So I'm writing this blog right now while I'm waiting for my connection to St. George which does not depart until 8:30 AM. I've been waiting now since 11:00PM. ::sigh::
So my Amtrak trip in several nutshells:
In general I've enjoyed my train trip. It's really a pleasant way to travel. There's practically no fear or anxiety involved as would a plane trip for someone who hates to fly like me. It's also nice that you can sleep at will (if the train isn't too bumpy) and that all your meals are provided for you. Nothing better than no thinking involved!
 |
| Best lamb shank I've ever had, so tender the meat just fell off the bone! Mad props Amtrak! |
 |
| Always get the pork sausage. |
 |
| I don't know how Amtrak does it but their steak is sooo juicy. I highly recommend their creme bruelee cheesecake as well. |
It's also great because I've gotten to see a lot of the country that I've never seen before. While the first portion, New York to Chicago was a bit dull scenery-wise, the second portion of my trip, Chicago to Salt Lake City was beautiful. Once again,I didn't feel any need to watch dvds or anything. I was perfectly content listening to my ipod and watching the country go by.
 |
| Cool and completely empty ghost town we went past. |
The Rockies were beautiful and the Colorado/Utah border is quite a sight to see! Snow-capped mountains in the background, red rock mountain range in the middle and then lots of lovely hilly, scrubby terrain in the foreground. I even saw quite an unusual sight. 3 Full Moons in Colorado, on the river in broad daylight!! Impossible you say? Nay!
As our Amtrak train was chugging along, 3 whitewater rafters decided to moon the train. It was a marvel of ingenuity and balance on a small raft. ;) Unfortunately for my blog readers, my camera hand was simply too slow to catch the rare sight. I've never been mooned before... and I wouldn't mind being mooned again to be honest. lol.
The only unpleasant side of my Amtrak train experience was my attendant from hell, PJ. My attendant on the first portion of my trip was great. His name was Ainsely and though he wasn't a smiley person, he provided great service and I was well taken care of. PJ never smiled at me. Not once. I really tried my best to be extra sweet and charming and all I got from her was rolling eyes and dirty looks. I even heard her making rude remarks about me to other people. Hag! Here are some delightful highlights from my PJ encounter:
* My suitcase is quite heavy (found out that it's 60 pounds) and I asked if I could have help in bringing the suitcase up to my room. The California Zephyr is a double decker train with extremely narrow hallways and stairs and I didn't know this beforehand. She said, "Why did you pack so much? Take your time, no one can help you. I'll wait here." (Nice, huh? Not even a faux offer of help)
* I was very tired and asked PJ if she could turn the chairs into a bed as soon as she had a free moment because I wanted to sleep. I tried to do it on my own but to no avail. PJ said, I'll be back in a minute. She didn't come back for 3 hours. I had to go find her and ask again. I was given a dirty look and the silent treatment for bothering her.
* When dinnertime came around, I asked PJ if I could have dinner in my room. Ainsely had suggested it to me on the last portion of my trip and the Amtrak pamphlet said it was standard if you had a roommette. I eat really slowly and wanted some privacy. She looked at me and said, "You look healthy enough. You can go get it yourself." (Insert Flavor Flav Woooooow....)
Those are just the highlights! Lots of other unpleasantness ensued but I tried to stay friendly; smiling at her and saying hello and how are you, etc; thinking that it might rub off on her after awhile. The smiles and courtesies were disregarded. I got nada from her. I guess some people are just extremely unpleasant. I tip well if you give me good service but all I'm going to give PJ is a bad report to the Amtrak corporate office. :P
I took a lot of nice clips on my camera too but I won't be able to upload them until I have some time, so sorry but I'm too tired right now!
Had a few minor epiphanies while on the train. You can't imagine what nearly 3 days of looking out a window will do to your brain.
Some other highlights of my Amtrak trip:
* The train was delayed in Iowa because of a severe weather warning. I called 'N' and asked him to check it out for me on weather.com. There was a tornado watch! It was scary. The sky was completely black and you could see a giant gray cloud in the distance. Thankfully, everything was alright and we continued on a bit later.
As I'm writing this, I can't wait to get to FR. I need a shower, I look and feel like hell after 3 days of continuous travel and I can't wait to lie down on a clean, comfortable and non-moving/rocking bed. I hope that I'm not too zombie-like when I arrive.
hoo!!!
So I'm going to make a few promises.
I promise to give it my best.
I promise to not quit.
I promise to be honest about my reactions.
I promise that I will try to take as many pics & videos as I can.
I promise to post my stats.
And most important of all...
I promise to continue this blog and stay true to what I've learned from Fitness Ridge after my one month stay is over. With the support of friends, loved ones and all you wonderfully zany folks out there... maybe I will succeed in my weight loss endeavors this time. Keep me accountable! I beg of you!
Whew!
Affirmations and visualizations are good for you. So is positive thinking! Lots of love and hopefully I'll get some sleep soon. See you guys at Fitness Ridge!!
* Updated with some videos!
On Da Train: Colorado
On Da Train: Mississippi River
On Da Train: Iowa: Tornado Watch
Chicago Union Station
Grand Junction Colorado
On Da Train: Musings
I don't understand how PJ could be so rude and discourteous to you. witch.
ReplyDeleteStefy, she was SCARY!!! I really hope that I don't get her on the way back.
ReplyDelete