Who thought you could miss a time zone?

Train Selfie #7?

I woke up this morning and my phone had adjusted to Eastern Standard Time! I am so ready to not be a train anymore.

I was prepared to be freezing cold all night like it had been on the California Zephyr, but this time I was sweating! Apparently the Northeast understands this thing called heat. Go figure.

With it being a holiday coming up and all and seeing a show in the city as soon as I arrive at New York Penn meant that my scruffy train traveller look was no longer acceptable. So this morning, I successfully changed into adult clothes, shaved, and contoured my makeup. If that doesn't prove some extraordinary skill, I don't know what does.

We're now officially at less than 5 hours until arrival at my final train destination, completing day 6 of #AcrossTheStatesIn6Days. Thanks all for following along, and I'll update one last time when I'm standing on stationary land again!

Posted via Blogaway

Who thought a giant reflective bean was a good idea?

I admit, it's certainly unique, but what kind of person wakes up one morning and says, "You know what will be great?! A giant bean covered in a mirror in the middle of a park!" Didn't stop me from taking a selfie (okay, multiple selfies) with it though. It's like the Chicago equivalent of the Golden Gate Bridge; did you really go to Chicago if you didn't take a selfie with the Bean?

 

Shoutout to Hallmark for the super cute filter on Snapchat

So apparently falling ice from buildings is such a normal occurrence in this city that you can't walk one block without passing three of these signs. I've never seen this anywhere else, so why only Chicago? If someone knows the answer to that question, I would love to hear it.

And to finish out Chicago, have a panoramic photo of the skyline from The Nichols Bridgeway.

Day 4: Welcome to the Windy City

Train Selfie #6 - I'm always down for a Music Man reference.

Yesterday we finally arrived in Chicago, HALLELUJAH! Eric was getting on a train to Indianapolis, so we bid our adieus. I could have had a much a worse seatmate to live next to for 2.5 days, so I am extremely thankful for him.

Our friends Katie and Sammi were also spending a night in Chicago, so we exchanged numbers and were ready to make the most of our Monday night, although none of us really have a sense of days of the week anymore. We constantly needed to check our phones to remind us.

My first order of business HAD to be taking a shower. Having not showered for over 48 hours, I was overdue. I don't think I even put my bags down in my hotel room before I started the water! It was just like when I was kid (and adult as a staff member) coming home from summer camp; there is NOTHING like a real shower after going without.

Sammi had heard that Lou Malnati's Pizzeria was a MUST for anyone's first time in Chicago, so we decided on a location and took our respective Ubers to meet there. Turns out, the Uber app has a "Share your ETA" feature, so I could send my trip to Sammi and Katie and they could send theirs to me. Not only is it helpful, but it is a great safety feature. I could track their ride from my phone and knew who their driver was in case something happened and I needed to call for help. Good job, Uber team!

Now, let's talk about this "pizza" for a moment. I was born and raised a Jersey Boy, and there are three things we take very seriously in the Garden State:

1. Diners
2. Bagels
3. Pizza

This whole "deep dish" phenomena is NOT pizza. While it was delicious, it was more like a casserole than a pizza. Sure, you can eat pizza with a fork and knife sometimes, but it should not be the norm. 

After dinner we headed out to UP Comedy Club for their Improv All-Stars show. While the show was fantastic, and I would recommend seeing any of their shows to everyone, this little part of my trip really restored some faith in humanity. While we experience so much hate, anger, and discrimination in our daily lives, there are people that you can just meet on a train because you were forced to eat dinner together and become best friends for 24 hours to share Ubers, split "pizzas", and explore a strange city together. 

Sammi and Katie were headed back out to explore more, but I was exhausted! Who knew that doing nothing on a train for two and a half days could be so tiring? Or maybe it was just that I knew I had a comfortable king size bed waiting for me... I was ready for a great night of sleep after spending the past two nights in a "reclining" seat.

Forever in the Rockys

Most of Day 3 was spent travelling around and through the Rocky Mountains. And WOW, there were some absolutely breathtaking moments. Pictures from a moving train through a dirty window do not do them justice.


For dinner last night, Eric and I were seated with BFF's Sammy and Katie, who are on the return half of their 15 day Amtrak trip around the US, starting in their home state of Florida. They've been to D.C., Chicago, Denver, and San Francisco. They're now on their way back to Florida, set to arrive home just in time for Thanksgiving dinner!




As we finished eating dinner in the dining car, we pulled into Denver approximately 40 minutes early, so we had plenty of time to stretch our legs, breath some fresh air, and get some Hot Chocolate that wasn't instant.  (And made with almond milk, yum!)


Today (Day 4/6), we're set to arrive in Chicago around 3pm Central Time, I think. I'm not really sure, I just know I'm here until they kick me off!

Comment with your suggestions of things I should do with my 24 hours in the windy city!



Posted via Blogaway

The Colorado River that never ends

Just before crossing the border from Utah into Colorado, our conductor announced that'd we be following the Colorado River almost entirely to Denver...for over 200 miles. Yesterday it was all trees, and today there's not a single tree in sight. But there's plenty of water!

We also learned that it is Cheryl's, our conductor, last trip as an Amtrak conductor. Happy retirement, Cheryl!

Oh, and enjoy this train selfie #4, featuring the coach restroom.

Posted via Blogaway

Day Two aka "So how many more hours?"

Part of my excitement for being on a train for 4 days was that there'd be amazing sights, right? Well there are two flaws that I have discovered:
1. It's winter, meaning it is pitch black outside by dinner time.
2. Pine trees, hills, farms, and dust all start to look the same VERY quickly.

On the bright side, I did get some good glimpses of snow from the observation car while we were stuck behind a freight train on a mountain in Cali.
Yup, trains have traffic, too! Who would have thought it?

At dinner, all meals are by "reservation," and parties less than a full table (4) are just about guaranteed to be sat with someone else.

My seat mate, Eric (whose name I learned at dinner even though we had been talking all afternoon...oops) and I were seated with a woman and her 9 year old grandson. Even though we will most likely never see each other again after this trip, we had a nice little family dinner. :)

And that's really all there is to it...
All I can do is send snapchats in the moments I have reception, nap, eat, and look at mountains which will soon turn into deserts, I think.... I don't know, it's dark!

I also don't like this notion of having no idea where I am. I think we're in Nevada still? I know we passed through Reno what feels like a while ago, and we're supposed to be making it to Salt Lake City around 3:00 AM (My phone says it is currently almost 9:00 PM). Oh well, I just know I'm on here until they kick me off in Chicago.

Train selfies for dayz

Well here we are on the California Zephyr for Day Two of #AcrossTheStatesIn6Days. This part of my journey will take me to Chicago, where I'll spend the night Monday into Tuesday.
Coach seats on a three day trip are nothing like shorter train routes I've been on: a super comfortable reclining seat, foot rest, and a power outlet!
I don't have WiFi, but I do have 10GB of data for my phone, some graphic design work I can get a head start on, and two interpreting practice DVDs. Bring it on!

How many selfies do you think I can take?

Day One!

This (and my 24 hours in Chicago) will probably be the most action packed day, since the rest will be spent sitting on a train.

I came in to San Francisco without a game plan, which is very odd for me. But travelling by myself meant I could do whatever the heck I wanted without objection from anyone else. Perhaps being raised as an only child is what enables me to actually enjoy being alone.

I started the day by Google Map-ping "San Francisco." I know, so specific. There was this giant block of green that jumped out to me, and it was labeled the Golden Gate Park. Cool! I like parks. At this point, I have absolutely no clue what's in it, but why not?! Okay, now how to get there...

When I booked a flight that arrived at 1:00 AM (and then ended up on a different flight that arrived at 1:30 AM...), the only thing I had in mind when looking for a hotel was "Something with a 24 hour shuttle and stupid close to the airport." What I did NOT take into consideration was how far the hotel was from everything I'd actually want to go to.

SFO International is about 20 minutes south of the main part of the city, so public transit was only an option once I gotm up there. And not being old enough to rent a car, Uber it was! Now let's take a moment to point out that I have absolutely no experience with ridesharing services like Uber or Lyft, but I know they exist. Can't be that hard, right?

Now in theory, something like an Uber isn't any different than a Taxi. You just don't have to go searching for one and you can pay via PayPal. Sounds pretty easy to me, and it was!

Fun fact: Zen Gardens are actually Chinese!

So my first stop in Golden Gate Park was the Japanese Tea Garden; mostly because it just happened to be right there when I got out of the car. (I'm all about convienence)

I sort of knew of the fact that San Francisco had a large Japanese population, so it would make sense that their park had a tea garden. What I didn't think of though that makes even more sense is that things I'm used to hearing or seeing in both English and Spanish, they do in English and Japanese; so cool!

Just across the street from the tea garden was the SF Botanical Garden! (Seriously, this park is huge. Go look it up.)
I learned that San Francisco is in the perfect weird spot on the planet where the climate can fit the needs of native plants from all over the globe: North and South America, the Asias, South Pacific, and Africa!
There is just so much there, I had neither the time nor patience (I am certainly not a patient man by any definition of the word) to try to see it all. Also, I knew I had a lot of walking ahead of me, anyway.

Did you even go to SF if you didn't take a selfie with the GGB?

I'd be a failure of a tourist if I didn't see the Golden Gate Bridge. Those cables are a lot bigger in person than they are on your smartphone, by the way.

SUPER FUN FACT! San Francisco has The Walt Disney Family Museum!!!!!
While it has no affiliation with the Disney corporation, it is a magnificent place of history on the Disney family (even before Walt) and the beginnings of this empire that shaped my childhood (Let's be real, my adulthood, too).

Being "one of those theatre people," I'd be a disappointment to myself if I didn't see some sort of live theatre while travelling. Apparently SF is known for some great Improv (Thanks Jenni/Google!).

BATS Improv was founded in 1986 and is now longest running professional improv theatre company and school in Northern California. They happened to be having a show last night, so while standing on on the GGB I was able to purchase a ticket right from my phone! I seriously don't know how anyone travelled before the Internet.

Flowers!

Rose Garden in the Golden Gate Park

Good morning, San Francisco (Bay)!

My alarms still set for EST this morning woke me up, but it gave me a chance to snap this beautiful picture of the sun rising over the bay before I pulled the blackout curtains and went back to bed.

I have all day and night, so what should I do, see, and eat?

Comment to give me suggestions!

One flight down!

Well in case you aren't sure why Chicago is called "The Windy City," then just take a flight into O'Hare. I was about 77.3% sure  that the wind was going to blow our plane off course for the runway. But alas, I am alive and now waiting for my flight to San Francisco. 

I think it's currently 9:00 here? I can't tell if my phone has adjusted for the time change yet or not.. But that would mean I still have 45 minutes until boarding begins and almost an hour and a half until take off. Estimated arrival in SFO is 1:30am local time (Lord bless me), plus travel time to my hotel (Seriously, hear my prayers). I'm all up for staying up late, but not when time zones are taken into account and I'm not already in my own bed.

On the bright side, I was greeted by a Starbucks immediately upon disembarking my flight. Even better, the barista mistook my work ID badge I was still wearing for an airport employee badge, which entitled me to a (albeit small) discount. Thanks Chicago ;)

Thankful for Starbucks and (probably) overworked baristas.

And so it begins...

Hi there!

After having to reschedule my flight this morning thanks to the United strike in Newark, here I am in Terminal A of Charlotte-Douglas International Airport for my flight to SFO, now with a connection at Chicago O'Hare.

I'm scheduled to leave around 7:30 EST and arrive in Chicago at 8:45 CST. So I've got plenty of time to hang out, grab something to eat, and try not to fall asleep.

At least I have a nice view :)

It's gonna be a loooooong night...