Train...Train

The East Coast Adventure started on the 2:40 Amtrak Crescent train making it’s daily run between New Orleans and New York City; we boarded in Birmingham for our 20 hour trip to Washington DC. Our accommodations are in a sleeper which Amtrak refers to as a “roomette”; a 4’ by 8’ compartment that functions as a sitting room by day and two bulk beds by night. The roomette contains a commode and small sink, two facing chairs, which convert into the lower bunk and an upper berth. The train is clean and our stewardess is cordial and helpful. “Dinner is served between 5 and 9 and I’ll turn down your room between 9:00 and 9:30, is that OK?” There’s juice, coffee and bottled water available at the end of the car.

The trip to Atlanta takes 4 hours, the same trip by car takes 2.5 hours, but I’m not driving and I can get up and walk around and actually see the scenery. Dinner was a NY Strip, baked potato, salad and Mississippi Mud Cheesecake; you don’t get that on an airplane. The steward shared her story of the LSU fans traveling to Tuscaloosa to play the Tide, their so drunk that they have to stop at crossings to be met by local police to have LSU fans put off the train. “It’s a nightmare, and this weekend we have the New Orleans fans traveling to Atlanta, none of us want to work.”

We arrived in DC at 10:00 AM well rested and well fed to find sunny skies and 90 degree weather. We took in the Air and Space, a Star Spangled Banner exhibit, the First Ladies, and a Norman Rockwell collection belonging to Stephen Spielberg and George Lucas. We then found our way down to the Potomac River had a great lunch at Phillips Seafood and checked out the seafood market where we’ll eat tomorrow. We had to have walked 10 miles today so hot and sweaty we retreating to our Holiday Inn Capital room for a shower and some R&R.