And they’ll all want lifts to Brown’s Hotel

‘Cause some of them’s been travelin’ for quite a spell.

All the way from Phil-a-del-fi-a (sic)^NB

On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe

The San Diego Santa Fe railway station is about two blocks from our hotel.  It was built in the Spanish Colonial Style, completed on New Year’s Eve in 1914 and opened in March 1915 as part of the San Diego-Panama Exposition, celebrating the opening of the Panama Canal.  San Diego, with its good natural harbor, was trying to become the western terminus of the Santa Fe Railroad, and held the exposition and built the terminal to try to convince the railroad to make its western terminus in San Diego and not Los Angeles because San Diego was 100 miles closer to the canal for shipments from the East Coast to the west.  It also was within walking distance of where ships would dock.  It didn’t work. LA became the terminus. So, San Diego has a station grander than it might have had. 

The station is on the national register of historic places.  It has a redwood ceiling and beams and has tile work on the cupolas and tile wainscoting in the main hall with the Santa Fe cross.  For several years it was known as Union Station, while owned by Santa Fe, but the other railroads either went out of business or merged into Santa Fe.  It went back to being the Santa Fe station.

In 1972 Santa Fe wanted to tear it down and replace it with a skyscraper.  Local community action and intervention by the State of California saved the building.

Now it serves three railroads, Amtrak, The California Coastal Commuter line, and the San Diego Trolly light rail system.  It is the 10^th busiest railroad station in the United States.  It is lovely to walk around.

^nb The Santa Fe didn’t go east of Chicago. I’m surprised at Johnny Mercer.

Before getting on the ship, we enjoyed walking around town and just enjoying the ambiance.