Life's Persistent Questions

April 13, Washington DC

This leg of my trip, via the Crescent route, from New Orleans to Washington, DC, was the last of mine overnight train rides. It was more interesting than my previous trips because of a fellow passenger. A Vietnam vet/professional bungee jumper/expat, who is doing a similar rail trip, we talked for much of the first half of the trip. Or rather, he talked and I listened. One can imagine the topics given my previous qualifiers.

The scenery on the Crescent gave one some flavor of the Southeastern U.S. albeit at 50 mph. It was similar to that of the Sunset Limited route between Houston and New Orleans, but it was more rural rather than wild with a lot of small towns and buildings. Also, I really loved the forest, which I believe may be some type of cypress.

The train ran on time, which was nice for once. We had a group of young people, mostly men, dressed alike with shirts, suspenders, and hats. I wondered if they were Amish since they were headed to Pennsylvania. They did share a curious accent and the same haircut. However some of them did smoke, so I wonder if they are on rumspringa.

The train was pretty empty when we started in New Orleans, but it started to pick up passengers in Alabama. I had both seats on one side to myself until around 3AM, somewhere around Greensboro, when another passenger took the seat next to my assigned seat. So this was the most uncomfortable night I had to spend on the train, and I was glad that it would be my last.

Arriving in Washington DC, I was excited to get a glimpse of the beautiful Union Station. I have read about the restored train stations on the east coast, and this one did not disappoint. Most Amtrak stations of large metropolitans are located conveniently in downtown, and their restoration surely would only add to any downtown revival effort. This was something that Houston could learn from. Then again, the state car of Texas appears to be the Hummer, but I digress. Having been to DC several times in the past, I nevertheless look forward to this visit. But boy, was it cold (compared to New Orleans) today.

posted by hedgehog @ 11:30 PM