B is for Baggage (Pt. 2)

B is for Baggage - Part 2

Baggage: suitcases, trunks and personal belongings of travelers.

[According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary]

Well this post ends my series from the adventure to Boston. I had to be at the train station before 11 AM in time to wait and board the train at South Station. Unlike my first trip on the train, I wouldn’t have to get off or switch to anything else, it was just going to be a straight ride from Boston to Toledo. So I boarded at about noon and was estimated to arrive at about 5:55 AM on Monday morning. That’s like 18 hours… and also a funny joke because the train somehow got behind schedule somehow - like by a lot. The train didn’t arrive in Toledo until 7:30 AM! So that was fun. It was pretty nice though because I had both seats to myself for probably 75% of the trip. I was able to spread out and lie down and get a bit of sleep.  Other things I did to keep myself busy:

• Finished reading the last 3/4th of a book (The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks)
• Ate snacks
• Watched a movie (Morning Glory)
• Ate more snacks
• Listened to music
• Tried to sleep
• Played a bit of solitaire
• Went to the cafe car to get some “real” food
• Watched another movie (A Lot Like Love)
• Listened to some more music while trying to sleep

Good Times! So yeah, it was a super long ride, but at least the train seats were comfortable. It trip would have been better if it wouldn't have been so long, though. Plus this train was rocking all over the tracks kind of a lot and it was sort of like feeling sea-sick .. not okay. I wouldn't be against traveling by train again, but I'm not about to go again real soon. But at least I can say I've done it!

After I arrived in Toledo, Brentlee was there waiting and picked me up. We got some real "real" food for breakfast at Bob Evans - I love Bob Evans. Then we stopped back at his house so I could get my car and drive the final two hours of the trip back home to get some quality sleep in my own bed. There's nothing like laying down in your bed after you've been away. So nice!

-~- B.

B is for Bus

Bus: a large motor vehicle designed to carry passengers usually 

along a fixed route according to a schedule.

[According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary]

Ok so a few days before I was supposed to board the train, Amtrak called me and told me that there was scheduled track work and for part or all of my trip I would have to take alternate transportation. I minorly freaked out, being completely confused my the message, but I called the number back and basically they said that everything was taken care of and all I would have to do was take the train from Toledo, Ohio to Albany, New York, get off the train and board a bus in Albany which would take me the rest of the way to Boston. I guess I did want an adventure right? Well that’s how I looked at the situation anyways - as just another part of the adventure. So here we go exiting the train and being herded into the Albany station. I hear an older man ask a worker what travelers heading to Boston were supposed to do, so naturally I went up to this man and asked if he was taking the bus to Boston too. He said yes and told me to stick with him and two other younger people around my age. He said, "Well, if we miss the bus then we'll all miss it together." I was fine with that. At least I wasn’t completely alone. So we wait over an hour for this bus to pick us up and it finally comes and we get split up a bit. There were two buses and each was stopping at certain stops but leaving out others to shorten the trip. Another bus was coming along about an hour later to be a straight shot to Boston, but I wasn't really in the mood to be waiting a whole additional hour. Anyways I get put on the red bus to Boston, and luckily I’m put on the same bus as Matt, an accounting grad about to get his Masters from the University of Tennessee, returning home to Boston after a family wedding in Rochester, New York. Matt was another stranger made friend during my traveling adventures and we talked about anything and everything during the bus trip. The trip lasted a good 5 hours but when you're occupied that doesn't seem so long and can go by pretty quickly. I was pretty thankful to have had Matt there to keep me company. Unlike the train, the bus had much less room to spread out but fortunately when they filled the buses, this one only had so many people that everyone has two seats to themselves. I couldn’t complain. The trip could have been pretty miserable if everyone had been partnered up, but I was able to spread out a bit and not have all by bags smashed up on my lap. Nearing the end of the ride I got a bit nervous, not familiar with the area I was being dropped off at to wait nor knowing exactly where my friend was going to pick me up at, but Matt knew the area so he showed me where to wait safely and was really helpful. All-in-all the entire trip to Boston was a success and quite the adventure. =)

-~- B.

B is for Baggage

Baggage: suitcases, trunks and personal belongings of travelers.

[According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary]

Take a long-distance train ride and travel alone. Check and check. On Sunday, July 31^st, I boarded an Amtrak train as a single rider at 3:30 am heading to Boston, Massachusetts. The trip was scheduled to last a good, long 17 hours, and though there were some complications, (which are further detailed in B is for Bus) I must say that I was not disappointed with the train. First off, so I board at 3:30 in the morning and I’m already pretty wore out from the day’s activities, so I’m ready to just get on and sleep. Of course I got paired with a random rider since I was traveling alone, but the man in the window seat was crashed out. At least he was in his own seat and not sprawled out into mine as well. It was a bit awkward though because he had a jacket over his head and upper-half so I couldn’t tell a thing about this guy. That’s fine though. All I wanted to do was sleep, and I realized why Mystery Man had his coat on his head - the emergency overhead lights kept the cabin pretty lit up. No matter - I fell asleep in an instant once I was all covered up too.

So next thing I know I’m awake, it’s about 6 AM and the sun is rising. It was pretty sweet to see that from the train but I was still pretty tired and tried to go back to sleep - and by that I mean pretty much just laying there with my eyes closed. I have to compliment this train though, because seriously, these seats were pretty amazing. They were probably better than first class plane seats because they were so cushiony and give you so much leg-room! There was even this little leg rest thing that propped up like a recliner would and the seats leaned back pretty far too. So nice! Anyways Mystery Man wakes up and moves around a little. I think he got off at the next stop and no one filled his spot so I had probably an hour or so to sleep laying down in both seats. It was glorious. Both seats combined with the leg rests out was like the size of a small bed - enough for me to curl up comfortably anyways. Just what I needed to get some rest from the day before. It didn’t last too long though, because the spot was filled at the next stop.
Now if you read B is for Brave, you’ll know that one of my goals was to have a nice friendly chat on the train with a stranger. Enter Gloria, a cute grandma traveling home to New York after her granddaughter’s bridal shower. Gloria and I chatted for a good couple of hours or so about everything from family to politics and from the job markets to our life adventures. Then I had to go check out the dining car and grab some 'real' food for lunch. Though I wasn’t overly impressed with the food options and all that, I wasn’t disappointed either. The vegan burger I ordered filled me up and tasted pretty good too. I mean as good as you can get from a microwavable bag on a train. The most interesting thing I found to be, though, were the bathrooms. I can’t tell you how awkward it was to be in there with the train rocking around on the tracks all over the place - definitely easier on an airplane, though the train's was more spacious. Anyways that about sums up my first train riding adventure. Be sure to check back for the next part of my trip!

-~- B.

B is for Brave

Brave: having or showing courage.

[According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary]

As a girl, I was completely shy and reserved. For the most part I've still got that calm and quite nature, but for the last three or four years I've been more outgoing and much less self-conscious. I try to meet new people and experience as many new things as I can. I really love listening to people's stories and what they've experienced. I find it fascinating to learn where people came from and how they got where they are today. I do whatever I can to be happy and to live so that I'll have an amazing story with lots of adventures that I can tell someday to someone like me. I chose 'brave' for this blog because I'm traveling to Boston by train (a 17-hour ride) by myself. Yes, thats going to be really long and probably boring, but I'm not worried about keeping myself occupied. Actually I'm kind of hoping to meet someone on the train and have a nice friendly chat with them. You know, kind of like in the movies. Silly as it might sound, but it's just all part of the adventure. I want to be able to say that I did those things and take something away from the experience. After college I want to move somewhere new. If I'm starting over on my own, I think I should kind of test myself and I'm using this trip as that test. I'm sort of taking this adventure prove to myself that I'll be fine. I mean I know I can do it and it won't be a problem, but honestly if I can't take a train to Boston and travel by myself to meet my friend for a week, then how can I possibly live  on my own in a brand new, unfamiliar place? It's all about pushing the limits and testing comfortability.

-~- B.

 "A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he is willing to have."