New Roc to DC

If you have not tried Amtrak lately you may not know what a pleasant experience it can be.  Years ago our family took a trip on Amtrak down the west coast.  It was fun to hang with the family but the train took forever and ever.  As I recall there was a freight train ahead of us that derailed so we were stopped for an extra 12 hours.  My more recent experience was much, much nicer.

It took about 4 hours from home to DC on a very comfortable Amtrak train.  During the trip I could use power for my cell phone and many people were comfortably using their laptops.  In addition, I happened to sit in the “quiet car” which was very delightful.  During a normal NY commuter train there are many people using cell phones and having loud conversations.  Not the case in the quiet car.  The other perk is the ability to get up and walk around and the availability of the snack car.  I had my own snacks for the trip but it was great to have fresh coffee available from the snack car.  If I had chosen to ride in business class I would have had unlimited coffee, water, and soft drinks. Hardly worth the extra money for me but I’m sure many people find that very attractive.

Day 1 in DC: We walked to the Renwick Gallery then along the Mall, then to the WWII Memorial, and on to the Vietnam Memorial.  Both were very impressive.  We also stopped by a very cool memorial to the signers of the Declaration of Independence, which is basically individual stones with a copy of the signature, the printed name, their occupation, and their city.  If you happen to be walking by the area it would be easy to miss this site so watch for it carefully.

We are headed out today to visit mostly indoor sites.  Since I twisted my ankle at the Vietnam Memorial we will be doing less walking.

BTW: Snow, snow, snow.