Jean, My English teacher
Friday, June 1, 2007
A 90-year-old’s Amtrak Experience –(1)
Planning for a month-long trip and anticipating it are almost as satisfying as the trip itself. This particular Amtrak adventure was prompted by months earlier expressing in my daughter’s presence, regret that I probably would not see my friend Penelope, a London resident, again. She immediately made an offer to bring Penelope to see us. Letters exchanged, faster than usual, brought a delighted “yes” from London, and suggested dates followed: we would meet in New York City in April.
As before, I mapped out a list of possible stops going to and from the East Coast. Next, the Amtrak options for my timing. Since there is a penalty for changing reservations, I waited for confirmation from friends and relatives before paying for the tickets (later, Amtrak would call and make some changes to my schedule around Chicago)
Packing then became the concern. Essential were listed, everything compounded by the weird weather that was being experienced and forecast all over the nation. Until the morning I started my trip, I debated what coat to take; happily, I made a good guess.
To be continued….
