![]() What time does the UP train start operating?.PDF Version: UP schedule, stops and map UP FAQ My favorite detail is the bathroom: not only are the toilets in private closets, but the sink has powdered soap (possibly borax?) to really drive home the 1930s vibe.Up Express Union Station View full schedule The brews and the bar food are pricey, but really good. When Union Station opened, this space once served as the glamorous Harvey House restaurant, part of a chain of noted hotels and eateries that once lined the Santa Fe Railroad. Just off the South Patio on the side facing Alameda Street is a new-ish restaurant and bar sitting in a really gorgeous Art Deco dining room. This is the one thing on this list you have to pay for, but it’s well worth it. On the ground near the entrance from the South Patio is a plaque marking the boundary of the original Chinatown. Should it ever reopen, you’ll find a quiet courtyard with a lovely water fountain in the center and a koi fountain on one side, with a tile bench to sit on while you watch the fish poke their heads through the lily pads. Sadly, it has been closed to the public while renovations are done on the Water District building. During the holiday season, this is where they set up the big Christmas tree.Īttached to the South Patio is the wonderful courtyard of the Metropolitan Water District headquarters. The more spacious south courtyard has more benches and a nice view of the clock tower, but also has less shade and gets more crowded. There’s too many to list here, but probably the most popular one is to give it the name Johnny Weissmuller, known for his icon Tarzan yell. Each one is activated by saying, “Hey Bill, old buddy…” followed by the name of an old Hollywood legend or cultural icon. ![]() If you say the right words, you can activate one of a couple dozen or so prerecorded sounds that are part of the artwork. Across the escalators from the artwork, on the sign for A Train, is a microphone. It takes a moment to see them I’ve found that it helps to let your eye trace the path of the lights across the wall to see the images.ĭiscovering the hidden images is exciting enough, but there’s one more aspect of this piece that makes it even more intriguing. Stare at it long enough, and the seemingly random lights will form images passing across the wall: portraits of old Hollywood stars, famous icons, trains, taxis, and buses will start passing by. And strictly speaking, it is nothing more than that, but there is a trick to it. Crowds of people rush by this artwork every day, not realizing there’s hidden images waiting to be glimpsed.Īt first glance, Bill Bell’s A Train appears to be nothing more than a set of vertical bars of flashing colored lights. At the top of the escalators to the Red/Purple Line platforms is Union Station’s most compelling piece of public art, but you wouldn’t realize that just by glancing at it. ![]() There are two main components to Union Station East: the bus plaza and the vast, below-ground atrium beneath its majestic half-dome ceiling. Union Station EastĮast of the train platforms is the newer side of Union Station, built in the 1990s and centered around the Metro Headquarters Building, a sort of neo-Art Deco highrise which is by far the tallest building around. This is our comprehensive guide to Union Station. Poke around some of the corners of this building and you’ll find some lovely tranquil spots and some really immersive public art. ![]() But there are hidden delights throughout the complex which you would miss if you just follow the crowds from one platform to another. Thousands of people pass through Union Station every single day. Few things are as emblematic of Los Angeles to me as standing on the Gold Line platform, savoring the warm evening air, admiring the silhouette of the downtown skyline, the changing colors projected on the Union Station tower, the pink of the San Gabriel Mountains in the sunset, and hearing the clang and rumble of Metrolink trains slowly pulling out of the station. Many a fond moment has been spent passing through its corridors, swept up in its crowds of commuters and often running into friends and coworkers. As much as I’m looking forward to the completion of the Regional Connector, it will be slightly bittersweet to not regularly pass through Union Station. Union Station holds a special place in my heart.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |