I was playing with my phone during the ride home on the train tonight, and took this shot.
It matched my mood. Kinda like it.
.
Amtrak train
BOS 》NYP
July 19, 2014
“Dog people are good people.”
Posted in Animals, Design, Dogs, Fashion, Humor, Life, Photography, transportation, Travel
Tagged Amtrak, back of head, baseball cap, design, Dogs, Fashion, follow that dog, hat, Humor, life, photography, quote, train, transportation, Travel
Another train trip last night, another two-hour delay.
But not one person complained.
Our train was held at the station in Philadelphia for over an hour because an Acela near Wilmington hit two people on the tracks.
Both died.
No matter how long I was stuck on that train… how late I was for my meeting… or even how lousy the weather was when I finally arrived in Washington —
It was a great day to be alive.
Posted in Business, Commentary, Life, transportation, Travel
Tagged accident, acela, Amtrak, Business, commentary, delay, life, train, train tracks, Travel
My train to Boston was only ten minutes late today.
That’s an improvement of roughly four hours over last Friday.
But now that we are en route, I wonder if I should get off the train —
It looks like a horror movie out there!
“Don’t go in the woods…”
Happy, laughing folks
Always brighten up my day…
But not this early.
I was standing in a crowd of people today, unintentionally eavesdropping on the conversation of two people standing close by. I admit it.
I even told them.
One of the woman said she was going to walk to the train station in Philadelphia after our meeting ended. I was headed there, too, and I knew that walking that far was out of the question…especially with luggage, which we both had.
So I told her.
We ended up sharing a cab. We also ended up on the same train — she was headed to New York City as well.
It was her first train trip, first trip to Manhattan, first trip to the cafe car. She was joining friends here for the weekend. I usually travel alone on business, but watching her excitement at every step of the journey made what was a routine trip home for me a lot more fun.
Glad I was listening!
Posted in Business, Humor, Life, transportation, Travel
Tagged Amtrak, Business, business travel, cafe car, conversation, eavesdropping, Humor, lie, luggage, Manhattan, New York City, Philadelphia, taxi cab, train, train station, transportation, Travel
Regional train west
Three days gone, antsy for home
Penn Station, next stop.
Posted in Business, Humor, Life, transportation, Travel, Writing
Tagged Amtrak, Business, haiku, Humor, life, New York City, next stop, Penn Station, regional train, train, transportation, Travel, writing
I took Amtrak yesterday to a business meeting outside Philly.
Why do trains kick air travel’s butt so soundly?
Of course there are the simple logistics. No TSA security. No baggage check for most standard luggage. No plastic bag for toiletries, no removing coats and shoes, no arriving an hour before departure.
No hassle.
But I realized last night — as I sat in a comfortable semi-coma on a regional coach headed home — what makes trains more than merely the easier way to travel.
It’s the chugga chugga.
Trains literally rock you while you ride. That signature motion soothes the nervous traveler and helps the overtired find sleep.
I think it takes us all the way back to the cradle. Or, in my particular case, to the clothes dryer. My mother used to sit my bouncer chair on top of the dryer to help me fall asleep. The rocking motion and the warmth from the machine totally knocked me out. (Still does.)
Now, people may not ride the train because of it, and Amtrak certainly doesn’t advertise it, but I think this subliminal motion really rocks.
Airplanes?
Well, the only motion they have to offer is turbulence.
Posted in Airplanes, Business, Commentary, Humor, Life, transportation, Travel
Tagged airplanes, Amtrak, baggage check, Business, chugga chugga, clothes dryer, commentary, cradle, Humor, life, logistics, luggage, Philadelphia, removing shoes and coats, rocking motion, rocking motion of trains, toiletries in plastic bag, trains, transportation, Travel, travelers, TSA, TSA security, turbulence
Early this morning we turned back the clocks…a week behind schedule.
Did you realize that?
Prior to 2006, Daylight Savings Time ended on or before October 31st, but child pedestrian deaths on Halloween were four times higher than any other night of the year. Plus, candy manufacturers had been lobbying lawmakers for years for that extra hour of daylight to give kids more time to collect their wares.
So, beginning in 2007, Daylight Savings Time was officially extended to the first Sunday in November in the United States.
For candy.
Ultimately, yes, it also saves children’s lives. But candy is the motivator. Kids want candy. Parents want candy (don’t lie). And the candy companies want everyone to get as much of it as they want.
Without getting hit by a car, of course.
It’s particularly interesting when you consider other companies — like Amtrak, for instance — stop everything for Daylight Savings Time. When the clocks are turned back at 2am, the overnight trains stop wherever they are on the tracks and wait for that hour to elapse. Because Amtrak trains don’t run off-schedule.
It just goes to show you — people will wait for a train. But don’t make ’em wait for their M&M’s.
Posted in Business, Family, Food, Foods, Holiday, Humor, Life, News, transportation, Travel
Tagged Amtrak, Business, candy, candy companies, candy manufacturers, child pedestrian deaths, Daylight Savings Time, family, food, Foods, Halloween, Holiday, Humor, lawmakers, life, lobbyists, M&Ms, overnight trains, transportation, Travel, turn back the clocks
The Sticky Egg 
The name game
Is your name Chris? Or Audrey? Or Dominic? There’s a Diet Coke out there with your name on it.
Literally.
I found this bottle with Chris’ name on it at a hoagie shop near the Amtrak station in Paoli, Pennsylvania. When I asked the employee at the counter about it, he had no clue what Coke was doing.
Which was helpful.
So I searched the bottle’s #ShareaCoke hashtag on Twitter and found a large community of people who had tweeted pics holding a bottle of Diet Coke bearing their own name! How lucky for them.
I tweeted my Chris pic. Hopefully he (or she) will appreciate it. And if someone out there finds the elusive Carla bottle, comment/tweet/email/Facebook me.
This is suddenly very important.
Leave a comment
Posted in Advertising, Food, Games, Humor, Internet, Life, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel
Tagged #shareacoke, advertising, Amtrak, Audrey, Carla, Chris, Coke bottle, comment, community, Diet Coke, Dominic, email, Facebook, food, hashtag, hoagie, Humor, Internet, life, marketing, Paoli Pennsylvania, promotion, social media, soft drink, the name game, Travel, tweet, tweets, Twitter, with your name on it