Train Station

Surely, any author's dream is to be able to walk into the world they've created in their book. Plenty of writers have been afforded virtually that experience as their books have been adapted to film, but perhaps no one has realized this dream so intensely as Brian Selznick when he visited the set for the Nov. 23 release "Hugo," based on his 2007 book "The Invention of Hugo Cabret. " The film — director Martin Scorsese's first geared toward a young audience — was shot on a full-scale train station set built from scratch, directly inspired by Selznick's illustrations.

While visiting my daughter in Geneva, we took the train to Lyon, France, to shop and have lunch at the charming Les Terrasses d'Alex. It was a five-minute cab ride from the train station, in a residential district. Wonderful menu and a full bar. I can't wait to go back in the spring and dine outside under the great shade trees. Les Terrasses d'Alex,14 Rue Alexandre Boutin, Villeurbanne; 011-33-4-78-65-95-74, http://www.lesterrassesdalex.com . Main dishes from about $11. Linda Groover San Luis Obispo

The first air-duct cleaning in 12 years at Grand Central Terminal kicked up clouds of dust in a shopping area filled with holiday consumers Wednesday, requiring 23 people to get treatment for breathing problems. Nine people were taken to the hospital for "respiratory difficulty," an Emergency Medical Service spokesman said. Train service was not affected.

Construction of a massive new project in Irvine consisting of nearly 5,000 homes and 1.2 million square feet of commercial space is underway, according to the company in charge of the effort. FivePoint Communities Management Inc. broke ground on the Great Park Neighborhoods project Tuesday. The development sits on the site of the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. Irvine approved the first phase of the construction last year. "With today's groundbreaking, we are moving forward with the first phase of Great Park Neighborhoods.

The Santa Clarita Metrolink station was evacuated for two hours Thursday night after a commuter reported a suspicious object that turned out to be a brick used as a door stop, according to authorities. The incident occurred just after 5 p.m. at the station in the 22100 block of Soledad Canyon Road, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The Van Nuys Amtrak/Metrolink station will add 115 parking spots, officials said. Caltrans allocated $1.6 million to acquire the property and build the additional parking spaces for the station, on Van Nuys Boulevard north of Saticoy Street. On Wednesday, the City Council approved the transfer of funds to the city for the project. The station currently has 229 parking spots and has had increased use by both Metrolink and Amtrak passengers.

I am writing this letter to voice my extreme displeasure at the city of San Juan Capistrano. It recently enacted an ordinance to charge for parking at the San Juan Capistrano station, which became effective Saturday. Several years ago the city attempted to do this and was forced to drop such action. The Commuters Assn. was assured at that time that the city would never institute paid parking. Well, they've gone against their word. I live in South Laguna. I have no choice but to use the San Juan Capistrano station.

A tractor trailer that witnesses said didn't seem to slow down rammed into a crowded bus shelter and a Chicago Transit Authority train station, killing two people and injuring more than a dozen others. The truck smashed into the street-level bus shelter without warning, then "climbed the stairs" of the north stairwell, said Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford. The truck's driver was treated at a hospital and released. Police took him into custody.

At least seven people were killed by a bomb blast in India's Punjab state, the first major attack in the region since a pro-Sikh party took power in February, police said. The blast near a train station in Jalandhar, a business hub in the northern state bordering Pakistan, also injured 10 and destroyed a vehicle belonging to the paramilitary Border Security Forces.

City officials and community activists Thursday formally kicked off the $586,000 restoration of the historic 84-year-old Watts train station. The project had been delayed for more than a year by various problems with contract bids and out-of-date cost estimates.

In "Hugo," Martin Scorsese's new 3-D film based on Brian Selznick's bestselling "The Invention of Hugo Cabret," London-based costume designer Sandy Powell helps create the storybook image of an orphan boy (played by Asa Butterfield) living inside a Parisian train station in the early 1930s. Her awards are many (she's won three Oscars in nine nominations — her second was with Scorsese for 2004's "The Aviator"), and she's a favored Scorsese collaborator ("Shutter Island," "The Gangs of New York")

Rick Vetter was rushing to board the Amtrak train in Charlotte, N.C., on a recent Sunday afternoon when a canine officer suddenly blocked the way. Three federal air marshals in bulletproof vests and two officers trained to spot suspicious behavior watched closely as Seiko, a German shepherd, nosed Vetter's trousers for chemical traces of a bomb. Radiation detectors carried by the marshals scanned the 57-year-old lawyer for concealed nuclear materials. When Seiko indicated a scent, his handler, Julian Swaringen, asked Vetter whether he had pets at home in Garner, N.C. Two mutts, Vetter replied.

A movie doesn't have to be jampacked with cinema style to have a memorable fashion moment or two, and in the course of screening the slate of holiday-season films, we found all kinds of clothes, accessories, hairstyles and makeup worth a mention. "Hugo" Yes, Martin Scorsese's "Hugo," based on a book by Brian Selznick, is a movie about an orphaned boy living in a Paris train station. But it's also a filmmaker's film about a filmmaker making films, and as such even the costumes and makeup (designed by Sandy Powell and Morag Ross respectively)

Cue the flappers, the fringe, the beads and the bobs. The Roaring '20s are back in fashion — on the runways and on-screen. It started in September at the spring 2012 fashion shows, with Ralph Lauren's "Great Gatsby" gowns, Tory Burch's sportswear inspired by Coco Chanel and 1920s Deauville, and Frida Giannini's Art Deco black-and-gold fringed flapper dresses at Gucci. Those clothes won't be in stores for another month or so, and Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Jazz Age novel "The Great Gatsby," sure to be a costume extravaganza, isn't due out until next Christmas.

Heads up for those thinking about hopping on a train this weekend to go Christmas shopping in Orange and San Diego counties. Metrolink and Amtrak are canceling some rail service this weekend because construction crews will be installing a second main track and rail bridges along the L.A.-San Diego-San Luis Obispo rail corridor. Metrolink will cancel service on its Orange County and Inland Empire lines on Saturday and Sunday. It's also canceling trains 644 and 645 on Friday.

Martin Scorsese making a film from a children's book is as improbable as, well, Martin Scorsese making a film from a children's book. But with its beautiful panoramic shots of 1930s Paris, the director's visually thrilling "Hugo" has real moments of 3-D magic. Sadly, they aren't quite enough to make this adaptation of Brian Selznick's celebrated novel, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret," a wholly satisfying experience. The director credits having a 12-year-old daughter with inspiring his desire to see the world through "the imagination and creativity of a child," but it's easy to understand how "Hugo's" protagonist must have resonated with the filmmaker, who famously grew up asthmatic and was often separated from other children.

Riot police firing tear gas and brandishing truncheons clashed with youths who shattered windows and looted shops at a major Paris train station, French officials said. Nine people were arrested. Officials said about 100 people were involved in the melee at the Gare du Nord. Officers, some with police dogs, charged at groups of marauding youths, some of them wearing hoods and swinging metal bars.

A downtown train station was closed for more than 12 hours Saturday after a small amount of what appeared to be mercury was found on a passenger platform, authorities said The Pershing Square station, which serves the Metro Red Line, was closed about 7 a.m. after officials responded to reports of a suspicious substance. Trains did not stop at the station while a hazmat team cleaned the spill. Officials are investigating how the substance got into the station, said Sgt.

Surely, any author's dream is to be able to walk into the world they've created in their book. Plenty of writers have been afforded virtually that experience as their books have been adapted to film, but perhaps no one has realized this dream so intensely as Brian Selznick when he visited the set for the Nov. 23 release "Hugo," based on his 2007 book "The Invention of Hugo Cabret. " The film — director Martin Scorsese's first geared toward a young audience — was shot on a full-scale train station set built from scratch, directly inspired by Selznick's illustrations.

Luxury passenger rail company  Eastern & Oriental Express offers a seven-day trip from Singapore to Bangkok with some off-the-radar stops and excursions in Malaysia and Thailand. Fables of the Hills starts at Singapore's train station and includes visits to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), tea plantations in the Cameron Highlands (Malaysia), the island of Penang (Malaysia), the "monkey training college" in Surat Thani (Thailand), where monkeys learn how to pick coconuts, and the famed River Kwai bridge (Thailand)