Bryan Robb

Very strange that in 2025, when you hit copy on an email address in any Microsoft product, it still copies the “mailto:”. This includes outlook for iOS.

Requested my high school transcript and found out they calculated my GPA wrong—not in my favor. Appalled and amazed, but honestly, not entirely surprised.

Started another 48-hour fast tonight. Happy I didn’t gain back the weight I’d lost eating tacos in California. All the walking helped. I’m aiming for a 10% loss before a 5k mud run this summer.

Sacramento Valley Station is a beauty. 🚂

#trains #rail #photography #transit #amtrak #california

People are walking toward the Sacramento Valley Station, a brick building with large windows and a sign on top.A grand hall features a high arched ceiling with chandeliers, large arched windows, a mural above an entrance, and people sitting on benches.A spacious train station waiting area features benches, travelers, large arched windows, and an elegant chandelier.Railroad tracks curve under a large bridge beside a rusted structure against a clear blue sky.

The light was incredible from Alamo Square the other night. Ethereal and memorable experience. 📷 #landscapephotography #streetphotography #sf

A serene sunset bathes a tree-lined pathway in golden light.A peaceful street scene at sunset features silhouettes of trees, buildings, and a bus stop.A distant city skyline glows in the warm light of sunset, with trees and Victorian-style houses in the foreground.A winding path leads through a park with a view of city buildings and distant hills at sunset.

Adios, San Jose

Wrapping up my SJ/SF leg of the trip. I have been determined to not rent a car and mostly took trains and buses everywhere. I took light rail in San Jose, Caltrain to Palo Alto and San Francisco, Muni and BART in SF, and the 17 bus to Santa Cruz. Now riding Amtrak to Sacramento. Everything has been really efficient and comfortable. I walked close to 50 miles over the last week to burn off all the Mexican food.

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I’ve had a lot of fun traveling around without a car. Still, the most annoying thing has been dealing with other people listening to something on their phones without headphones. Everywhere I go, calls on speakerphone, loud music, YouTube videos on trains, in lobbies, at stations. So annoying.

Back at SF Caltrain Station, about to head back to SJ, and I’m just struck by how much this system resembles regional service in Italy. It’s obvious they took some cues from them in station design. SF feels a bit like Venice Mestre. SJ feels a little like La Spezia. We need more regional rail!

I visited the house in Glen Park that my great-grandmother Louise rented in the 1950s and ’60s, after she left Detroit and separated from my great-grandfather Silvio. In the 1960s, my grandmother also lived there with her kids—my dad and my aunt—after her husband left her.

A light lavender house with plants in front sits on a steep street.A residential neighborhood is set against a backdrop of sprawling cityscape and distant hills under a partly cloudy sky.Tall, spiky plants stand in the foreground with a scenic view of a suburban area and distant hills in the background.A residential street corner features a yellow building with an orange garage, surrounded by trees and colorful shrubs.A quiet neighborhood street with colorful houses, stop signs, and distant hills under a clear sky.Red succulents are growing between the sidewalk and a curb with a yellow tactile paving surface.

I love how most other cities with botanical gardens keep their exotic plants in conservatories, but San Francisco’s flex is that their plants from all around the world are just kept in a park outside.

Took Caltrain up to the city. Gorgeous day at Mission Dolores Park in San Francisco.

People are relaxing on a large grassy field in a park with a city skyline in the background.A person is lying on a grassy hill reading a book with one leg crossed over the other.A historic building with a tall, ornate tower and intricate architectural details is surrounded by a park with people sitting on the grass.People are relaxing on a grassy hill overlooking a cityscape with buildings and a few palm trees.A man and a woman are sitting on grass, enjoying a conversation in a sunny outdoor setting.

Super impressed by Caltrain in the Bay Area! Wish Portland had something similar for certain routes. And no, Wes isn’t the same.

It was an absolute trip reconnecting with my former MSU dorm mate in Palo Alto after 25 years!

Two people standing and smiling together on a sidewalk near a restaurant with outdoor seating.