wenn einer eine reise tut...
Amtrak: Chicago-Boston
9pm ct, union station chicago
The entire station essentially looks like an airport. You've got to check in your baggage until 30 minutes before boarding. Maximum weight is 50lbs, dimensions and stuff works similarly to when you're flying. My train is at gate 4, so I just waited in the crowded seat area. As soon as the gate opened, everybody rushed into the line and I wondered why - at that time I still thought the seats were numbered. Well, they weren't. And it turned out that the seat I chose in the train was for group usage only and I was chased away after ten minutes. Of course, all the window seats were taken by that time. So, whenever you'd be travelling with Amtrak, make sure there is no (really small) "group" label on your seat.
12.30am et, somewhere beyond the indiana border
It really annoys me not to have a window seat. Mainly because of the window, but also because I do not have access The lady beside me is totally boring and doesn't talk a word and so I decided to inconspicuously examine the destination labels of all the other passengers. There seems to be a family leaving in Cleveland, where we are supposed to arrive at 5.30am. Thus I just leave my earbuds in my ear for sleep and set the ipod alarm to that time to make sure I'm the first one to catch that seat once the couple leaves.
6.30am et, cleveland/oh
Worked fine, I now have a window seat now for the second part of Ohio. This state is really like how you imagine it: old, ugly industry buildings all over the place. Flat landscape, small cities but still populated almost everywhere. That's how they get to a 12M population.
8.30am et, erie/pa
These Coaches really make one sleepy. There are always people walking around with coffee cups, let's see what else is there. The next car seems to be some kind of cafe lounge, and next to it is the dining car. A coffee is $1.75 and it probably permits me to stay in the lounge all day, let's do that.
10.30am et, somewhere
There was a really nice guy from Eugenie/OR (near Portland) at my table and we talked for more than an hour. He's never been to the east coast before, thinks that the current goverment sucks (as every American I've met), has a BA in English but works in some kind of landscape stuff. He told me that there are PhDs in Eugenie who are into dish washing just because they don't want to leave town and the job situation is bad. He's going to grad school soon, although he's been working for several years now. Apparently, a studio in Eugenie costs only $320/m - in San Jose, though, he paid about $850/m. Well ok, he left and I suppose I should start working.
11am et, buffalo/ny
Working is somehow boring and there are a couple of people left in the car but they're only talking about sports stuff. I am wondering whether I could try to play Provoke-The-American with them which usually works quite well in these environments. The way it goes is to randomly throw questions about President Bush at people, asking afterwards if a new government could change anything. As it turns out, I was really lucky, there is a supporter of each candidate in the room as well as a libertarian Nader supporter. So, 20 minutes later, they are all shouting at each other, claiming that each other is a fugitive of various mental hospitals. Meanwhile, I continued working.
12pm et, rochester/ny
The Obama and McCain supporters gave up and are reading some newspapers now, so only two Hillary supporters are left and it appears that they are gay. A few hours ago, I gave one of them my cellphone. Now I am getting text messages saying that I am looking great and one of them offers me a slow, sensual massage. And he wants to know my name and stuff. Great. Countryside New York State is so empty, only wild trees and stuff.
3pm et, schenectady/ny
The train somehow got creepingly slow. I am back again at my coach seat and my neighbours have slightly changed. On the other side, there is now an elderly but nice looking guy who's been on the phone quite frequently. Suddenly, I hear like "ok, please order this on credit card number..." and "yes, the security code is ...". Is he crazy or what? I really should have written the number down and give it to him to show that everybody can hear his data. Well, some time later, he suddenly started talking German on the phone - and it turned out that he'd been living in Switzerland for a long time! Meanwhile, the train completely stopped. There is a "switching problem" ahead, they say.
6pm et, albany/ny
Yay, finally the first train arrived with 90 minutes of delay. Transfer ot the next train doesn't seem to be a problem at all, the walk is something like 10 meters. The first thing I spotted in the new train is a guy playing StarCraft - how cool is that! I am in the last car, so there is a window in the back where the totally straight railway can be seen. NY is still wild and empty, and so is Massachussets.
10pm et, boston/ma
The last four hours in the new train were quiet and went over quite fast. The pressure on getting my work done was now high enough so that I stayed in my seat (which had a power socket as well) and didn't meet any new people. Scheduled arrival was 9.45pm, so the final delay was only 15 minutes, although we lost a lot of time in IL and NY. They somehow made up for this. Baggage checkout was no problem at all, and so I walked out of the train station, right into the pub next door where I met my friend...
9pm ct, union station chicago
The entire station essentially looks like an airport. You've got to check in your baggage until 30 minutes before boarding. Maximum weight is 50lbs, dimensions and stuff works similarly to when you're flying. My train is at gate 4, so I just waited in the crowded seat area. As soon as the gate opened, everybody rushed into the line and I wondered why - at that time I still thought the seats were numbered. Well, they weren't. And it turned out that the seat I chose in the train was for group usage only and I was chased away after ten minutes. Of course, all the window seats were taken by that time. So, whenever you'd be travelling with Amtrak, make sure there is no (really small) "group" label on your seat.
12.30am et, somewhere beyond the indiana border
It really annoys me not to have a window seat. Mainly because of the window, but also because I do not have access The lady beside me is totally boring and doesn't talk a word and so I decided to inconspicuously examine the destination labels of all the other passengers. There seems to be a family leaving in Cleveland, where we are supposed to arrive at 5.30am. Thus I just leave my earbuds in my ear for sleep and set the ipod alarm to that time to make sure I'm the first one to catch that seat once the couple leaves.
6.30am et, cleveland/oh
Worked fine, I now have a window seat now for the second part of Ohio. This state is really like how you imagine it: old, ugly industry buildings all over the place. Flat landscape, small cities but still populated almost everywhere. That's how they get to a 12M population.
8.30am et, erie/pa
These Coaches really make one sleepy. There are always people walking around with coffee cups, let's see what else is there. The next car seems to be some kind of cafe lounge, and next to it is the dining car. A coffee is $1.75 and it probably permits me to stay in the lounge all day, let's do that.
10.30am et, somewhere
There was a really nice guy from Eugenie/OR (near Portland) at my table and we talked for more than an hour. He's never been to the east coast before, thinks that the current goverment sucks (as every American I've met), has a BA in English but works in some kind of landscape stuff. He told me that there are PhDs in Eugenie who are into dish washing just because they don't want to leave town and the job situation is bad. He's going to grad school soon, although he's been working for several years now. Apparently, a studio in Eugenie costs only $320/m - in San Jose, though, he paid about $850/m. Well ok, he left and I suppose I should start working.
11am et, buffalo/ny
Working is somehow boring and there are a couple of people left in the car but they're only talking about sports stuff. I am wondering whether I could try to play Provoke-The-American with them which usually works quite well in these environments. The way it goes is to randomly throw questions about President Bush at people, asking afterwards if a new government could change anything. As it turns out, I was really lucky, there is a supporter of each candidate in the room as well as a libertarian Nader supporter. So, 20 minutes later, they are all shouting at each other, claiming that each other is a fugitive of various mental hospitals. Meanwhile, I continued working.
12pm et, rochester/ny
The Obama and McCain supporters gave up and are reading some newspapers now, so only two Hillary supporters are left and it appears that they are gay. A few hours ago, I gave one of them my cellphone. Now I am getting text messages saying that I am looking great and one of them offers me a slow, sensual massage. And he wants to know my name and stuff. Great. Countryside New York State is so empty, only wild trees and stuff.
3pm et, schenectady/ny
The train somehow got creepingly slow. I am back again at my coach seat and my neighbours have slightly changed. On the other side, there is now an elderly but nice looking guy who's been on the phone quite frequently. Suddenly, I hear like "ok, please order this on credit card number..." and "yes, the security code is ...". Is he crazy or what? I really should have written the number down and give it to him to show that everybody can hear his data. Well, some time later, he suddenly started talking German on the phone - and it turned out that he'd been living in Switzerland for a long time! Meanwhile, the train completely stopped. There is a "switching problem" ahead, they say.
6pm et, albany/ny
Yay, finally the first train arrived with 90 minutes of delay. Transfer ot the next train doesn't seem to be a problem at all, the walk is something like 10 meters. The first thing I spotted in the new train is a guy playing StarCraft - how cool is that! I am in the last car, so there is a window in the back where the totally straight railway can be seen. NY is still wild and empty, and so is Massachussets.
10pm et, boston/ma
The last four hours in the new train were quiet and went over quite fast. The pressure on getting my work done was now high enough so that I stayed in my seat (which had a power socket as well) and didn't meet any new people. Scheduled arrival was 9.45pm, so the final delay was only 15 minutes, although we lost a lot of time in IL and NY. They somehow made up for this. Baggage checkout was no problem at all, and so I walked out of the train station, right into the pub next door where I met my friend...