I arrived early at Union Station and had some time to kill. I checked my luggage in the Metropolitan Lounge and went exploring.
 |
| The Iconic Sign in front of Union Station, LA. |
 |
| The Metropolitan Lounge is large and comfortable offering light snacks, coffee and soft drinks for ticketed business and sleeper class passengers. You can also check your luggage there so you don't have to worry about it while you go wandering... which is what I did. |
 |
| In the main waiting room there is a piano that the public is welcome to play. A young man played some serious classical music and was followed by an adorable little girl who wanted to play chopsticks! The both received applause from the waiting passengers. |
 |
This man wowed the crowd with a variety of songs including Linus & Lucy, and some Whitney Houston as well!
See part of his perfomance here: Linus & Lucy |
 |
| The Main Waiting room is huge, with amazing tile floors and chandeliers hanging from the ornate wood ceiling. This is probably very much like it looked when it opened in 1939 |
 |
| The entrance to the Ticketing Room is magnificent as well. |
 |
| Inside, the preserved ticketing room is only used now for special events and is not open to the public. |
 |
| The old ticketing room at Los Angeles Union Station |
 |
| The station's gardens contain some amazing beauty as well. This Bird of Paradise for example. |
 |
| Beautiful bougainvillea |
 |
| Morning finds us between Yuma and Maricopa Arizona. It is almost 100F out there! |
 |
| We are in the Sonoran Desert which is very different from the Mojave. The mountains here are volcanic in nature and cacti dominate the landscape. |
 |
| In the Sonoran Desert |
 |
| Saguaro Cactus abound here! |
 |
| Saguaro Cactus, in the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona. |
 |
| Saguaro Cactus, in the Sonoran Desert, Southern Arizona. |
 |
| Somewhere near Maricopa, Arizona |
 |
| Very large Saguaro cactus, near Maricopa, Arizona. |
 |
| Interesting mountains as we approach Tuscon, AZ. |
 |
| The station at Tuscon, AZ |
 |
| Ocotillo plant in the Arizona desert. |
 |
| Ocotillo plants in the Arizona desert. |
 |
| The Amtrak station at Benson, Arizona. |
 |
| Desert outside of El Paso, TX. On the other side of this mountain is Mexico. |
Videos - approaching El Paso, TX.
- Video 1 - Good fences make good neighbors
- Video 2 - I can see into another country from here
- Video 3 - I can see El Paso!
- Video 4 - Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
- Video 5 - Sneaking up on El Paso
 |
| Amtrak El Paso, TX |
 |
| Amtrak, El Paso, TX. |
 |
| Number 204 in the lead on the Sunset Limited at El Paso, TX |
 |
| Somewhere in Texas between El Paso and San Antonio |
Watch this video of a huge dust devil in the desert of west Texas!
Huge Texan Dust Devil
Three Dust Devils Together
 |
| Somewhere in Texas between El Paso and San Antonio |
 |
| Rice fields in Western Louisiana |
Video - The Sunset Limited arrives at Lake Charles, LA.
 |
| Snowy Egrets in the rice fields of Louisiana |
Video - Snowy Egrets in the rice fields of Louisiana
 |
| Snowy Egrets in the rice fields of Louisiana |
 |
| Amtrak. Lafayette, LA |
No comments:
Post a Comment