Current waiting room

Old restaurant entrance

Inside the old restaurant

I’ve been away from the cats now for 5 days, which feels like forever. Having the pet-camera allows me to keep an eye on them from afar, which is a mixed blessing. It is fun to see them in their natural habitat and it makes me miss them all the more.

 View from the pet-camera: Nahum hanging out on the table.
  
I am eager to be reunited with my furry family but meanwhile, I'll be enjoying the train ride!

8 comments:

  1. Wow - that train station is awesome!! Mom went by train once in high school from PA to FL - and swore never to do it again - something about motion sickness (which she doesn't get any other time). But she agrees about flying - what a pain.

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  2. That train station is fabulous!

    Here in Canada train travel can be very expensive--certainly you can fly for less, depending on where you're going. Our mom looked into the cost of going to Halifax via train instead of plane, but it just wasn't cost or time effective.

    But interestingly, Via Rail's ads like to tell us that it's a more "humane" way to travel. LOL.

    We hope you're home soon!

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  3. I just love the train...safe travels! Your pet cam is fantastic, where did it come from?

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  4. Random Felines - I get motion sick easily, so I always use Transderm Scop patches, which work great for me.

    Cat - The Pet Cam is a Panasonic BL-C131A, which allows me to pan around the room and even hear audio. It's very cool and took forever to figure out how to set it up. There are some technical bugs I still need to work out, but it does successfully text me and sends pictures to my Flickr account when it detects movement. I got it used on Craigslist for a deal.

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  5. Love trains and that station is amazing. I love the pet cam also! Great idea! I know you miss the furry kids!

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  6. The station is awesome! I cannot imagine letting that wonderful space going unused.

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  7. Welcome back to the wind cold and rain!

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  8. Thosa are some wonderful photos of the train station. What beautiful architecture and design.
    Gl5 ad you are enjoying the train ride. Sounds relaxing and enjoyable. I know kitties that will be very happy to see you when you get home!

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