Of course, the last post was tongue-in-cheek: as environmentalists we have no enthusiasm about millions of cars releasing emissions into the air, although we have to say that the L.A. atmosphere is a lot cleaner today than it used to be a few decades ago thanks to California’s tough vehicle emissions standards, which NZ has yet to match.

The L.A. Metro system now offers electric railways around much of the region and their coverage is being steadily extended: in a couple of weeks the latest extension — of the Expo line as far as Santa Monica beach — opens, and there are more projects underway.

The passengers tend to be (shall we say) an idiosyncratic ethnic lot, particularly on trains that go through South Central, but it’s so cheap that you shrug that off.  A one way ticket from anywhere to anywhere is just $1.75 or you can get a day pass for $7 and a week is just $25.

The passenger carriages are what is called light rail: tighter dimensions than with heavy rail which includes the seating, which is unfortunate particularly in America as people are often large.

The Union Station is a focus for a lot of public transport services and this is one of our favourite buildings in the city, built just before World War 2 in Spanish Revival style and is a pleasant place to visit.