The Ranch House

Sometimes for your birthday you go to a special restaurant and sometimes that restaurant is The Ranch House in Ojai, CA.

HomeState

 

HomeState: a Texas-themed restaurant in Los Angeles; a place to go after getting picked up at the train station.

California from the train

New Mexico from the train

Albuquerque station, revisited

 

Actually I've visited it a quite a few times by now. I believe Sante Fe is the name of the company that used to run this line. I like the way they boarded up the windows above.

Albuquerque

You know you're getting close to Albuquerque when you see the Sandia Mountains.

Polish food truck

 

It's not every day that you see a Polish food truck.

Lake Michigan

 

I actually walked all the way from Union Station to Lake Michigan and back. Along the lake it was hot, sunny and crowded. Due to the heat I preferred the breezy, shaded downtown.

Sullivan Center

Downtown Chicago is well cared for and full of architectural gems. Seen here is the Sullivan Center on State Street, built in 1899 by famed architect Louis Sullivan. Today the ground floor houses a Target. This is a great example of historic preservation and urban re-use.

Argo Tea Cafe

I am 90% certain, but only 90%, that this coffee shop is the one I went to around 10 years ago, when I walked to the Art Institute of Chicago in the freezing cold.

Chicago layover

There was enough time between trains to see the canals and big building of Chicago. The mild weather and interesting architecture also beckoned me to explore further...

Ohio from the train

grindstone

 

"Grindstones are usually made from sandstone" - Wikipedia

Yesshows

a curious concentration of Catalpas

Old Westbury greenery

ornamental okra

Tibouchina