Strom Travel Diaries

Day 1 – Saturday, October 15

I spent Friday cleaning a lot before packing. I like to clean as much as I can before a trip because who wants to come home to a big pile of non-travel-related laundry or a crusty bathroom? Not me! But by dinnertime, most everything was done and I was able to finish the last couple of chores and take a shower before bed. Even though we’d have to leave before dawn even thought about having an ass crack, presuming that the train was on time, I wanted to get some sleep.

My alarm woke me up at 3:15 and I checked the train status – on time. A miracle. So I got up, dressed, and put the last couple things in my backpack. Last December, Mom and I each brought a carry-on bag and shared a large suitcase. This time we decided to each bring a small suitcase that we could either check or put in a luggage rack, depending on the situation. I schlepped my stuff downstairs and found Mom putting away the dishes from the dishwasher. 

The train, still on time, was scheduled to leave at 5:30 and it takes 20-30 minutes to get to the station. Ordering a Lyft that early in the morning always seems a bit risky just because you aren’t guaranteed to have someone driving in your area. Fortunately, we got a driver pretty quickly. At nearly 4 in the morning I was not up to making small talk, but Harvey was very nice and listened to his sports radio. I was a little surprised Mom didn’t make small talk with him, but again, it was 4 in the morning.

We checked in at the station and decided to go ahead and check our bags through to NYC. Why not, said we. We actually didn’t have too long to wait. The train ended up getting in Charlotte about 10 minutes early and we were able to board shortly after 5. Martha, our sleeping car attendant, was very chipper in greeting us. I guess she’s used to these early mornings! We got settled into our roomette and she came to make sure we had everything we needed. 

By the time the train got started, I was crashing pretty hard. Martha (it’s the day of meeting people with my grandparents’ names, apparently) came around and took our breakfast order. Mom and I both got the omelette and hot tea. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Amtrak does some really good food, even the readymade meals. Yum. After breakfast, I was able to get a longer nap, and I was very glad I’d brought my blanket. Methinks (methought?) it could come in handy this trip. 

After I woke up, the sun was coming into our roomette somewhat brightly, so we adjusted the curtains so as not to be blinded. I could still see the beautiful Virginia foliage through the gap we left in the middle. I alternated reading and watching the scenery for a bit. 

Just before 11, Martha came and took our lunch order (Chicken Ala Rosa for me and Salmon and Shrimp for Mommy). At this point we were almost in Charlottesville, so we were still running on time. In fact, we ended up running on time the whole trip, which rather surprised me after last December when it seemed we got 1-2 hours behind on every leg of the trip. Lunch was delivered to us about 12:40. It was huge, though fortunately we were prepared for that! Each one came with a small salad, roll, and dessert. 

After lunch, we rolled into DC about 1:20 and had a 50-minute layover while they changed from a diesel to an electric engine. Mom went outside and realized that we were allowed to watch, so I put my shoes on and hurried out to see! It was very interesting to watch the new engine coming down the track and then slowly scooching forward as it neared the first car until it “pa-chunk”-ed into place. Then all the electrical lines had to be hooked up. And it was put on backwards to how I would have thought it would go, with the pointier bit and windshield facing the train cars and the flat bit facing the track.

Once we got under way again, it was about time for another nap. We did our crossword, which was pretty hard and did not actually get done until Monday, and watched more scenery. The train went through Maryland, a little bit of Delaware, and the corner of Pennsylvania that contains Philadelphia. Then it was on to New Jersey, at which point we were just discharging passengers and spending about 2 minutes at each stop.

We got into the Big Apple at 5:40 or so and made our way up to the Moynihan Train Hall. After spending all day on the train and eating so much, we asked at the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge if we could leave our bags while we took a walk and come back for them. And even though our journey was over, since we’d had the roomette in the sleeper car, we were able to do that! So we put our bags in a couple of lockers and walked over to the Vessel.

The Vessel was closed (boo) but we were able to walk around the base. Then it was just a block to the High Line. We had enough time that we walked the length of it and back! It was a lovely walk, especially when contrasted to the medieval tournament that NYC sidewalks can become. There were many art installations and murals in amongst the plants and the architecture of the different buildings was so interesting. No food stalls were still open, but we really weren’t hungry! On the way back down the High Line, we got nice views of the Empire State Building and the Chrysler building.

Back at the train station, Mom got a yogurt parfait and I got a small panini in the Metropolitan Lounge before we grabbed our bags. There didn’t seem to be a great place to get a taxi and not many taxis in the area anyway, so we decided to schlep ourselves down to the hotel. It was about 20 blocks down and 2 blocks over. There were a couple of blocks where the traffic got particularly bad, so we were rather glad we’d decided to walk. We also ended up passing Gallagher’s, which is where a friend would be taking us to dinner on Sunday. And it was about 2 blocks from the hotel! 

Check in went smoothly and we made our way up to the room. The elevators blew my mind a little bit. They had touchscreens by the elevator lobby and you selected your floor. Then the screen told you which elevator to get on and it whisked you up to your floor! So fancy and high tech!

We were pretty tired, so we both showered and got ready for bed without delay. The people next door were pretty loud, but quieted down by 11, so we both got a good night’s sleep.