planes, trains, and buses
In January I went to Ann Arbor Michigan to see Einstein on the Beach. This is something I had been planning for nearly a year. As soon as tickets went on sale I bought mine then proceeded to make plans on how to get there. I decided to spend a couple days in Chicago to visit my parents and take the train between Chicago and Ann Arbor. This was far cheaper than flying directly to Ann Arbor (although in retrospect I could have flown into Detroit) and this allowed me to knock off another one of the items on my 101 list.
I was to have arrived in Ann Arbor at 1:30 PM which would have given me plenty of time to explore the city, have lunch, and get to the theater by 7 PM. The train left Chicago promptly at 7 AM. About 15 min. into the ride, not even out of this Chicago switch yard, the train stopped right there on the tracks. We were told that there was a problem with the engine that would be resolved in 15 min. Two hours later we get going again, losing our right of way because of the delay.
We made it to Indiana albeit slowly (my GPS indicated speeds of around 40 to 50 mph.) Just before we were to cross the border into Michigan the train stopped again. More engine problems. By this time I was laughing at this comedy of errors. All my planning seemed for naught because I had absolutely no control over my means of transportation. We were stalled on the track for about another hour during which time I mused about leaving the train to look for a nearby geocache. Of course I couldn't do this because with my luck the train would have left while I was outside.
We finally continued the journey into Michigan. The train stops yet again just outside of Battle Creek. This time it was due to a problem with a switch or so they claimed. By now it was 4 PM Michigan time - the show started in only three hours and I was just over two hours away from Ann Arbor by train. We were told that the switch would be fixed in about a half an hour. I was beginning to get nervous.
The train was out of food and drinks so even if I wanted to pay exorbitant prices for crappy food I could not. I had eaten a decent breakfast (a banana and a glass of milk) at 6 AM which was nine hours prior. We pull into Battle Creek and all the conductors get off the train. There are buses waiting for us in the parking lot. After 20 min. or so of confusion and uncertainty we are loaded into the buses to finish the trip.
I called the bed and breakfast where I was to be staying to inform them of my delay. My original plans had me getting to them around 3:30. It was now five. Good thing I called because the woman there was going to leave at 6:30. The trip from Battle Creek via road was going to get me there just under the wire. Thankfully we didn't crash or get a flat tire either of which I had fully expected to happen.
Just as we get into Ann Arbor the bus driver makes a wrong turn. It is now 6:25 PM. The show's 7pm start time was looming. We make it to the stop and the driver he cannot pull fully into the parking lot. I bolt off the bus and run to a waiting cab. I jumped in but of course the driver is boxed in because of traffic due to the bus sticking out in the street! We get going and luckily it's a short trip to the bed and breakfast. I run inside, get my room, change out of the clothes I had been in for 12 hours then dash outside and run down the block to the theater. I arrive 10 min. before the show starts.
Recall that I had not eaten for 12 hours and the show about to see is 4 1/2 hours long. I found a water fountain and took several drinks before going to my seat. I wasn't worried about having to pee during the show because I was darn near dehydrated.
This ordeal forced me to scrap my plans for taking a cross-country train ride on Amtrak this summer. I anticipated moderate delays but nothing like this.
Einstein on the Beach was easily the most incredible show I have ever seen in my life. It will be the subject of a subsequent post.
After the show I had the pleasure of trying to find someplace to eat that wasn't infested with drunk college students. Unable to do so, I found a little Mexican place and grabbed a burrito. Afterward I walked through the streets of Ann Arbor and picked up a couple geocaches-caches. I rather enjoyed doing so at 3 AM. I had needed to walk around because I had been sitting for most of the day.
The trip back to Chicago was completely uneventful.
I was to have arrived in Ann Arbor at 1:30 PM which would have given me plenty of time to explore the city, have lunch, and get to the theater by 7 PM. The train left Chicago promptly at 7 AM. About 15 min. into the ride, not even out of this Chicago switch yard, the train stopped right there on the tracks. We were told that there was a problem with the engine that would be resolved in 15 min. Two hours later we get going again, losing our right of way because of the delay.
We made it to Indiana albeit slowly (my GPS indicated speeds of around 40 to 50 mph.) Just before we were to cross the border into Michigan the train stopped again. More engine problems. By this time I was laughing at this comedy of errors. All my planning seemed for naught because I had absolutely no control over my means of transportation. We were stalled on the track for about another hour during which time I mused about leaving the train to look for a nearby geocache. Of course I couldn't do this because with my luck the train would have left while I was outside.
We finally continued the journey into Michigan. The train stops yet again just outside of Battle Creek. This time it was due to a problem with a switch or so they claimed. By now it was 4 PM Michigan time - the show started in only three hours and I was just over two hours away from Ann Arbor by train. We were told that the switch would be fixed in about a half an hour. I was beginning to get nervous.
The train was out of food and drinks so even if I wanted to pay exorbitant prices for crappy food I could not. I had eaten a decent breakfast (a banana and a glass of milk) at 6 AM which was nine hours prior. We pull into Battle Creek and all the conductors get off the train. There are buses waiting for us in the parking lot. After 20 min. or so of confusion and uncertainty we are loaded into the buses to finish the trip.
I called the bed and breakfast where I was to be staying to inform them of my delay. My original plans had me getting to them around 3:30. It was now five. Good thing I called because the woman there was going to leave at 6:30. The trip from Battle Creek via road was going to get me there just under the wire. Thankfully we didn't crash or get a flat tire either of which I had fully expected to happen.
Just as we get into Ann Arbor the bus driver makes a wrong turn. It is now 6:25 PM. The show's 7pm start time was looming. We make it to the stop and the driver he cannot pull fully into the parking lot. I bolt off the bus and run to a waiting cab. I jumped in but of course the driver is boxed in because of traffic due to the bus sticking out in the street! We get going and luckily it's a short trip to the bed and breakfast. I run inside, get my room, change out of the clothes I had been in for 12 hours then dash outside and run down the block to the theater. I arrive 10 min. before the show starts.
Recall that I had not eaten for 12 hours and the show about to see is 4 1/2 hours long. I found a water fountain and took several drinks before going to my seat. I wasn't worried about having to pee during the show because I was darn near dehydrated.
This ordeal forced me to scrap my plans for taking a cross-country train ride on Amtrak this summer. I anticipated moderate delays but nothing like this.
Einstein on the Beach was easily the most incredible show I have ever seen in my life. It will be the subject of a subsequent post.
After the show I had the pleasure of trying to find someplace to eat that wasn't infested with drunk college students. Unable to do so, I found a little Mexican place and grabbed a burrito. Afterward I walked through the streets of Ann Arbor and picked up a couple geocaches-caches. I rather enjoyed doing so at 3 AM. I had needed to walk around because I had been sitting for most of the day.
The trip back to Chicago was completely uneventful.