It looks like such a relic of a bygone age.

It's definitely one of the last great old train stations in the States. I love those old high backed chairs though.

It's definitely one of the last great old train stations in the States. I love those old high backed chairs though.

That was totally one of my favoritest scenes in Alias season 1. Syd and Vaughn, sitting at the train station, facing opposite directions, watching the normal people go to their normal jobs.

That said, I don't know how many normal people commute by train to LA for work. That seems like more of a NY thing.

I've never been to Olvera street.

I should've gone to the ceramics studio today, but I didn't. I'm also hungry again. I'm trying to decide if I should order food, which is somewhat a waste of money, but makes up for it with awesomely not needing me to cook or clean, or just eating the leftover lemon chicken I made last night. The caveat is, if I have the lemon chicken, which is delicious, I eat it all by itself, because I am out of side dishes. I desperately need to go grocery shopping, but that is such a process that I keep putting it off.

I am so lazy. Geez. At least I have vague plans to practice piano later tonight.

It was in a crappy state of repair -- booths with broken glass, and the like. The ticket counters were cordoned off -- I swear, you could almost hear 50 years ago.

How did the age of rail end so quickly?

I was meeting up with a relative I barely know, on her way back to Santa Fe from Palm Springs. She's stopped flying since 9/11. Not because she's afraid the planes will crash, or anything, just afraid that she'll go off on the TSA people and get on a blacklist. She's a bit of a hippy commie.

How did the age of rail end so quickly?

Too much competition from those personal transportation thingies powered by internal combustion engines. Oh, and apparantly you can pay to fly above the surface of the earth to your destination.

Too much competition from those personal transportation thingies powered by internal combustion engines. Oh, and apparantly you can pay to fly above the surface of the earth to your destination.

You can do that in Europe too, but people still take the train.

Crazy Americans.

> How did the age of rail end so quickly?

Too much competition from those personal transportation thingies powered by internal combustion engines. Oh, and apparantly you can pay to fly above the surface of the earth to your destination.

Note that in Europe and lots of places that are not the U.S. the age of rail never ended. The oil companies, the auto companies and the tire companies bought a cheap efficient rail system in the U.S., tore it down and replaced it with our current bus system. Before that happened LA had the best public transit in the U.S. - It was a great place to live without a car.

Well yeah, there's that too.

Trains are fun. Long train trips are fun. Too bad Bush wants to cut all Amtrak funding.

You can do that in Europe too, but people still take the train.

Why? It's about a katrillion times cheaper to fly in Europe, than it is to take the train.

Before that happened LA had the best public transit in the U.S. - It was a great place to live without a car.

....cf., Who Killed Roger Rabbit.

It's about a katrillion times cheaper to fly in Europe, than it is to take the train.

But it's not nearly fun.