I took a 30 day trip on Amtrak back in September/October.  You can find the itinerary HERE.

I have been a total lazy slob with getting these posts up.  I feel like I am forever apologizing for this. I wonder if you were to Google “lazy slob blogger” if mine would come up first.

So in preparation of this trip, I decided to book a hotel near Penn Station the night before leaving.  I haven’t been riding the subway since Covid made my job remote.  I have probably taken it 5 times total since March of 2020.   I didn’t want to deal with leaving my apartment at 6:00 AM and dealing with train delays.  So I booked a night at the New Yorker hotel.

I had matched from Total Rewards Diamond to Wyndham Diamond for absolutely no reason other than I could.   Well it turns out I got a free upgrade to a suite.  Although this is wasted on me, I loved the view.  My only trips to Manhattan since March of 2020 are to the first stop on the subway, down in Chinatown, to get my roots straightened.

I was also offered, as Diamond, a late check out.  I couldn’t take advantage though as I had to leave early to catch my train to High Point, NC.

As I am looking at these photos, I am reminded that I had the thought on my Uber ride to come and see the city again.  I had forgotten my want to go into Manhattan ever again until looking at these photos.

I spent a million years of my life at Penn Station.  Way back when I was young and would try to catch the 3:45-ish AM train back to Long Island after running amuck on the Lower East Side.  We would always and forever miss it by a few minute and had to wait for the 5:15-ish AM train home.  We used to get Dunkin Donuts and and try to not fall asleep on the floor of Penn Station.  Penn Station was a weird place back then.  You would always run into anyone you knew from Long Island who had gone into “the city” for a show.  Totally normal.

Being here in a hotel that I was able to book for no real necessity, just out of convenience, made me do that whole thing where you reflect back on your life and how far you have come.  I sat on my couch and looked out the window, replaying a million walks between Penn Station and The Ritz / Roseland.  How we used to get 40s and drink them atop a parking garage next to The Ritz.  Ah, memories.

I grabbed dinner at Tik Tok Diner, which was so far out of our budget back in the early 90s.  And passed the hell out.

Up at 6:00 AM to catch my 7:25 AM train.

My train ride is 12 hours. Masks are still mandated.  It was absolutely fine.  Coach seats on Amtrak are actually more comfortable than first class seats on any plane I have flown first class on.

As we moved on further away from NYC, the train got more crowded and I ended up with a seat mate.  The person in front of her put their seat back the entire way, almost hitting her in her stomach.  This cut off the oxygen flow to me, I was now boxed in.  But it was fine.

I worked for most of this ride, with my internet cutting off here and there.  It was mostly fine though.

Say “fine” one more time!

I thought I would have a lot more to write about the train, but honestly, it was pretty uneventful.  I did wish I didn’t have to work so I could close my eyes and nap. That is a thing about long train rides.  They are great if you like being alone with your thoughts.  I love being alone with my thoughts.  Even more so when the world is passing by outside my window.

Sunset outside my dirty train window:

There are a few “fresh air breaks” along the route where you can get out and either get fresh air, or smoke.  I chose the latter.

I arrived in High Point about 15 minutes late.  This impressed me. From all the doom and gloom I have heard about Amtrak, I was fully prepared to arrive many hours late.

I was able to make a wish on a star at the High Point train station.  Left and a bit up from the moon.  I saw a lot of stars on this trip, it was very cool.

I ordered an Uber and thought it was odd that they didn’t show a photo of the car.   I discovered that a lot during this trip.  I guess maybe outside of major cities, you are expected to know what a Toyota Camry looks like?  Fucked if I do.

The wait for the car was about 20x as long as the ride itself.

I stayed at Townhouse Inn.  No real reason other than it was cheap.
Walking into the room, the floor is wooden and I realized my first mistake was taking those cheapo hotel slippers out of my bag when I was trying to micro pack for this trip.  I have a large collection of hotel slippers.  All those dozens of nights I spent in China where rooms had 2 pairs, and I would collect them.  Every stay at Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.  For the latter, I have begun wearing them on planes.  But they give you 2 pairs so I still net one!

First thing I do is brush my teeth.  Working from home = I have gotten into the habit of brushing my teeth after everything I eat or drink that is not water.  I am happy I did not forget my toothbrush like I did on my last trip to Las Vegas.  I am absolutely miserable that I have forgotten my toothbrush charger.  DAMMIT.

I tried to order dinner on Uber Eats.  I am starving at this point.  Amtrak does have a Cafe to purchase food but I had last eaten hours ago.

Uber Eats in High Point, NC is slim pickings.  I ended up ordering Sonic and just as my driver was in walking distance, they stopped moving.   For about 15 minutes.   I went outside to smoke and someone began walking up and oh hey my driver!   His car had died 2 blocks away and he walked the rest of the way, holding my “be careful, it is super hot!” coffee, which was supposed to be iced coffee DAMMIT.

The next morning I set out to the only attraction there is in this town, the world’s largest chest of drawers!  Google maps said I was 1.2 miles away so off I went on foot.

I passed a million furniture stores that either were not open, or people just weren’t inside them.  I didn’t see another human being for more than half this walk, and when I did, it was a homeless person napping on a bench.

Even the train station was dead, which I get.  Trains pass through here maybe 4 times a day?  But coming from NYC, it was so bizarre to see zero people anywhere.  Like the zombie apocalypse.

I passed a church with a blessings box outside and opened it somehow expecting to see cash inside and instead saw about 10 cans of corn.  No, I was not planning to take any cash.

I got to the world’s largest chest of drawers and there was a couple there.  They stepped out of my way so I could take a photo, which kind of bummed me out because without them for comparison, you cannot tell how beyond LARGE this thing is.

Google told me there was both a Walgreens and CVS just around the next corner so I set off to buy a toothbrush charger.  Passed these guys on the way.

Bought a bunch of stuff at Walgreens, including beverages or flavors we don’t have here in NYC.  Took an Uber back to my hotel so I didn’t have to carry anything.  And upon arriving, realized I forgot to buy a toothbrush charger.  Oh well.

Next stop is Birmingham, Alabama.  I’ll save that for my next post.  I didn’t realize I would be typing so many words about nothing.