No Mystery Train here
Monday, June 20, 2005
9:07am – Emeryville Amtrak station
I’m picking up at least seven wireless networks, all of which are protected. Good for them. I can pretend to be posting to my blog while, instead, I just type up entries in Word, waiting in my sleeper for the conducter to bellow the still-appropriate, “All Aboard!”
Although I won’t get much sleep on this leg of the trip (arrival time in SLC is 3:30am), I am excited about being in the sleeper cars. On the way from SLC, I was on the south side of the train. This time I’ll be on the north side of the train and will get a whole different perspective. I’ve posted a picture of my compartment (tiny, but efficient – and this car has an updated toilet across the hall, which is extra-wide, for my extra-wide hips). The chair you see is opposite the one I’m sitting in and both fold down to make a comfy bed. There’s another bed above that is all one unit.
And the benefits of the sleeper include free meals in the dining car, a car attendant who carries your luggage and makes sure you get off at the right stop and makes coffee early in the morning, and the fact that I have a dedicated electrical outlet right above my headrest (as opposed to the Coach Cars that travel cross-country, which only has eight plugs in each car, one set on each side of the aisle at the 5th seats from the front and back of each car, just in case you wanted to know). [California Coach cars, however, are a totally different story – tons of money in them.]
I’m leaving the SF area after the Computers and Writing conference, which was surprisingly productive for me (in relation to the conference and my own projects…). The thing about taking the Amtrak after conferences is the cool-down period. I mean, I get 18 hours (on this leg, 12 of which I will be awake) to do nothing but think. No email, no phone, no disruptions, except for when I have to eat meals.
OK, here we go, the train is taking off; Pulling out slowing with no jerking movements (I’m right behind the engine, so the car doesn’t have to expand much to take off like Coach cars at the end do). There’s the whistle. Bye Bye Emeryville. Bye Bye California. See you next time.
September 24th, 2006 at 3:38 pm
A late entry, but one none the less.
Just wanted to say hey… sounds like a nice trip you had. I’ll be hitting that one up these days.
September 24th, 2006 at 4:03 pm
[...] Train/Amtrak Blogs Ok so I went reading and found some good train entries recently on some other blogs of various nature. On rather funny one was the Pinko Train entry. Beware it’s somewhat vulgar for the weak of heart.A nice summary of No Mystery Train. Simply the description of taking the trip from Emeryville to Salt Lake City.Someone’s 1st Amtrak Trip on Travels and Travails.Then there is the rather ridiculous notion of a 7 hours train trip that should take less than 5 but is so relaxing. Filed Under: Rail Related [...]