in New York

The train was pretty good, a lot less exhausting than I had feared. On Friday, I skipped a grant-writing workshop I was supposed to attend. Meredith went and can fill me in. I printed the labels for the newsletters and put them on 1900 newsletters, with the help of everyone in the office. Even Meredith got back in time to finish them up. I rushed out at lunch to buy Ray a birthday present (he does not read this blog,  but I won't say what it was just in case--it was inspired, if I do say so myself, not the usual book or shirt, which he obliging is always happy to get) and some yarn because I had to have a knitting project for the train. Then finished up a few more things at my office (paying bills, for instance) and made sure Meredith knew everything she needed to. This is the first time I have been gone since she started in January, but I am sure it will be fine. I went by the bank and picked Ray up and we headed home. I had packed the day before just in case I had to work late, so did not have much to do. Checked out what knitting needles I needed and packed the knitting bag and the carry on with snacks. My Mom and Dad helped with dinner and we left before 7.

We were at the train station in Gainesville an hour and a half early, knowing the train is usually running late. It is an old train station, no longer staffed, with big wooden benches. My only concern is leaving the car there for a week. My Dad kept offering to drive us, but it seemed more efficient to leave the car there so it will be there whenever we get back. At first, we were the only ones there. Ray brought in all our luggage and we sat on the wooden benches. I was knitting and Ray was working on his computer, plugged into an outlet. There was a sign that said you can only have 2 carry-ons and other luggage should be checked. However, you can't check it at Gainesville...We had more than 2 carry-ons and they were pretty big and heavy, starting with two laptops. More and more people arrived as the departure time got closer. There were about 8 of us in the end, all the rest singles, I think. The train was about 15 or 20 minutes late, not too bad. We climbed up with all our stuff and were off before we had quite gotten it all settled. There are big overhead racks where we put most of it. But just like when we are traveling in the car, I had a big bag under my feet with everything I might want--scarf and hat, snacks, books, computer, knitting...the seats reclined and there is even a foot rest that comes up. My scarf doubled as a light blanket and we had brought pillows, although they did distribute some the size of my computer. The cabin lights were dimmed about 11 and we tried to sleep. The motion and the sound of the train is quite soothing, but I had trouble getting comfortable and worried about my back. I don't usually sleep on my back, and the angle wasn't quite right. As we came into a town, the train would whistle, not too loud, but again kind of soothing. Every now and then we would stop and people would get off or on. They had them kind of sorted by cars, so I don't think anyone in our car got off, they were all bound for further north, but they did get on. I didn't think I was sleeping too well, but at one point I looked at the time and it was 5 am--I must have slept some. I got up and went to the little rest room and got some more water to drink and slept a little more.

At 7, the sun was streaming in and we were at Charlottesville, VA. It was a beautiful morning, with a little snow left on the ground. As we chugged along, Ray and I made our way back to the dining car for breakfast. The food was okay, not great, but not terrible, and not as expensive as I had feared. It was quite fun to sit and look out while the waitress lurched her way around. The tracks seemed to get worse north of DC, but we only had a few hours left after that. I read some and knitted some. There was an "in-flight" magazine, just like on the plane, with some interesting articles, in particular about the greening of Philadelphia. I would love to open a "green" store in Athens--building supplies and other products for people who want to live more environmentally. Too bad I am not an entrepreneur. I tried using my computer, but it was a little too rough for me. Ray didn't seem to mind and there was even an outlet so he could keep his battery charged. We ate the sandwiches we had packed and apples.

We got into Penn Station about 15 minutes ahead of schedule! Then the hard part began. We had to get all our stuff off the train and traipse through Penn Station and out onto the street. I don't know it well enough to find the best exit, so I am sure we back-tracked some. We headed for 34th Street and Macy's and went up a block to the N train, bought a pass and went through the turnstile. Ray had so much trouble with all the luggage that he ended up swiping the card twice (and paying double). Then we wandered around in the subway, down the stairs and waited on the platform. Three trains went by before the one we wanted--uptown to Queens. Oh well, so much for being early. Fortunately, it didn't matter at all. We got off at the last stop, Ditmars, and struggled out of the station and down the stairs. The train is elevated in Queens and there didn't seem to be an elevator--no handicapped access? They would definitely do it differently today.

It was a beautiful day and I didn't even mind that I didn't pack any gloves. We walked three or four blocks with our stuff to Amelia's building: three stories with a balcony and even a little yard. She and Kevin were home and had cleared out their spare room for us and locked up the cat in their room (Ray is allergic). It is a really nice apartment with wood floors and lots of light. They repainted the walls when they moved in about a year ago. Seems like a pretty good deal to me for NY ($1800). Of course, the toilet doesn't flush right and one of the handles is off the shower, but that is typical of NY landlords, I would say. She had made me a sweater (purple of course) that I had to try on and we played with our iPhones some (showing each other our favorite apps). Then she made bean soup, while Kevin went to the library to work on his paper. Ray and I vegged and chatted with her some. Her kitchen is small and a little crowded, but about twice as big as her last one and very well stocked. It is such a joy to spend time with her.

Amelia had to head out to work, so we walked her to the subway. Then we went on to pick up some things at Key Foods. We apparently walked right by it and had to find it on my iPhone, before turning around. We went in (city grocery stores are so fun, crowded into small spaces) and started to get a few things before realizing that neither of us had any money or credit cards. I wonder if there is an app that lets me use my iPhone as a credit card... Not a big deal, we walked back to the apartment, ate some delicious bean soup and corn bread and watched TV. My knitting project is making great strides; I hope I brought enough yarn (3 skeins).

I had thought we would be asleep very early, but I guess we needed to decompress some too. Kevin came back and said the paper was nearly done. We inflated the Aerobed in the spare room and Ray made it up with sheets and blankets. I took a shower in the iffy bathroom, which was fine. Slept like the dead, as they say, and ready for today's adventures. Ray is on the couch, so I am guessing he did not enjoy sleeping with me on the Aerobed...luckily it's a great couch.