Trains vs. Planes

Dinner time on the Train

We arrived home yesterday afternoon after our eight day train trip to Washington D.C. and Boston. How would we assess riding the Amtrak Silver Meteor vs. flying?

Breathing and Hearing - The constant roar on the plane gives me a headache and the air seems artificial.  Our Amtrak was quiet and the air smelled like....air.

Waiting We were on four trains all together.  Despite the horror stories we'd heard, they were all on time.  And no standing in line for 30 minutes.  We just walked up and got on the train.

Food - We ate in a dining car with white tablecloths and interesting people sitting opposite us.  You may remember that a few months ago I had my DNA tested at Ancestry.com and learned that I was 6 per cent Mali (an African nation.)  So far, I've not been able to learn much about this country.  Night before last we sat across the table from a young woman and her child.  We soon learned that she'd been in the Peace Corps in Africa.  When I asked what country I knew she would say Mali.  And she did.  What a conversation we had!

I asked Dave to demonstrate
but this is as far as he would go.

Sightseeing - Even though I love Florida I always enjoy landscape that doesn't look like Florida.  Connecticut, for example.  It was exciting to ride through New York City on our way to Boston.  We had a great view of the skyline.  Even saw the Empire State Building.

Sleep - We loved our little Roomette.  Don't know how many more years I'll be able to climb into the top bunk but I managed this time.  Dave gave me a boost.

Restroom - Conveniently located!  And clean.  (The heavy lid closes to make a nice bench and step stool to reach the top bunk. ) And, if we didn't care to use this there were plently of public restrooms.  However, we made no long middle of the night trips outside our roomette!

And, finally, to my knowledge, not one person was knocked unconscious and dragged off the train this past week.


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