May 11th, we arrived in San Francisco.

With a population of over 827,000 SF is the 4th largest city in California, 17th largest in the United States, and among US cities with a population over 250,000 San Francisco ranks first in the US by per capita income. Prices, especially in real estate and dining, certainly reflected this. We paid $20 for two ice cream cones at a Ben and Jerry’s located in the Castro District where an ordinary looking 3-bedroom flat was advertised for sale at over 4 million dollars.

Simple breakfast for two (eggs Benedict, eggs with waffle, one tea, no juice or coffee) was consistently at or north of $60.

Unlike Chicago, we did not have pre-arranged activities. We knew generally what we wanted our 4 days to include: a Bay cruise, Fisherman’s Wharf, Haight-Ashbury, The Castro, China Town, Cable Cars, and some fine dining. Alcatraz was a “no”, been there, done it, and glad we did. Perhaps it would have been on the list if we had a 5th day.

Our hotel room was terrific! Located at the corner to China Town, it was a block from the cable cars, the financial district and Union Square shopping.

We were on the 8th floor. An enormous room, equally spacious bathroom, and best of all an expansive private balcony. The balcony would have received more attention from us but for the cool temperatures we experienced, daytime highs in the 60’s and nighttime lows in the 50’s). Thankfully it did not rain during our stay.

Dining: Morning breakfasts were pricey. We did not dine at the hotel, choosing instead a variety of pleasant morning eateries.

The sign actually reads, “Eat Crab”, but I couldn’t resist this angle.

Each evening we chose well regarded restaurants. Notable was John’s Grill where I ordered the house specialty, “Sam Spade’s Lamb Chops”, made famous by Humphry Bogart in “The Maltese Falcon”. Jazz garnished our excellent dinner.

Lunches were unplanned. We seized opportunity where we could: Chowder at the wharfs, and a delightful surprise in the form of a very authentic Irish Pub located in an alley across from our hotel.

Since our hotel was literally at the corner of China Town, strolling its streets and visiting its shops was a first day order of business.

On our last night we dined in one of its most popular restaurants, the R & G Lounge. Always packed with locals and out-of-towners, we were fortunate to score a reservation.

One day we rode the street cars (as distinguished from San Francisco’s 19th Century cable cars) to Haight-Ashbury and The Castro.

These street cars, creatures of the mid-Twentieth Century, are tethered to overhead electric lines. Each car is dedicated to the ghosts of like historic services in other US cities, among them Cleveland, Detroit, and Kansas City.

Haight-Ashbury still seeks to embrace its psychedelic/counterculture history and proudly points to the haunts of famous luminaries.

This was once the home of Janice Joplin.

However, with the legalization of cannabis in California and 38 other States the “naughty weed” reputation of Haight Ashbury is more past than present.

“The Castro” has its own vibe.

This neighborhood of charming (expensive!) homes and themed shops became a LGBTQ refuge in the mid-Twentieth Century. Its main street features the “LGBTQ Walk of Fame” bronze plaques and displays of pride flags.

The Twin Peaks Tavern was the first gay bar in the US to have plate glass windows where patrons were openly visible to the public (1972).

We spent an afternoon at Fisherman’s Wharf which included a cruise of the bay.

SF has a lower-than-average rate of violent crime, but minutes before we arrived there was a fatal shooting. We passed police officers as they taped off the intersection and erected a CSI tent. The homicide was prominent in that evening’s news, the city’s 11th. The shooter turned himself in to police that afternoon.

At our last visit to SF we were walking the Golden Gate Bridge when not 100 feet in front of us a pedestrian threw himself off the bridge, plunging to his death in the waters below.

The 90-minute Bay cruise provided a pleasant display of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the skyline, among other sights.

No visit to San Francisco would be complete without a ride on the celebrated 19th Century cable cars.

This system, which dates to 1873, once featured over 23 lines. Today only 3 lines remain, more as a tourist attraction than as a public conveyance.

To our surprise the highlight of our 4 days was not any of the above attractions, but rides in taxi cabs. These were not ordinary cabs but rather Waymo’s self-driving Jaguar cabs. They were EVERYWHERE!

The experience was both ordinary and surreal.  You download the Waymo app to your cell phone, and “hale” a cab in the same way that one would with Uber or Lyft. “Strange” begins with the car pulling up to the curb. It displays your initials electronically on the roof to let you know that this is your cab. You use your cell phone to unlock the door and enter the cab. You can put luggage in the trunk (no cabbie to help) and I understand that the cab will not drive off without allowing you to retrieve your bags. We did not test this feature.

A human voice welcomes you and instructs passengers to fasten seatbelts, then you are off. To the uninitiated it is weird. Our “Driver-Les”, (pun intended) is polite and invisible. “He” obeys all traffic laws and navigates the challenges of congested urban traffic with expertise. “He” is patient, never sounding the horn at distracted drivers although a human would likely have. Pedestrians, emergency vehicles, obstructions, pose no difficulty. We, on the other hand, don’t know how to act. We found ourselves uncharacteristically quiet, as if there were a driver present. We gaped at the steering wheel moving of its own accord. Occasionally we would quietly laugh, noting the contradictions of rearview mirrors, driver seatbelt and cupholder.

The cost was approximately what one would expect for any cab ride. It was a real bargain when we factored in the entertainment value. We rode several times, would do so again, and recommend it. Waymo does not drive to the airport.

Here is a video of our Waymo experience:

 

Our flight home on May 15th was the low point of the entire 10 days. En route to the airport we learned that our outgoing flight was delayed and we would miss our connection in Salt Lake City. At the airport Delta staff rebooked us through Seattle, but with a 6-hour delay and in coach, not the first class we had paid for. We arrived in Kansas City past 11 p.m. where our daughter waited for us at the airport. It was after midnight when we entered our home, 17 hours after we awoke that morning. And we had 9 a.m. appointments in the morning… Brutal. The entire journey, Exhilarating!

Peace Everyone. Pete

 

 

May 9th. A short cab ride brought us to Chicago’s Union Station, and just like that our 4 days in the “Windy City” were behind us.

Chicago’s Union Station is attractive, as is Denver’s Union Station, both on our route.

Chicago Union Station

Denver’s Union Station
Denver’s Union Station

They are not in the same league as Kansas City’s Union Station. We have previously visited New York City’s Grand Central Terminal, which is significant but, in my opinion, just a close second to KC.

New York Grand Central Terminal
Kansas City Union Station
Kansas City Union Station
Kansas City Union Station

This is not just a matter of Kansas City “pride”:

“KC Union Station encompasses 850,000 square feet of space and originally had 900 rooms on 10 levels. The ceiling in the Grand Hall soars 95 feet high and from it hang three chandeliers, each weighing 3,500 pounds. A 6-foot-high clock hangs from the ceiling at the nexus of the Grand and North Halls. The North Waiting Hall, with its 65-foot ceiling, can contain an assemblage of 10,000 people.” (from USA Today)

Major city rail stations all carry the name “Union”, not in reference to the Civil War, but because in the heyday of passenger rail travel they served many rail companies and thus were a “union” of many routes.

The Chicago Station had an attractive waiting area for certain classes of ticketed passengers. It was stocked with beverages and snacks.

We were surprised to see a large population of Amish and/or Mennonite passengers. We believe that they departed our train somewhere in Iowa.

The California Zephyr was scheduled to depart Chicago at 2 p.m. and arrive 52 hours later in Emeryville California.

The final connection to San Francisco would be 30 minutes by Amtrak chartered bus. We had heard horror stories of hours long delays that resulted in midnight arrivals, loss of hotel reservations, and no available late night public transportation. Fortunately, our departure and arrival were both on time.

There were three groups of passengers. Those in regular coach seating (reserved and open seating), those in small 2 seat “roomettes” which convert to narrow top and bottom sleepers,

and Superliner bedroom compartments with more space that includes a private toilet and shower. We traveled in that third category.

It was nice to have our own bathroom, but it was nearly half the size of a phone booth (for those who remember what a phone booth is) and did double service as a shower.

I used it for both purposes but after sizing up the challenges Christine limited her use to the toilet, deciding to wait for the comfort of our San Francisco hotel shower.

Roomette and bedroom passenger tickets include well prepared meals in an elegant dining car.

Coach passengers may access the dining car for a price ($25 each for breakfast and lunch, $45 for dinner) if there is seating still available. Coach passengers also have a “café” option where meals can be purchased ala carte.

The train also featured a sightseeing car available for all to use. Seating was limited and at one point the conductor limited use to hour and a half rotations. It worked.

Who rides the Zephyr? Those afraid of flying, those favoring low tech (the Amish/Mennonites?) and those just pursuing the experience. We fell into the third category.

On the first night Christine and I tried to share the bottom bunk in our compartment. The bed was long enough but about the width of one and a half twin beds. On night two we optioned to have the upper and lower beds both prepared.

Sleeping for me was not as much of a challenge as it was for Christine. Significant rail sections were rough and “rocky”. This was not the regular motion of a vessel at sea, but more like the shaking of a moderate earthquake.

We were a few cars from the engine, but not far enough to be insulated from the train’s signal horn. As the train approached every intersection the engineer sounded the horn: two long blasts, a short one, and then a final long one. EVERY intersection day and night, large or small, urban and rural. The sounds wound themselves as tendrils into my dreams. They just kept Christine awake.

The personnel on the train were efficient and professional. This included the conductor, the dining attendants, and Tanika who was our cabin attendant. She had coffee brewing at the end of our car at 6 a.m. each morning, collected garbage, provided bottled water on demand, and turned down our beds at night, then made up our cabin the following morning. Through it all she maintained a smile.

There was a major problem with the adjoining train car. The toilets in the sleeping rooms ceased to function. Thankfully, we were not affected. Those passengers who were used the general toilet facilities available to coach passengers. We understand that they would be compensated with partial refunds.

We experienced minor annoyances. Our compartment only had two electric outlets and no USB ports. This, no doubt, is due to the pre-internet age of the train car. There was no Wi-Fi, and cell service tended to be spotty because there were stretches that did not parallel major roadways. The compartment had a very small 6-inch-wide hanging locker, but no suitcase storage. We chose to work around and out of our bags rather than keep them in baggage storage located outside and downstairs from our compartment. Based on our experience we recommend that travelers keep a small bag with only the barest essentials in their compartment.

The scenery is where the Zephyr really shined. We reached the Mississippi by late afternoon and crossed into Iowa.

We slept through Nebraska and awoke to the eastern plains of Colorado.

First view of the mountains was exciting.  We arrived in Denver before businesses opened. This was our longest stop at about 40 minutes.

Putting Denver behind us, we quickly ascended into the mountains where we entered and exited dozens of tunnels.

The 6.2-mile-long Moffat Tunnel (built in 1927 and currently the fourth longest rail tunnel in the US) took over 10 minutes to transit and is the highest point in the entire Amtrak system at over 9,000 feet.

From Wikipedia

There were more tunnels. When we emerged from the Moffat at Winter Park we were amazed to see people still skiing.

It is possible to tire of the scenery as it unrolls, mile after mile. A kind of visual fatigue sets in which gets shaken out when something new appears.

 

One such example was the appearance of kayaks and rafts on the Colorado River.

More sights…

It did not take long to observe a curious habit with some of the river folk. One after another (male and female) turned their backs to us and dropped their pants, “mooning” the train.

The conductor explained over the intercom that “mooning the Amtrak” began over 40 years ago in California and has since expanded along the route. I did not get a closeup picture, but many are available online.

There were also some sad sights…

Would we do it again? Probably not. However, we are considering the trans-Canada equivalent for the future. 13 days long, with 5 onboard. We are also considering 2-month Eurail passes. Unlimited train travel in 33 countries at a cost of approximately $1,700 for the two of us.

Would we recommend the California Zephyr? Yes, to people who with eyes open understand the limitations of the experience. For those who wish to see just the highlights, book the trip from Denver, Colorado to Reno, Nevada.

Next, Part 3: San Francisco.

Peace Everyone. Pete

 

 

It’s been over 50 years since I called Chicago’s south suburbs “home“. Calumet City, South Holland, and finally Crete. 

Until five years ago there was a place and a person that welcomed me “home“. Then my mother passed from this life to…? She is still in my contacts and I saved her last voicemail message to me. Rarely a day go by that I do not hear her voice in my heart, “… Peter Michael…!“

Christine and I are in Chicago for four nights, enjoying the sites and activities of the downtown. We flew in and do not have a car. This is perhaps the first time that I have not visited “home“ and connected with old friends here. 

We have not been idle. A visit to the Field Museum, a water taxi to Chinatown, an evening at the theater, an afternoon of baseball at Wrigley Field, THE CUBS! Of course, there are the dining experiences and relaxed stays at two upscale downtown hotels, The Club Quarters River Hotel and the Korean themed L7 Hotel.

All of this is a prelude to a 52+ hour cross-country train journey via Amtrak. Christine and I have taken overnight sleeper trains many times in Europe, but none of this duration or with these amenities. We have a private compartment with bath and shower. There is private dining, an observation car (should we grow tired of our own picture window), and a steward assigned to our compartment (yes, room service!). The train stops will include Omaha (Nebraska), Denver and Winter Park (Colorado), Salt Lake City (Utah), Reno (Nevada), and our final destination, San Francisco, California.

We could have planned overnight stays in any of those cities but chose to take the entire route as a continuous journey for the experience. We imagine that there will be delays since passenger trains in the United States take second priority to freight trains. We will spend four nights in San Francisco before flying home to Kansas City.

What follows here is a diary and visual buffet of our time in The Windy City:

We flew into Chicago via Southwest Airlines. Cramped, relatively unpleasant, but inexpensive and tolerable for a little over an hour in the air. 

Chicago features excellent commuter transport. A three day pass on all Chicago Transit Authority services cost us $15 apiece. It took us about 30 minutes to train from Midway airport to the downtown Loop. 

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On day one we had enough time in the afternoon to visit parts of Chicago’s Field Museum. To do it justice one really needs a day.

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The real big “bird”!

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Depressing.

The “Museum Campus“ includes the Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, Adler Planetarium, and the Shedd Aquarium. To take in all of these one would need an entire weekend.

A visit to the Millennium Park and the “Bean“ was a must. Just to the south is the Chicago Art Institute, which we have previously visited.

We have achieved over 15,000 steps each day, but it hardly seems like an effort as the weather and scenery have been so pleasant.

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Highlights of day two included a river taxi to Chinatown with late lunch. 

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This was followed by an extraordinary evening downtown at the theater. 

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We spent two hours enthralled by the production of Hadestown (nominated for 14 Tony Awards). If this ever comes to your community it is a must see!

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Day three found us at Chicago’s Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs lose to the San Francisco Giants.

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We were 12 rows up from the field and I came within 3 feet of fielding a fly ball.

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Earlier in the day I had learned that a high school friend (Crete-Monee class of 1970) would be at the game. Among the thousands of spectators we sought out and found classmate Bobbi Decker for a brief reunion.

Our original plan had been to spend four nights at the Club Quarters River Hotel. The accommodations were acceptable and concierge,Jock, was a delight!

However, we decided to look for something more upscale for the final 2 nights. We secured a suite of rooms at the Korean themed L7 Hotel, and all I could say was “Wow“! It was a good move.

The guest lounge. 

Our bedroom. Our adjoining living room was nearly the same size. 

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Dinner at The Evie Restaurant on Michigan Avenue capped off a memorable third day.

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Christine ordered a fillet and I enjoyed a Lake Superior whitefish. 

Day four and we took a long leisurely stroll up, down, and around “The Magnificent Mile”, Michigan Avenue.

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The iconic Chicago Water Tower was the only building to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

The interior of the water pumping station across from the water tower. These works are over 150 years old. 

I haven’t seen the combination of these two in years! 

Looking up at the 100 story tall John Hancock Center. 

During the sojourn we learned the identity of the new Pope. The city was abuzz with the news that one of its own was the new Pontiff, Leo XIV! “Da Pope” (that’s Chicago speak) and I grew up at the same time a few miles apart in neighboring parishes.

Of course, there was some shopping.

We were fortunate to secure a late afternoon reservation at Pizzeria Portofino on the river.

The food and ambiance were excellent, but the real highlight was our server, Ellee.

It was only her third shift but she handled the packed venue like a seasoned veteran. Ellee is looking forward the development of her business (interior design and organizing home and office environments). Near to our hearts is her upcoming trip to Portugal and Spain.

To Ellee’s mom: Be proud, you raised her well!

Day four concluded with a stroll down Chicago’s River Walk, the setting sun to our backs and a cold Lake Michigan wind in our faces…

…But at the end of this long day it was Richardo who served the BEST martinis!

Tomorrow begins Part 2, we board our train to San Francisco.

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS. Upon reflection this occurred to me, 1972. I was barely 20 years old and it was 2 years before I met Christine. I was passenger on a couple of other notable train trips: London to Paris; at the English Channel the train was uncoupled in segments and rolled into an ocean ferry. We crossed the Channel, dining on deck above and sleeping in our train compartments below. Later that summer I travelled on the Orient Express, 23 hours Belgrad Yugoslavia to Paris France (2nd class, and nothing like in the movies. It was brutal).

 

On October 14, 1987, infant Jessica McClure fell into a well in her aunt’s backyard. For 56 hours heroic efforts were undertaken to save the child. The tragedy garnered worldwide attention. Then President Ronald Reagan said, “Everybody in America became godmothers and godfathers of Jessica while this was going on.” Those who remember breathed a communal sigh of relief when she was brought to the surface, alive. She was later a guest of President George Bush in the White House.

This is but one example of our nation pausing to feel vicarious fear and loss at the plight of a helpless soul in peril of loss of life. Mine disasters, airline crashes, vessels sinking…  We feel for the victim, the victim’s family, and for each other at daring to imagine, “That could be one of us”.

On March 15, 2025, the United States forcibly removed 29-year-old Kilmar “Abrego” Garcia from the United States to an El Salvador prison. Abrego held legal status to be in the United States as conferred upon him by a US Immigration Court in 2011. His expulsion and imprisonment occurred without being advised of the cause, without an opportunity to be heard, and without Judicial Review, otherwise known as Due Process of Law.

At the time of his confinement Abrego was married and was the father of their 5-year-old child. Both his wife and child are US citizens. He was employed as a Union apprentice sheet metal worker (SMART International Union, Local 100).

  Abrego’s wife has subsequently pursued relief through Federal Court. The US District Court found, “”Defendants (the United States) seized Abrego Garcia without any lawful authority; held him in three separate domestic detention centers without legal basis; failed to present him to any immigration judge or officer; and forcibly transported him to El Salvador in direct contravention of [immigration law].” She also said that while there were previous assertions that Abrego Garcia was a member of MS-13, the government has presented “no evidence” Abrego Garcia was a member of MS-13 and had essentially abandoned that argument in her court.

The Government appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. In its unanimous opinion it stated: “[The Government] has no legal authority to snatch a person who is lawfully present in the United States off the street and remove him from the country without due process … The Government’s contention otherwise, and its argument that the federal courts are powerless to intervene, are unconscionable.”

The Government then appealed to the US Supreme Court which found: “”The United States acknowledges that Abrego Garcia was subject to a withholding order forbidding his removal to El Salvador, and that the removal to El Salvador was therefore illegal.”  In a concurring opinion Justice Sotomayor observed, “The Government’s argument, moreover, implies that it could deport and incarcerate any person, including U.S. citizens, without legal consequence, so long as it does so before a court can intervene.

Although abandoning its identification of Abrego as a gang member, the taint remains as a “bullseye” on his back making him a target for violence at the hands of various gangs where he is incarcerated. The U.S. is paying El Salvador $6 million per year to jail American deportees at the Terrorism Confinement Center (Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo, CECOT).

El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center

CECOT is one of the largest prisons in the world. Abrego, if he is still alive, finds himself in a 57-acre facility designed to house 40,000 inmates in 8 cell blocks. Each of the 32 cells per block can house 156 inmates. The cells are equipped with four-level metal bunks with no mattresses or sheets, with two toilets and two washbasins for the 156 detainees. Each prisoner is thus allocated 6.5 square feet of floor space.

Upon remand of the case to the US District Court the Trump administration has failed and/or refused to seek Abrego’s return, arguing that he is alive, but “He is detained pursuant to the sovereign, domestic authority of El Salvador.”

Having people “disappear” has long been associated with 3rd world despots and dictators. If there is one victim, then there can be more. If this can occur to legally present non-citizens, then (as noted by one Supreme Court Justice) it can occur to citizens. If this becomes just another news story to be forgotten in favor of the next news story, then we give our approval by silence.

Instead, these events should be given the exposure and deep emotional impact that the plight of Jessica McClure received in 1987. It is only through echoing outrage that outlives the “news-cycle” that restorative action will occur.

 
“There can be no peace in the World unless there is Justice” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Peter Schloss

 

 

A few blocks from our home in Kansas City is St. Teresa’s Academy (STA). This premier private all-girls high school was founded in 1866 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. It is located on a parklike 20-acre campus.

6 years ago, our then 5th grade granddaughter, Delaney, told Christine that she hoped to attend St. Teresa’s in high school. Her resolve was such that Grandmother Christine interceded with the administration on Delaney’s behalf to arrange for her to participate in the annual “shadow day” as a 6th grader. Normally reserved for 8th graders, Delaney was welcomed again in the 7th and finally the 8th grade. Her determination, good grades, and community service resulted in her admission to the Freshman class at STA in 2023.

Last week Christine and I joined Delaney, and her friend Phoebe, for Grandparents Day at STA.

Phoebe, Christine, Me, and Delaney.

Hundreds of grandparents enjoyed coffee and sweets before joining their granddaughters for Mass and a campus tour. We were proud to be Phoebe’s “grandparents for a day”.

550 young women attend St. Teresa’s Academy. Strong in academics, the school features over 125 course offerings which include advance placement (AP) classes through Rockhurst University, St. Louis University, and the University of Missouri at Kansas City. Over 98% of STA students proceed directly on to 4-year college and university studies.

The student body and faculty are diverse and inclusive, originating from varied cultural, racial, ethnic and economic backgrounds. Although a school guided by Catholic faith and social principles, girls from all faith traditions are welcomed.

STA is equally strong in athletics. The campus features a state-of-the-art gymnasium and outdoor track/sports complex. STA girls compete at the highest level in basketball, cross country, soccer, volleyball, track, golf, softball, swimming, tennis, dance, lacrosse, and most recently wrestling.

As a 5th grader Delaney declared her intention to someday become a “pediatric orthopedic surgeon”. Perhaps that ambition was driven by her frequent contact with health care professionals in her early years. Delaney is one of three surviving quadruplets. She and her siblings were born very early and very tiny. To look at Delaney, Britton and Simon today one would never suspect their struggles to survive their first year.

Grandchildren, Britton, Simon, and Delaney with their little sister, Lennon.

It is all too common for people of my generation to criticize today’s youth. The misdeeds of some young people make for sensational fodder in the news cycle. However, the real story too often untold, is that the future will be in good hands with these leaders of tomorrow… if the leaders of today don’t trash it all first.

Peace Everyone. Pete