I took this photograph from the top of Los Angeles City Hall. When it was built, it was the tallest in the area, but now the financial district is filled with banks and hotels that tower over this. It is possibly the tallest building I have ever been to the top of - the observation platform is on level 26.The building in this picture is Union Station, called the last great railroad station because after this there was a distinct decline in architectural quality. The external architecture of Union Station is unlike any I’ve come across. It looks like a modern copy of a Franciscan Mission, which makes its Art Deco interior somewhat of a surprise. The entrance hall is very spacious, with only one or two concessions – it’s very different from the shopping-centre style of modern stations. It also has a restaurant, which Josh tells me is excellent. Some of its tables are actually set out inside the main hall of the station, which makes you feel that you’re walking into an enormous hotel lobby. It also means the commuter rush mentality is not as pervasive.
From Union Station you can get a train to New Orleans, or to Chicago, and then on to New York, which takes 3 1/2 days. And that’s with only a 3 hour gap between trains in Chicago. As always when abroad, I feel a reckless desire to hop on one and see where I end up. Being away from home always fills me with Wanderlust. But I’m sure once I get home I’ll never want to leave again.
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