Amtrak Conversations and Missing Body Parts
Traveling by Amtrak is a unique experience in so many ways, both good and perhaps some you might consider as “not so good”. Going by rail is my much preferred method of long distance travel, as I determined the last time I flew that it would be “the last time I flew”. Extreme crowding, lack of any comfort, and no consideration for handicap needs are just intolerable to me. My last trip I sat in the middle in a row of three seats. I had a gentleman on each side of me and both were much too big for their seats, so I was forced to sit sideways, and with the seatback of the person in front of me inches from my nose. All this uncomfortable claustrophobia for five hours. Never again. I truly felt I would be a feature on the evening news before the trip was over. One of those out of control hysterical passengers being restrained from sheer out of control hysteria. Airlines have crowed their customers to the point of being nothing more than a sardine in the tin can. There IS no comfort level.
But, I digress. Train travel offers uncrowded stations, comfortable, large seating very akin to an oversize recliner, and only one seat mate. Ever changing scenery flows by the window, with a backyard view, the underbelly of most cities on full display, and vistas that are in many cases quite spectacular. Wildlife is often seen, as well as farming scenes, small town America classic portraits of a still simple life, and the comforting rocking side-to-side while you doze or daydream.
Another quite entertaining part of train travel is the comfortable nature of your fellow passengers. For the most part pleasant, helpful, unhurried, and always ready to share a snack, or exchange pleasantries, and quite unintentionally, great stories.
On my recent trip to the west coast, there were two elderly women traveling with a “passel” of kids, on their way to a family reunion in Arizona. They were taking the kids on the train just so they could experience the trip, and through overhearing conversations, they planned to fly back home to Chicago afterwards.
The kids were well-behaved but busy, and there were seven as best I could count, ranging in age from 22 months to 14 or 15 years old. Their were only two boys, ages about 6 and 8, and they were fascinated by every aspect of the train, most especially the lounge car, the stairs up and down the the lower level bathroom, and the doors between cars, the opened with a satisfying kick to the switch plate at foot level or hand level on each door. They opened with a dramatic “hiss” and the connection between the cars was a fascinating opportunity to pinch toes and catch shoes, or I am sure they seemed that way to these young adventurers.
More strange and entertaining than watching them was listening to the conversations around me. One conversation centered on how much an insurance company paid off when you “lost” a body part! I would really like to know what prompted this, but I started hearing snippets of the exchange that included the following information I never knew that I needed. It seems you would get $25,000.00 for a lost finger. You would get $50,000.00 if you were killed outright, but $75,000.00 if you lost a limb, such as an arm or leg. Then suddenly the conversation switched to Credit Card companies and the liability of payment if you were killed in some terrible accident.
My seatmates changed rapidly as we made our way from Iowa to Nebraska to Colorado. There was a very polite, handsome young man from India, going to a new job in Omaha. Replaced by a very large, jovial African American man who apologized for being too big for his recliner. He promptly fell asleep and slept until his stop in Denver. Another young man replaced him, and he spent his entire time furiously texting on his phone until he disappeared into the lounge car never to return. An elderly woman on the way to see her grandchildren in Arizona then became my seat mate for a distance and we exchanged pleasantries and pictures of our families, and how we were adjusting to retirement age.
A train trip from Iowa to the California Coast is 50 plus hours. Admittedly that is a long time to be without a shower, but bathroom facilities are quite good, and you can wash up. Food is quite good in the Cafe car, and you can bring along your own, which I most often do. Your luggage is accessible in the lower level of the train. The sightseeing lounge car is open 24 hours, so if any seatmate or situation is making you uncomfortable in your coach seat, you can quite easily spend time in the wonderful lounge car with it’s curved windows roof. There are usually open, unassigned seats to move about, as well, although you can’t be territorial, because they may become needed at any stop. Every seat has a 120 volt plug in to keep your phone or laptop charged, and Wi-Fi is spotty but always available in stations.
Conductors are generally quite helpful. Station agents are wonderful, if the station is staffed, and can update you on schedules, delays and connections, and make changes for you quite easily, if needed. Planning your trip for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday is the best for departures and travel. Including weekend days insures full trains with more noise and full seats.
If you haven’t considered the train for travel I would encourage you to slow down and investigate the possibility. I would love to say Amtrak was paying me to recruit you but that simply, sadly is not the case! There are just so many good reasons to travel at a much less frenzied pace. You can catch up on that neglected book, organize your phone, write those much needed letters, and reconnect with people in a more relaxed vacation travel mindset. Actually SEE the country you are traveling through. I have made many trips both East and West on Amtrak, and I much prefer this to flying. All aboard!
