I just got back from spending a few days with friends who live in New Buffalo, Michigan, about an hour's drive (or two hour's drive, if you're unlucky!) from Chicago. I decided to go on Amtrak, taking the Empire Builder from the Twin Cities Midway station to Chicago's Union Station, where my friends would meet me. The train was scheduled to depart at about 7:30 AM, but when I got there, a bus was idling outside; it turned out that the train had been delayed in Montana (fire? derailment? rumors abounded) so we were offered the choice of waiting another four hours, or taking the bus if we had a connection in Chicago. I opted for the bus because I knew my friends were going to have to drive in to meet me, and I didn't want to leave them hanging; if the train was 4 hours late now, how much later would it be in 4 hours? Nuh-uh.
I had a thoroughly marvelous time with them (subject of another post).
On our drive back to Chicago on Sunday so I could catch the train, we got stuck in traffic and there were a few tense moments at the end when we were watching the minutes tick by as we inched our way along the freeway, exiting by the station, but not exactly sure how to get there with all the one way streets. We ended up ditching the car and sprinting a block to the station, then to the track inside the station, where I boarded with exactly one minute to spare before the train started to move. And when I say "sprint," I really mean a pathetic jog. I have previously dashed across O'Hare, Schipol, and through various European train stations carrying the same red canvas bag, but this time I had no oomph.
All's well that ends well, and the train trip itself was fun. I have traveled by train a lot in Europe but much less in the U.S, and I really enjoyed the leg of the trip along the Mississippi as night was falling.
Leo was ecstatic to see me back, and tomorrow my lovely child and her lovely dad are returning to town! yay!
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6 comments:
I love Union Station!
Oh, the joys of travel...
I volunteered to get bumped from my 7 pm flight back from Las Vegas to a 1 a.m. flight--already zonked, I napped on the airport floor.
One goes from nerve-racking anxiety (will I miss my train/place) to exhausted boredom!
Welcome home!
Welcome home to you, too! Did you volunteer out of the goodness of your heart, or did they give you a coupon of some kind?
isn't the train lovely? I've taken Amtrak up the West Coast and loved it. It's great for people watching and getting to know your fellow travellers.
Rent Party, I got to wait for bit in the grand hall of Union Station, with all the statues. Most of the action takes place elsewhere now, though.
demondoll, I did have some fun conversations with other travelers in the dining car. It has been ages since I took a train in the U.S. and it makes me a little sad that our train service has been so neglected compared to those of other countries.
That sounds fantastic. I've taken that trip a few times, too, and it's on time maybe 1/3 of the time.
So, you did pretty well, I'd guess.
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