Train trip II
The first thing you notice about train travel is the leisurely pace. Amtrak’s train 11 moseyed into Emeryville about 3 hours late this morning. We spent the time pleasantly at the Borders bookstore across the street, buying the new Bob CD for me and a copy of the Beatles’ Revolver for Laura, who has been crazy about Abbey Road for weeks and really needed something new to listen to.The next thing you notice is the luxury. Even in the cheap seats (we are riding coach on the first leg, to LA, because it’s all daytime and too short to be worth the extra money for a sleeper) you get leg room that makes airline first class look tight. You get to get up and walk around any time. You get to sit down and eat at a table in a civilized fashion. You get the Kiddie Car, which is a whole carpeted room with some toys and a TV. Laura and I are sitting in there now. She is watching a cartoon while I kill time typing. (Check out this cartoon, by the way. It’s called Recess: School’s Out and it’s about kids taking it into their own hands to stop the nefarious forces of high-stakes testing and year-round school. No threat to Pinocchio, but funny and timely.)The third thing you notice is the solitude. I assumed that everyone and their brother would be dashing for the trains after what happened yesterday, but the Emeryville station was as deserted as Wall Street this morning. I guess anyone who decided not to take an airplane either went by car or stayed home. There was a little more traffic on 280 at 8 this morning than you might have expected, come to think of it. On the train there are enough people for the gregarious Lillian to hang with but plenty of room to stretch out.
Categorised as: Travels