I make the same mistake every time I set out. I look at the train schedule and plan trip from Santa Clarita, when my station is actually called Newhall. Result I arrived 30 minutes early for train instead of 15.
Never mind I put the time to good use and got some steps in patrolling the platform. (Knee radius has become a lesser problem for me during the past year, thankfully). ( I spoke too soon here, needed knee surgery in Dec '19)
I love/hate the step counting app on my iPhone. I disappoint myself when I don't reach 10,00 steps daily. Sad how easily manipulated I am by technology.
I am all techno'd up in regards to train tickets, having downloaded the Metrolink ticketing app and bought ticket on my phone. Metrolink App
It's a cool simple App. But for tourists it may be a bit tricky as you have to know the name of the station you are heading to. I wonder how other cities handle this problem. I have used similar app's and services in London and Paris and managed fine, probably because Rick Steve's gives nearest station name in his books. I must check out Lonely Planet and see if they do similar.
The resulting ticket on my phone is this:
The declarative "SENIOR" in the ticket heading is a bit diminishingly invasive don't you think ?
I noticed a couple of things at Newhall again. Firstly the lamp standards are quite beautiful.
Check 'em out on bottom RHS of photo. (I promise a better photo next time).
Also the old saying "Necessity breeds Invention" came to mind when I saw this.
A commuter in need of a boost discovered :
At the bottom of each of the previously admired lamp standards there are power outlets that someone has ripped the covers off. Making them into freely available charging stations for all and sundry. This partly explains how the homeless people, who are liberally adorned with cell phones, keep them charged.
It may also explain the strong urine smell by the wall directly behind the "charging station" lamp standard. If I were charging my phone I probably would not leave it unattended to go to the bathroom either. 😖
One possible downside of "getting my steps in" was that I may have been too self absorbed to connect with other platform personnel. There was an overdressed (too warm for a fur coat) homeless lady I considered conversing with but she appeared, sadly, afraid. So I didn't.
I couldn't help but admire all the young boys and girls waiting for the train. (I noticed mostly the girls if I am honest, I think that could be and probably is an inappropriate admission these days. Sorry.).
The good weather brings out the bright colors and summer clothes for the young girls. The boys appear to dress the same winter or summer.
There were amongst them of course some M&M outfits which would have been better left at home. Oh "What's an M&M outfit?" you ask, well the M&M stands for 'No Mother No Mirror", the presence of either of which would have prevented the public display of unflattering clothes and/or skin.
(I must admit I stole and modified that M&M expression from a line in a book I read. Unfortunately I can recall neither the title nor the author. If anyone recognizes the expression I'd love if they would let me know so i can acknowledge their influence. The original expression called it a 3M outfit but I forgot one of the M's )
The Sheriff is on the train:
Once on-board the train I was surprised to find LA County Sheriff folk doing ticket checks. A weirdly productive bit of inter-agency co-operation I thought.
As usual, being Cops, the ticket checkers had zero personality. They were gruff, impatient, armed to the teeth and unhelpful.
Having grown up in a country where you were encouraged to seek directions from the "boys in blue" it still annoys me when I see cops being rude to citizens.
Maybe the Sheriff's guys are trying to improve their image after all the Lee Baca scandals.
How many other apples in the barrel did that bad apple corrupt?
Is corruption within the Sheriff's Department like pedophilia within the Catholic Church. Widespread, endemic, unacknowledged, forgiven by superiors and hopefully not but probably ongoing?
Union Station (An LA jewel):
The 10 am ish train was fuller than I have recently seen. And I wasn't the only senior on an outing to LA. (At $7.50 return its cheaper to train than drive).We arrived in Union Station without incident. Sitting on the opposite side of the train than previous I saw a lot more beautiful graffiti along the way. I do intend driving down with my camera amd getting some shots if I can find the places. Also saw Michael Connelly homeless villages referenced in his latest brilliant book. I think I may re-read all his work shortly.
After I finish re-reading the Henning Mankell Wallander series.
Union Station is a beautiful spot. Very photogenic itself and surrounded by other equally beautiful LA locations. ( Olvera Street and Grand Central Market to name just a few)
I took a Lyft to the Camera Show. The show was full of great stuff but in too small a venue. Also I felt totally out of my depth. And how the heck did they get away with having scantily clad female models posing in various booths to help sell camera flashes ?
It cost me $15 to get in. I left without buying anything with 40 minutes.
Lunch and Libation at Cole's:
I was looking forward to my next stop. Lunch and Libation at Cole's.
Another inexpensive Lyft and I arrived hungry and thirsty.
Now you have to imagine that ta da music you hear when someone arrives in paradise. That is exactly what I heard when I walked through the doors.
A real adult persons bar.
Dark wood walls, painted ceilings, Naugahyde clad booths and stools, actual brass bars on the bar and not a craft beer in sight.
I expected "Larry the Lounge Lizard" to appear momentarily. Larry The Lounge Lizard
Within minutes I had an Old Fashioned in front of me and a French Dip sandwich in my near future.
The first Old fashioned was made with a Jim Beam bourbon. A bit rough for me. My second was made with Jameson and all together more refined experience. I wont bore you with my complete review of Cole's but you can read it here at your leisure Yelp Review Cole's. Just a heads up from the sandwich to the fries I loved everything.
Of course being two "Old Fashioned" in and full as a tick on 1.5 French Dip sandwiches I left it a little too late for my 2 pm train which I missed by 10 minutes. I am glad I left Cole's though because I might still be drinking there today I enjoyed it that much.
Oh BTW thank you Cole's beautiful barmaid for getting my phone charged. Without it I may have been unable to access my Metrolink ticket app and may have had to buy another ticket.
I had 110 minutes to wait for my next train home but I found a comfortable chair in Union Station and spent the time in freezing cold Sweden with Mankell's Wallander.
Another overheard young girl cell phone drama :
On return train ride.
I couldn't see who was talking except a glimpse of a manicured toe or two on her left foot.
In this shrill Reality TV voice she announced to the world that her Granny (Grandmother) had been stealing her money while she lived with her throughout high school.
This immediately opens up a limitless number of narrative possibilities. Sadly none of these potential narratives were explored.
All I learned was that she at one point confronted her Granny about where all her money was.... Granny promptly drags her to the bank and closes a bank account and drops ~1,200 bucks in the young girls purse, announcing here it is. ( I am sure there was an "And now F. O." there in real life but not shared with us on the train).
While this was the most money Miss Drama Queen had ever seen it was totally inadequate to meet even her most minimal wardrobe needs, apparently.
I think her phone ran out of juice at that point, thankfully, as I overheard nothing else.
Lessons learned on this trip:
Keep your cell phone charged if using the Metrolink App
Take a screenshot of your ticket just in case.
Also Google Blogger can access your photos stored in google photos. When inserting them insert as link. In photos open individual photo, right click it and copy address to clipboard. Then when adding photo in blogger use the "From URL" functionality.
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