Adirondack

During the stopover in Albany I chanced upon this beautiful poster for the train that runs between New York City and Montreal. It occurred to me that I must take train, preferably in the summer and preferably the sooner the better.

Buffalo Central Terminal

What we have here is one of the finest rail stations ever built in the U.S. rotting away in Buffalo, NY, looking like one of the hundreds of abandoned and decaying Rust Belt factories this region is full of. I guess according to the rules of capitalism that's okay - rail travel is archaic, people don't flock to Buffalo to get a sun tan, and big old buildings are expensive to maintain.

The good news is that Buffalo Central Terminal is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and there is a movement afoot to restore it to its former glory. That would of course require lots of work and lots of money, and so not surprisingly there are those who would rather build a brand new station in a different location. In the meantime the city is served by the humble depot seen in the bottom photo below.

Lakeshore Limited revisited

From Chicago the Lakeshore Limited takes a northerly route providing a glimpse of Lake Erie before heading into Upstate New York. When I saw what looked liked vineyards I was at first confused, but then remembered that the Finger Lakes is one of New York's top wine producing regions.

walking around Chicago

I was willing to walk around Chicago despite the bleak weather. I like looking at the buildings and canals and restaurants and coffee shops. What ruined it however was the sheer number of smokers I encountered on the streets. That will always be a deal breaker.

Chicago Union Station revisited

Chicago Union Station is looking better than ever. No one except me is talking about it.

Midwestern scenery

From the windows of the Southwest Chief one also sees a lot of Midwestern scenery, which in the winter can look like this.

Rail Runner

As a fan of both railroads and roadrunners, it pleased me to see this "Rail Runner" commuter train at the Albuquerque, NM train station.

snow in New Mexico

Snow in New Mexico, seen from Amtrak's Southwest Chief. A good sign that precipitation debts are being paid everywhere. 

snow on the mountains

A good sign that California is starting to pay its massive precipitation debt.

Los Angeles bridges

A bridge in Los Angeles doing its best impersonation of a bridge in Paris.

Los Angeles rivers

This is what rivers look like in Los Angeles when they actually flow, like they did this year.

mango mousse

...the way it looked at Taj Indian restaurant in Ventura, CA.

Orbit Pavilion

The Orbit Pavilion is a collaboration between NASA and a team of architects who designed this unusual structure. Inside, satellites are detected, which in turn trigger sounds, and since there are plenty of satellites to be detected the stream of sounds is continuous. This very interesting temporary installation was yet another highlight of our visit to the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens.

Desert Garden

The unforgettable Desert Garden at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens.

Palm Garden

The Palm Garden at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens.

Ceiba insignis

Silk floss trees are not too uncommon in California landscaping, but only at botanical gardens do I seem to see them in this fabulously bloated condition. The sign says Chorisia insignis, but it seems that botanists have since merged the Chorisia genus with the Ceiba genus.

balancing rock

First I wondered whether these rocks were glued or free standing. It was the latter. After I knocked one over, it took a heroic amount of effort and determination to set it back the way I found it.

Japanese Garden

Also impressive for its beauty, authenticity and size is the Japanese Garden.

Chinese Garden

Say what you will about Chinese manufacturing, but there is no question that they know how to build a pavilion. This is one of the largest Chinese gardens outside of China, impressive both for its beauty and its authenticity.

Huntington Library revisited

Another place I had not been for a long time, the Huntington Library and Gardens. I had not previously seen this mausoleum for old Henry Huntington and his wife. It's a beautiful structure designed by architect John Russell Pope and surrounded by lemon eucalyptus trees that from a distance match the marble.

pizza in Pasadena

We had pizza in Pasadena and it looked a lot like this.

three sides of Palm Springs

Outside, inside, and outside.

Las Casuelas Terraza

Las Casuelas Terraza in Palm Springs. I had been to this beautiful, sprawling Mexican restaurant in the 90's and it was time to come back.

Del Marcos Hotel

The Del Marcos Hotel is a lovingly restored, midcentury gem - the kind of thing you expect to see in Palm Springs. Built in 1947 by architect William Cody, it served our 21st century purposes very well thank you.