Great American Railway Journeys “Santa Clara to Santa Cruz” 3 August 2022: Wednesday on BBC Four
Michael Portillo’s thousand-mile rail journey through California continues south toward Santa Clara in the heart of Silicon Valley and ends in the surf of Santa Cruz. In a high-tech bar, where robots wait on the customers, Michael traces the origins of modern-day search engines and social media to an institution founded by a railroad baron. At tech giant Intel, Michael glimpses the future on a test drive in an autonomous car.
At San Jose, the biggest city in the valley, Michael visits Japantown to meet members of a far eastern community who settled here peacefully during the 19th century but faced hostility during the mid-20th. He is then beaten over the head and body by youngsters a third of his age as he attempts to learn the martial art of kendo. A ride aboard the Roaring Camp and Big Trees Railroad takes Michael through groves of mammoth trees – the magnificent California Redwoods. Emerging from the forest on a second vintage railroad, Michael hits the beach and like a true beach boy, he takes to the waves – on a surfboard.
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About Great American Railway Journeys
Great Railway Journeys is a BBC documentary series presented by Michael Portillo, a former Conservative MP and Cabinet Minister who was instrumental in saving the Settle to Carlisle line from closure in 1989 (Wikipedia).
This show is broadcast on BBC Two, also known as the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Latest Episodes of Great American Railway Journeys
- Great American Railway Journeys “Monterey to Santa Barbara” 4 August 2022: Thursday on BBC Four
- Great American Railway Journeys “Santa Clara to Santa Cruz” 3 August 2022: Wednesday on BBC Four
- Great American Railway Journeys “Berkeley to Yosemite” 2 August 2022: Tuesday on BBC Four
- Great American Railway Journeys “San Francisco” 1 August 2022: Monday on BBC Four
- Great American Railway Journeys “San Francisco to Sausalito, California” 28 July 2022: Thursday on BBC Four
