I woke up in 4:00 AM to get myself ready for the
Amtrak to
North Carolina. So far, I packed a lot of my
slacks and
t-shirts for the vacation but nothing for the trip to Florida. I packed my computer along, being the custom-built
behemoth bigger than the suitcase and the tote bag I carried with it.
My sister and her boyfriend drove me off to Penn Station (right behind Madison Square Garden). It's a quick trip to the station, giving us enough time to get lost in the station before it's ready for boardin.
The train was ready for passengers a few minutes before 6:00 AM. As I dragged my computer to the back of the business class car, my sister waved good-bye to me. I nodded, and that made up my day in New York City.
The train ride took a lot out of me not because it was physically exerting. I didn't have any formal kind of breakfast except one hot dog, so I'm tired for the day. I have to sleep...
Around 9:00 AM or 10, I was listening to my CDs. I brought over my CD player with my Ute Lemper and Eminem CDs, but I have a heck of a lot more in my tote bag.
I listened only to the CD player and the music from the train's own sound system. The only saving graces are a few oldies and the love theme to Blade Runner.
I had a sandwich for lunch from the train's café car, but it's just as uneventful as breakfast. I'm too used to mess hall food, so I'm not food critic.
I liked taking the train for the view. The beginning was like in Half-Life, with the rolling from the tunnels to the outside world and back... One of my favorite places I have passed by is in Quantico, Virginia. I saw a school of sorts for the United States Marine Corps, and I said to myself this: "I am here (in the train). I should be there (the school buildings and the airbase).
In the train's way through North Carolina, the train ran faster to the stops but the traffic problems and the storm came in more often. It was raining in Cary, where my brother and his family was waiting...