I have a new cousin!
Baby Boy (thus far nameless) Smith was born last night! Congratulations to Aunt Stacy and Uncle Walter! He's a cutie!
Now, all that about going to Mardi Gras, squashed. Can't afford both trips - 1 to see the new cousin (and a few other not new ones) and 1 to see Mardi Gras - besides, I've already seen Mardi Gras. Has anyone ever taken a 20-hour train trip? I'm a little nervous. I've never been on a train before (well, unless the elevated train in New Jersey and the subway in New York City count) and I wondered what it'd be like. It's less than half as much as a plane trip would cost.
I'm so excited!!!! I love my cousins! Aunt Stacy says no more, but she said that last time too. This is the coolest generation - the oldest is 35, the youngest is less than 24 hours. NICE! I can't WAIT to see him! Yay! And go shopping for him! Double yay! I LOVE babies!!!!
20 hours ago
5 comments:
Okay, 20 hour train trip tips. Bring a blankie as it gets kind of chilly. Much better leg room than a plane. The dining and snack cars are really expensive. Snack car food sucks-- They charge like $8 for a chicken sandwich which is basically one of those microwaveable dealies you buy at gas stations. In the dining car, they'll seat you with whomever, which is kind of weird if you're shy like I am. I did end up having an interesting conversation with a British economics professor, but it was kind of awkward at first. Bring lots of reading material, music, whatever with you. And enjoy the scenery. It can be quite nice at parts, though kind of urban decay chic at others. Stare out the window low enough and you get the sense that the whole country is in a constant state of both construction and decay. OF course, I'm a writer, so I think odd things like that. Hope that helps.
Two words, toots... sleeper car. While you can do a twenty hour ride by coach, it can get painful trying to sleep in a coach seat, despite the roominess compared to bus and aircraft seats... also, bring lotsa snacks, drinks and sandwich stuff with you on the train, as Mel is totally right about the snack bar prices. I do recommend budgeting for at least one meal in the dining car though... I think you would like the experience, and the City of New Orleans dining car is exemplary. I would also suggest having your ubergeek hubby figure out a way for your laptop to play DVD's and bring that along for the ride as well. I belong to the amtrak miles club, and recommend it if you intend on travelling by train ever again... and you can have this trip count retroactively, too, for up to a year. :)
Remember, there's something about a train that's magic. :)
I love train travel. I don't know about 20 hours on a train, but I would definitely say the following need to be in your bag:
waterless face washing whatnot (i.e. oil of olay facial cloths)
antibacterial hand gel
a bottle of water so you can brush your teeth
several good books
good snack food - I don't remember ever seeing a microwave on a train, but if you bring good food, you won't have to suffer the snack car, which is always a rip-off.
If Drew can outfit your laptop with a DVD player, you will be SO much happier. Happy travels!
Lol, I was so confused for a second there, thought I was still reading Java Foo Foo.
Holly's oldest first cousin is 54, and my youngest brother is 4 months old. Big families are neat (even though they're two different families).
I took a 10-hour overnight train trip from St. Petersburg to Moscow. I don't have time to recap now, since I'm at work, but it was one of the best nights of my life. I think it would be fantastic to take a 20-hour train ride. Where does the train ride take you, anyway?
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