Travelin' Fool Part 2

SO.

It took me a while to figure out what to do about missing the train. Unlike flying, this mode of transportation doesn't allow for rescheduling a couple of hours later.

My two options were waiting until Monday at noon and taking the Lake Shore Ltd. back the way I came. Or, I could wait until that night and leave at 9:45 pm for Washington, D.C. In the interest of time and ONO's sanity, I opted for the route to D.C. and then back up to Chicago. I was initially very upset by this change of plans, but it turned out to be a wonderful thing.

At first I tried to get out to Worcester, a city 40 miles west where we lived from 1-7 grades. Turned out I'd missed the last commuter train to Worcester for the day, AND I'd only have 3 hours with a car rental. I decided to go back to Bethany's room, run along the Esplanade, shower, eat some dinner and then get to the train station LONG before the train left.

What a FABULOUS run! It was sunny, not too cold, and the view of the Charles River and then the harbor was spectacular! I decided to venture into the downtown and look for historical stuff that I hadn't had the chance to see the day before. I asked for a lot of directions and people were helpful. I ran up Charles Street to Boston Commons. Then I went back down Charles and circled around a big hill. Turns out it was Beacon Hill, and if you've heard anything about the homes there, it's all true. Here are some pics:

I don't know if you can make out the incline on this street. It was QUITE steep. Needless to say, I didn't try running up that hill. I wanted to enjoy my way home.

I found the Public Garden and snapped some pics there and then realized I was on Commonwealth Ave., and that took me right back to BU.

At 9:45 pm I got on the Northeast Regional and headed for DC. This train was a commuter train, with the seats much closer together and much less comfortable. It was difficult to sleep for that reason, and because the lights were never turned out. In the long run, it didn't matter because I was in our nation's capitol, and I had 9 hours there all to myself!

I swigged a giant mug of coffee, snarfed some Au Bon Pain, tidied up a bit in the very public bathroom, and stashed my bags for the day (and for $15). Then I headed out.

I spent about an hour wandering around the Capitol and the Supreme Court building. There were a LOT of security personnel and I could tell they didn't take much to wanderers. It was sad to me to see this and all the barricades, etc. I have been to DC a number of times since I was 12 and this really spoke to how things have changed in my lifetime.

After a while I pointed myself to where I thought the Smithsonian was. On the way, I happened upon the National Botanical Gardens and was in absolute heaven for about 2 hours! Many pics were taken and something of an important spiritual experience was had.

I also toured the new Native American museum, part of the Air & Space museum (had to take pics of space rockets for Brennan!) and finished off with one part of the National Art museum. Boy did my feet hurt, but what a wonderful day!

The train ride back was less enjoyable, mostly because I'd run out of food and cash, and was forced to sit next to a woman who was drunk and continued drinking from a wine bottle she'd stashed in her carry-on bag throughout the journey. Her mother had died and she was traveling to the funeral. That was sad but she wanted to talk (and talk, and talk) to me about it and I'm sorry! but I was on vacation! I almost asked the attendant to find me another seat but I found one late Monday night and stayed there the rest of the trip.

Despite the annoyances, the train itself was pretty cool. It was one of those double decker deals with a real dining car and sleeper cars. There was also a "Club Car," which had big comfy, swivel seats that you could turn towards the windows and chat with your cronies (if you were traveling with cronies).

I arrived back home at 1:30 pm on Tuesday, exhausted but very satisfied. It was a FABULOUS trip. My one big disappointment about the whole thing is that Carter played what turned out to be his last soccer game while I was gone. They lost in the first round of playoffs, although I heard they played very hard, and very well. I'm pretty sad about that. I really enjoyed watching him and the team play.