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Published: June 24th 2006
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Don and I
protecting Penelope's life savings (in the purple Crown Royal bag). Well two weeks ago I took a trip, a financially irresponsible, but personally rewarding trip across country to see some friends and attend a wedding. Here is a little synopsis of this crazy off the cuff, seat of my pants adventure.
First, the wedding was on Saturday the 10th of June. I decided to go that Monday. Amtrak by far had the best deal with the most dependable (given the circumstances) travel (aka, no Greyhounds breaking down often, and no four digit prices like the airport). So round trip couch in a Amtrak across the country day before you leave (450 dollars) and the trip went something like this:
Tuesday 6th 06:30: Grab a ride up to Shelby, Montana (four and a half hours away from Boze-Angeles, ummmm, I mean Bozeman) with a Mountain Man named Luke -he was in full mountain man garb, buckskins, antler handled bowie knife, and black powder six shooter.
12:00: Board the Empire Builder Train eastbound to Chicago, it was nice I had a seat all to my lonesome the whole time.
Wednesday 7th 15:55: Arrive in Chicgao and have dinner with Tiffany and her friend Kristi at their Condo near the Korean
Catholic Church, strange but true. This is one of the beautiful things about train travel, lay overs in cool places like Chicago. Grab lunch, dinner, have a romantic fling with some random person you met on the train. You're young, beautiful free, down town, Chic-A-Go-Go the windy city!
19:55: Board the packed Lake Shore Limited train to Albany. This one's always packed folks, there's nothing you can do about it. Lots of populated cities on this route, makes for crappy sleeping conditions since it is an overnight train, but the people...OH THE PEOPLE YOU MEET on this train. I met a nice couple from whatever town Notre Dame College is in (south bend I think) who stayed up all night in the cafe car with me, some strange actor from NYC who was afraid to go back to his seat due to his "seat-mate" twitching and "freaking out" and acting all paranoid all night (hence forth said "seat-mate" will be refered to as Twitch), an ex-parol officer on her way to see family in Maine, and a Biker who just got out of federal prision on his way to Maine to see his daughter he hadn't seen in twelve years
Tiffany and I
keeping it real at the Korean Catholic Church. (no relation to the parol officer). Everyone there didn't want to go back to their seat, save me(I just wanted the company) due to either old ladies sprawled across their seat (the biker and ex-parol officer) or someone twitching next to them. Half way to Albany, the train stops and on come some federal marshals, and low and behold, who do they come and take off the train, that's right TWITCH! Come to find out he and some lady were both from Austria and didn't have valid passports and Border Patrol snatched them up somewhere in Central, NY.
Thursday 8th 14:30 Arrive in Albany, NY two hours late
14:35 Leave for Boston, MA
20:30 Arrive in Boston, MA exhausted, but doing well. I meet up with Andy and crash at his place.
Friday 9th The following day, I hang out with him for a little before he has to go to work and than take public transportation (subway/bus) to a Alamo at Logan International Airport, rent a car for the weekend and ZIP up to Maine and surprise my dad, brothers, and my friend Amy (all who didn't know I was coming home).
Saturday 10th 06:30 Jumped
in the car and headed to Camden Hills for the wedding, it was a beautiful ceremony at the childrens chapel overlooking the ocean and had a good time talking with the Sprauls, Flewillings, and the Herberts. All three familys are very very awesome indeed! I also got to catch up with my friend Melissa as she flew all the way in from Barcelona, given she was still a little jet lagged and trying to figure out how to get back to her boat in Italy, it was still very nice to see her. Afterwards I went to a reception out in Camden and made it home later that evening.
Sunday 11th 15:00 After having brunch with my whole family, visiting Don and his family and making sure everything was packed I drove back down to Boston and dropped off the vehicle and took the public transportation back to Andy's place. I found out this evening that Andy had tomorrow off and I decided to check with Amtrak on the price of bumping my ticket a day. You would assume that it would cost SOME money, but low and behold, not a cent for pushing my tickets back a day,
Amtrak you rock!
Monday 12th Hung out in Boston, went to the Aquarium to see the ocean and Copley square. It was a nice relaxing day. The last couple of times I've been to Boston, I've actually been enjoying it more and more.
Tuesday 13th 12:00 Hopped on the train headed back west to Chicago.
Wednesday 14th 09:05 Arrive at Chicago meet up with my friend Rob, have breakfest and a nice stroll by the lake.
14:15 Leave Chicago on the Empire Builder back to Shelby, Montana.
Thursday 15th Arrive back in Shelby to be picked up by Russell of GristleStick as I was their doorman for their show that weekend at the filling station.
Like I said, it was a short whirlwind, impulsive, financially irresponsible trip, but it was personally gratifing and I loved every minute of it!
The Good
The Train always makes for good stories.
This trip had theme music (the soundtrack from
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly)
I saw my family and was present for a beautiful ceremony of love with good company and good conversation.
The Bad
All the people I didn't get a chance to
The first night
Uncle John, Mom, Me, Aunt Jane, and Dad see (and there are a lot) I miss you all my East Coast Posse! I wish I had more time, but I gave the G-team (GristleStick) my word that I would be there for their show to work for them while they were in Bozeman.
The Ugly
The price of gas.
Some phone numbers I didn't have in my travel book.
The price of a damn rental car.
Financial Irresponsibility.
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Peter Z
non-member comment
Missed in Boston
I cry stinky tears for your proximity! 617-718-7750 for future reference, punk.