If you're a regular reader of this blog, you'll know that I like trains. So when I come across a video titled "This Sahara Railway Is One of the Most Extreme in the World," there's a high probably that I'm going to watch it — even if it's over 6 years old. Now for a second, I thought that I may have already written about this rail line, but AI tells me that I haven't.

The Mauritania Railway is one of the most iconic and famous lines in the world. It's approximately 704 kilometers long and it was built for the sole purpose of transporting iron ore from the Zouérat mines in northern Mauritania to the port city of Nouadhibou on the Atlantic coast. Iron ore represents somewhere around half of Mauritania's exports.

This railway runs some of the longest trains in the world — each train can have over 200 cars, which translates into trains that are up to 3 kilometers long. They can also transport up to 17,000 tons of iron ore, making it one of the heaviest trains anywhere in the world.

But what I find most fascinating about this railway is the informal economy that unintentionally emerged on top of it. Because the trains return from Nouadhibou to Zouérat empty, local fishermen and traders use it to transport product inland to towns along the line. And for many of these towns, this is their lifeline — it's their only connection to the outside world.

It's not a fun trip, nor is it a safe trip. It also takes 20 hours to travel from one end to the other. But it's importantly free and it provides economic opportunity. It's an extreme example of the power of rail. Here you have a single railway that likely shoulders at least a quarter of the country's entire GDP, and that's without including any of the benefits derived from its informal contributions.

If you haven't yet seen the above video, I would encourage you to take the 12 minutes and give it a watch. The visuals are important to see. And there's a reason it has over 10 million views.

Cover photo by Andrzej Kryszpiniuk on Unsplash

There's a stretch of restaurants and bars on the south side of King Street, west of John Street, here in Toronto, that I generally try and avoid. I won't name names, but if you're from Toronto, you know what I'm talking about. With all due respect to the business owners, I think of this stretch as tourist row. All cities have them. Usually the identifying marker is a human on the street with a menu trying to entice you to come inside and eat. And there's nothing wrong with that. I can appreciate good street hustle.

But whenever I'm traveling and trying to find a place to eat, I'll often think to myself, "Oh man, is this the (insert city name here) equivalent of tourist row? I see people on the street with menus in their hands. Could be." This is one of the reasons why I like Time Out's recent "definitive list of the planet's cultural and culinary hotspots." They surveyed over 27,000 city dwellers in order to figure out where locals actually want to hang out. The result is the 50 coolest neighborhoods in the world.

I am somewhat embarrassed to say that, I think, I've only been to 6 of them. I have work to do. But Toronto does make the list -- once -- and it is none other than the Junction. Their recommendations, here. However, one thing they did miss was the Union Pearson Express. That is the way to get to the Junction from Union Station and it is, clearly, still under the radar for most. The number one spot on their list goes to Arroios in Lisbon, which is actually beside where I stayed when I was there this summer. Damn that city is cool.

For the full list of neighborhoods, click here.

Full disclosure: I am not a neutral observer. We are developing in the Junction. And I am moving to the Junction (and trying to pretend to be cool).

In commemoration of the company's 100th anniversary, Japanese rail operator, Seibu, recently unveiled a new commuter train designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Kazuyo Sejima. Sejima is a founding partner in the Tokyo-based firm SANAA, which has started branching out beyond buildings. She recently designed a neat and multi-functional bag for Prada.

One of the key features of the "Laview" commuter train is its unusually large 1.35m x 1.58m windows. They're designed to maximize views, as this particular route travels from the city and into the mountains. It's a simple design move, but it's one I have never seen before. The overall result is quite beautiful and it goes to show you just how much the Japanese value train travel.

Images: Dezeen