Great American Railroad Journeys S00E22 · Monterey to Los Angeles – Series 3 Reversions

Overview

Steered by his late 19th-century Appleton's guidebook, Michael Portillo continues through southern California aboard the Coast Starlight rail service. In the historic port of Monterey, Michael raises the Bear Flag of the one-time Republic of California and above it, the Stars and Stripes. He discovers the city's Spanish and Mexican heritage and traces how the former fishing port described as 'stinking and decrepit' in John Steinbeck's novel, Cannery Row, has become a beacon for tourists. And how, in place of fish-processing canneries, there now stands a gleaming, state- of-the art aquarium, where Michael is invited to feed the fish. Michael's next stop is Paso de Robles, where he tours the magnificent Hearst Castle, dream home of the newspaper baron, William Randolph Hearst, to hear the tale of its creation. Onward to San Luis Obispo and the hills of Morro Bay and Michael joins avocado farmer Jim Shanley amid his 4,000 avocado trees to harvest the pears and then learn how to make guacamole. His next stop is Rancho Camulos, a former cattle ranch owned by a prominent Hispanic family and the setting for a best-selling romantic novel of the 19th century. Arriving in Los Angeles Michael, like many a Hollywood hopeful before him, he heads for the Warner Brothers studio, founded on Sunset Boulevard at the time of his Appleton's, with dreams of stardom ahead. His role as a fearless all-action hero is assured. For the view from the top he takes the Skyslide from the 70th floor of one of LA's tallest buildings, before striding out on the Walk of Fame. At the pioneering 19th-century Union Ice company, Michael discovers how Californians have kept their cool. He sees how ice blocks of titanic proportions are made and brings Christmas to LA with a giant snowmaker. Outside the city, Michael heads for San Marino to visit The Huntington, a cultural and research centre with more than a dozen botanical gardens. In the cactus garden, Michael discovers more about the founder, nephew of a railroad baron and himself a pioneer of street cars and trolleys. Michael explores the city's latest initiative to break the legendary rush hour gridlock on Los Angeles freeways - a rail link with seven new stations on the LA metro.

Torrents

Subtitles

Episodes

1. 1 1. Manhattan Island – Series 1 Reversions2016-07-25 · 29mMichael Portillo crosses the Atlantic to ride the railroads of America with a new travelling companion. Armed with Appleton's General Guide to the United States, published in 1879,
2. 2 2. Brooklyn to Montauk – Series 1 Reversions2016-07-26 · 29mFrom Manhattan, Michael follows his Appleton's General Guide east to Long Island. Beginning in Brooklyn, he hears the moving story behind the construction of the world's first stee
3. 3 3. New York City to Albany – Series 1 Reversions2016-07-27 · 29mMichael follows America's iconic River Hudson north through New York State. Beginning at New York City's Penn Station, Michael rides the national rail carrier service Amtrak. He he
4. 4 4. Schenectady to Niagara Falls – Series 1 Reversions2016-07-28 · 29mMichael Portillo braves the awesome power and drenching spray of Niagara Falls in the Maid of the Mist to share what artists, daredevils and millions of tourists have billed as one
5. 5 5. Philadelphia to Gettysburg – Series 1 Reversions2016-08-02 · 29mMichael Portillo embarks on a new railroad journey, informed by his 1879 Appleton's guidebook, from the City of Brotherly Love south to the first permanent English colonial settlem
6. 6 6. Wilmington to Fort McHenry – Series 1 Reversions2016-08-03 · 29mArmed with his Appleton's Guide, Michael Portillo reaches a milestone on his American journey: the boundary between the northern and southern states, known as the Mason-Dixon line.
7. 7 7. Washington to Mount Vernon – Series 1 Reversions2016-08-04 · 29mMichael Portillo arrives in the nation's capital, Washington DC, centre of political power in the world's most powerful country. He discovers how it was built from scratch after a
8. 8 8. Manassas to Jamestown – Series 1 Reversions2016-08-05 · 29mSteered by his 1879 Appleton's General Guide to the United States, Michael Portillo arrives in Manassas, scene of two crucial battles during the American Civil War. In Fredericksb
9. 9 9. St Louis to Jefferson City, Missouri – Series 2 Reversions2017-04-04 · 29mMichael Portillo crosses the Atlantic once more to ride the railroads of North America with his faithful Appleton's Guide to the United States and Canada. Amid breathtaking scenery
10. 10 10. Sedalia to St Joseph, Missouri – Series 2 Reversions2017-04-05 · 29mFollowing in the footsteps of European settlers, Michael Portillo rolls westwards across the United States. With true frontier spirit, he discovers the hidden pleasures of 19th-cen
11. 11 11. Lawrence to Lamar, Colorado – Series 2 Reversions2017-04-06 · 29mMichael Portillo continues his 1,500-mile journey through the American Wild West armed with his Appleton's Guide. In Lawrence, Kansas, he joins the Jayhawks basketball team before
12. 12 12. La Junta to Colorado Springs – Series 2 Reversions2017-04-10 · 29mMichael Portillo reaches Colorado, where he follows in the footsteps of 19th-century East Coast dudes, who came to experience the cowboy life. At Bent's Old Fort, Michael is trans
13. 13 13. Santa Fe, New Mexico, to the Grand Canyon – Series 2 Reversions2017-04-11 · 29mMichael Portillo arrives in the state capital of New Mexico, once the capital of the Spanish Kingdom of New Mexico. He explores the beautiful colonial architecture of the city and
14. 14 14. Minneapolis - St Paul – Series 2 Reversions2017-04-12 · 29mMichael Portillo embarks on a new American rail journey that begins and finishes on the Mississippi River. It takes him 1,000 miles from the home of F Scott Fitzgerald and The Grea
15. 15 15. Minnesota - Wisconsin – Series 2 Reversions2017-04-18 · 29mSteered by his Appleton's guidebook, Michael Portillo continues his rail journey along the Upper Mississippi to Red Wing, Minnesota, and the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of
16. 16 16. Milwaukee to Chicago – Series 2 Reversions2017-04-19 · 29mMichael Portillo is in Milwaukee, the cream city on the shore of Lake Michigan and home to an American icon: the Harley Davidson motorcycle. Michael learns how the first machine wa
17. 17 17. Chicago to Champaign, Illinois – Series 2 Reversions2017-04-20 · 29mMichael Portillo continues his 1,000-mile journey from the northern state of Minnesota to the home of the blues in Memphis, Tennessee. In the nation's rail capital, where tracks pa
18. 18 18. Illinois to Tennessee – Series 2 Reversions2017-04-21 · 29mMichael Portillo continues his 1,000-mile journey from Minnesota to Tennessee, beginning and ending on the Mississippi River. Riding the mainline of mid-America, Michael stops at r
19. 19 19. Reno To The Napa Valley – Series 3 Reversions2018-06-04 · 29mSteered by his 19th-century Appleton's guidebook, Michael Portillo embarks on a one thousand-mile American adventure through California. Along the way he discovers how the railroad
20. 20 20. San Francisco – Series 3 Reversions2018-06-05 · 29mArmed with his trusty Appleton's Guide, Michael Portillo reaches San Francisco, where he boards one of the city's iconic cable cars. Behind the scenes in the engineering powerhouse
21. 21 21. Berkeley to Santa Cruz – Series 3 Reversions2018-06-06 · 29mFollowing his Appleton's guide, Michael Portillo makes a trip to the jewel in the crown of America's National Parks, Yosemite, to behold its towering granite cliffs, its giant sequ
22. 22 22. Monterey to Los Angeles – Series 3 Reversions2018-06-08 · 29mSteered by his late 19th-century Appleton's guidebook, Michael Portillo continues through southern California aboard the Coast Starlight rail service. In the historic port of Monte
23. 23 23. Los Angeles to San Diego – Series 3 Reversions2018-06-11 · 29mMichael Portillo strikes oil in the suburbs of Los Angeles, contemplates his navel in the orange groves of Riverside, makes a California roll and paints a pretty picture in Laguna
24. 24 24. Boston to Concord – Series 3 Reversions2018-06-12 · 29mArmed with his 19th-century Appleton's guidebook to the United States and Canada, Michael Portillo embarks on a 1100-mile railroad journey from Boston, Massachusetts, across the bo
25. 25 25. Plymouth to New London – Series 3 Reversions2018-06-13 · 29mGuided by his Appleton's and tracing the footsteps of the Pilgrim Fathers, Michael Portillo heads for Plymouth, the 'home town' of America. He learns how indigenous tribes of Wampo
26. 26 26. New Haven to Plattsburgh – Series 3 Reversions2018-06-14 · 29mArmed with his Appleton's guide, Michael Portillo continues his rail journey through Connecticut and New England. He takes a crash course in rowing in New Haven, where college team
27. 27 27. Montreal to Ottawa – Series 3 Reversions2018-06-15 · 29mFollowing a special 1899 Canadian edition of his Appleton's guide, Michael Portillo leaves the United States to embark on the next leg of his rail journey in Canada. In the vibrant
28. 28 28. Thousand Islands to Toronto – Series 3 Reversions2018-06-18 · 29mSteered by his 1899 Appleton's guide, Michael Portillo's rail journey through eastern Canada continues along the Grand Trunk railway, following the route of the St Lawrence River.