Now the story continues, having arrived in Los Angeles. This stop is not of my choosing in that Amtrak does not like you to make close connections in case one of the trains might be late, only mine this time wasn’t! So a stop over is necessary and now that I have a hotel I am familiar with, I made arrangements to stay in the same one. This is the hotel that when you look for it in Google Earth at street level it takes you into the lobby! So as was mentioned in the last blog, I had to wait at the station for a decent hour to come over to the hotel. And at the hotel I had to wait again, which I had anticipated since check in time is 3:00PM. But this is an advantage because there is no better place to people watch than in a hotel in a metropolitan city! And believe me it was true this morning!! First at least 5 parties of Japanese tourists were being assembled in the lobby with great gestures and shouting and checking of lists. Then the convention of Letter carriers all checked out at once and were bargaining with various drivers of vans for the best rate to take them to the airport. Free coffee was being served by the hotel not 5 doors down from a “Starbucks!” 16 Japanese beauty contest participates had a meeting in the lobby all dressed alike and all wearing fake tiaras. Then the crew from this mornings train checked for some sleep before they rotate back to duty. ( I recognized most of them!) We are only four blocks from the Union Station and they are short blocks, it’s a $4.50 taxi ride! And then there was the Korean tourists who took great interest in the ongoing broadcast about Donald Trump, this required great discussion and gestures and loud talking at the Television. Finally, I went to lunch after getting a room and I looked out the window of the restaurant and there was the Los Angeles City Hall tower! Right out of Dragnet! Oh yes, Los Angeles is one of the few places were pedestrians walk around with umbrellas on a sunny day! Did I mention that when you register at this hotel they give a chocolate chip cookie- what’s not to love about that!
Billy Bob gets ready to it the rails coming back the other way!
billybobrailcom 