Just Passing Through

More good byes and morning anxieties for the start of a 30 day train trip. Nothing new and almost routine while my thought process reads, brush teeth, pack train tickets, worry a little, eat breakfast, drink coffee, over think something, pah and pah. It’s as familiar as the jumping off train station where I’ve purchase newspapers for two dollars, listened to McDonald’s jazz, and ran though distressed while catching a bus to Providence.

Watching towns, bodies of water, and people maneuvering their everyday life pass by my train window feeds a satisfaction of going and doing. The arrival and departure in Stamford, Connecticut harmonized with a truck pulling up and the opening its back for delivery. Police conversed thirty feet away near a construction site and hunger knocked as I considered the menu of the Mexican restaurant across the street. So close, but if I get off now, the wait will be some hours for the next. And I would never think about getting off willy nilly while on the Crescent Line serving between New York and New Orleans. Miss your train, well, get comfortable for another twenty four hours until the next rolls through.

Falling asleep comes and goes, but waking up has the same feeling. Where am I? Luckily my first time, I looked to my left and saw the Philadelphia Museum of Art, I-76, and its beltway, I-676. Hello, city of brotherly love.

By train, you’ll see countryside otherwise a difficult destination by car. Lost forests, lonely fog, and forgotten creeks line the tracks. Probably happy to see anyone come through, if only for a minute. It’s also like being in the Weather Channel because passing through rain, fog, cloudy skies, night, standing bodies of water that will delay arrival to Atlanta, and then sun will properly indicate how the weather will act at your destination today and tomorrow.

With a feet of lengthwise space , the train invites a walk, but don’t expect to get too far unless you develop your train legs. My confidence over the balancing abilities from ballet training were quickly tested and defeated by the train when almost ending up in another passenger’s lap.

Sorry sir.

Basically, Boston to New York and New York to Atlanta took twenty four hours, six of which should be dedicated to sleep. Everyone tried different methods; lie across two seats, use the jacket as a blanket, rest on your neighbor, fold the arms and deal, but none truly suffice. Leg room, foot rests, little pillows, and curtains ease the transition, but nightly and morning routines are less than unpleasant. All my greasy, bedraggled hair wanted involved lots of shampoo and gallons of running water. Yes, gallons!