National Train Day pulls into Union Station

In honor of National Train Day, CC and I followed the tracks downtown to Union Station, where "trainiacs" of all ages gathered to show some railroad love.

Although there were exhibits all over the station itself, CC and I mostly stuck to the Amtrakids Depot. On display were Radio Disney's Rockin' Road Crew, mini electric trains as well as play areas where kids could board their own pint-sized choo choo. Goodies also included engineer's hats, whistles in the shape of trains as well as little tables where kids could draw till they were tired.

As I said in my previous post, I had never been to Union Station until today, and it is gorgeous. Opened in 1939, the building and its architecture have been beautifully preserved, and it really feels as if you're stepping back in time.

On our way out, walking through the lovely time capsule that is the waiting room, we hit the Go Green Express display, which highlighted the energy-efficient aspects of rail travel. While we were there, we also ran into Artie the leaf, Amtrak's environmental mascot.

CC was on board for the whole adventure and might have become L.A.'s newest "trainiac."