Train Ride to DC

We did things a little differently on this trip and took a train, of all things, down to DC. The Vermonter Line just opened up again after extensive track repair which I guess stems from the damage done by Irene. I know that there was a lot of damage to bridges in White River. Either way, the cost a train ride was fairly reasonable, and we all love riding on trains. The one daunting aspect was time, it's an 11 hour train ride. Yikes! Most people would never go for that, but we were all for it. We were not in a rush, and trains can be fun and relaxing. When you look at it from that POV, it's not such a bad thing.

I will say this, getting to the rain and boarding it is a lot less stressful than getting on a plane. I realize that flying to DC would have taken two hours or less, but the stress and time to get to the airport and all that good stuff would have made it a chore. This time around, we left the house about 1/2 an hour before departure, parked the car, and waited for the train. Once it pulled in, we boarded and we were off.

Now the two biggest concerns for me were entertainment for the kids and food. R and I were fine just reading/sleeping and staring out the window. Since becoming a SAHD, I truly enjoy such things, but try getting two young kids to sit through that. No way. In order to entertain the kids, we brought along some games and about a dozen movies that they could watch on the laptop. They could also walk around the train. For food, I made several sandwiches, and brought along snack galore. 11 hours is a long time to be eating microwaved food wrapped in plastic.

Plus, you can't beat the excitement of pulling out of the station on a train. It's always a lot of fun, and the view was spectacular with the foliage and the river. Just a really nice time. We managed to enjoy the long ride, and mom and dad in particular made the most of the down time just sitting and doing nothing. We really needed a break. The one thing I would have done differently would have been to pack more fruits and veggies, maybe with something to dip it in. It's hard eating carbs and meat for an entire day.

We pulled into Union Station around 10:30, then caught a cab to our hotel. Being a former New Yorker, naturally I assumed that the cab driver was ripping us off, but we soon realized that they do things differently in DC vs. New York.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to ddaaniel for the pic.