Friday, December 30, 2011

Train Travel

1:04pm. December 30, 2011
Union Station, Washington DC - Penn Station, New York City.


This was my first train trip in the US. I didn't expect too much of it because I have travelled on trains in Korea.

Clearly, I had forgotten how fun that is.

As my Amtrak began rolling its tracks, I saw bare trees of the winter, and clear and still rivers. Never-ending wires and wooden wire posts passed my sight like a metronome keeps its steady beat. People on my train were either occupied with a powerpoint presentation for their next meeting, listening to their favorite tunes, or reading on their Kindle or Nook.

I was looking out the window with my ipod on listening to Metheny Mehldau. Then I realized that this trip, this moment couldn't be wasted with just a song and a brief thought, "hmm I like this trip!" This moment needed a more proper documentation.
Hence, this blog entry, a photo and a NYTimes article.

The author had a longer train trip, from Florida to Boston.  My 3-hour train ride is nothing compared to his 26-hour long trip, but I still share his impression of traveling on a train.

"From a single trip on a long-haul train, I don’t know whether I’d call myself passionate, but I was certainly a happy customer, given that I was in no rush."

I was certainly a happy customer, a happy train traveler! If and when I get a chance, I would like to travel coast to coast on a train!

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