arrival of the train

I believe that Amtrak recently upgraded their locomotives, as this shiny and colorful one has a different look. The cars behind it however are the same old same old. I was happy to see Mrs. and to hear that she had a good journey.

waiting for the train

Shockingly, in a good way, the Coast Starlight was early! In general I think the west coast trains are relatively efficient.

beach notes

It was very hot that day in Santa Barbara and I had some time to kill before Mrs' train arrived. Looking at Stearns Wharf, I wondered how its length compared to that of the Ventura Pier, so I Googled it and learned that the former is 1950 feet whereas the latter is 1600 feet. Then I went on the beach and made a note of the cost of renting a kayak.

Los Arroyos

I had read in one of those glossy magazines about Santa Barbara that the restaurant Los Arroyos is notable for their chili rellenos. As a chili relleno enthusiast, I decided to put that claim to the test. It was interesting, and definitely different, but not my holy grail. In particular the cheese was different: rather than a pool of warm "fondue", which is how I like it, it had a dry, ricotta-like texture. 

Hook & Press, part 2

Hook & Press coffee hour

Penelope's Coffee

Every town has its own local coffee shops and in Berkeley this is one of them.