Every time I take Amtrak to or from California, there is an obligatory refueling stop in Albuquerque that takes 45 minutes to an hour. On most occasions I don't wander very far away from the train. This time, however, I did snoop a block or two from the platform and this offered me a protracted look at the downtown scene.

For some time now, the city of Albuquerque has been constructing a new transportation center right next to the little Amtrak station. The facility has turned out to be quite picturesque, in fact. I have been taking note of its progress during the course of my last few excursions.

In this instance, I wandered over to the far side of the transit center to peek at a few snappy-looking buildings that were of recent construction. Along the street I found a colorful parking garage, a big movie theater, several inviting cafes and an art gallery or two. These, no doubt, had been strategically positioned to snare the constant flow of citizens who would be visiting the transit complex during the course of the day. All in all it was a nice little area.