Train Across America...

America, from sea to shining sea, shows itself to be a robust, confident nation. We are traveling by train from San Diego to Washington, D.C. The first leg of the trip is a short journey from San Diego to Los Angeles. American love of the automobile and dependance on cars and trucks and freeways becomes obvious right away on any train trip. From San Diego to Los Angeles the fare for senior citizens is $26, yet the big air-conditioned train with comfortable reclining seats was almost empty. We’ll change to a super-liner in Los Angeles and stay on the same train all the way to Chicago where we'll change to the train that will take us to Washington.  It will be interesting to see if the next train runs with fewer passengers. We Americans seem always to be in a hurry, so we generally fly when a trip might take days instead of hours.

Up the street from Union Station in Los Angeles a small group of "Occupy L.A" gathered in the square with the old ficus trees. I particularly liked the message on the sign below