This is the shopping arcade at Union Station in Washington, DC. This, along with the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building, is one of my favorite buildings in DC. Before they turned the train station into a mall and food court, this room used to be open at the ends and the trains used to pull into it like a carport. This is where passengers would board and disembark the trains that were taking them to or bringing them from the far reaches of the railroad.
I had to stop by Union Station after work today to pick up a train ticket. Tomorrow morning I'm day-tripping up to Philadelphia for the Army-Navy game (Go Navy, Beat Army!). I kinda wish they'd restore this part of the station back to its original use. The place where you catch trains now has all the dark, drab, concrete charm of an office building parking garage. Keleti train station in Budapest still uses the old carport style approach and I like it much better.
I really love train stations, airports too although they don't have quite the same sense of nostalgia and romance. I like getting there early before a trip and marinading in the excitement of going somewhere. It's just such a vital and vibrant place to be with people bustling to and fro like salmon swimming upstream, either rushing toward or pulling themselves away from someone they love.
(Taken with my Nikon Coolpix S200)
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4 comments:
Hi Kevin,
Am a huge fan of Union Station myself and even take visitors there.Did so yesterday in fact.
I really need a life.Heh.
Nice work.I'll be back.
Thanks! It will be interesting to see what they do with the old movie theatre space in the food court. I believe the plan is to add more eating spots, but I'm not sure what type they will be.
I also think Union Station is a good looking building. And I never knew that trains would ride into the main hall like that, that's awesome.
Yeah, I'm guessing the windiness and coldness would have sucked when the second part of the hall was open at the ends, but I still think it was a better design.
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