Our Train Trip to KC - Part 1
DC to Chicago – 2ndDay, Tuesday
At last it was lightout, and we got up and went for breakfast. We had just ordered our food whenthe attendant told us there was a problem with our train connection in NY, andwe needed to call Guest Services to see what changes were being made in ourplans, and it couldn’t wait, because we were only ½ hour away from DC, whichwas the possible place we could change trains. So I sat there, calling GuestServices. First the line was busy, then I was on hold. Time was ticking by. Theattendant came back and said the conductor had called for us, and we were toget off at DC, which was now 20 minutes away.
We forgot aboutbreakfast and hurried back to our room to gather our stuff. The attendant wasvery helpful in helping us get our stuff off the train and onto the platform.She even took our claim check to the baggage car and got our 1 piece of checkedluggage so it would travel to NY without us.
Not knowing what elseto do, I left Hubby on the platform with all our luggage while I went off tofind the ticket counter to ask for help. The ticket people gave me new ticketsfor the rest of our trip, and one took me to show me where the lounge was at.Apparently, since we had sleeper accommodations, we were entitled to use thelounge! Furthermore, we had gotten an upgrade for the next leg of our journeyand would have a bedroom rather than a roomette.
As he was about toleave me, I asked him for help in rescuing Hubby, who was still down on theplatform with too much luggage for both of us to carry, let alone him. He askedanother employee for help, and that employee, whose radio was chattering away athim, said yes, there was a Red Cap helping him get to the lounge. I thankedthem and wandered back toward the gate I had come from, expecting to see themsomewhere on the way. I didn’t find them, but my phone rang. Hubby waswondering where I was, he was at the lounge.
I went to the lounge.
I saw him as soon as Ientered, and all our luggage was in the temporary storage room. The loungeattendant could have printed our new tickets for us, but couldn’t checkluggage, so I took Hubby carryon and went back to the ticket counter to get itchecked in.
It was not quite 9. Ourtrain wouldn’t leave until 4.
The DC station washuge; multi-leveled, with lots of hallways, doorways to the outside, storesgalore and signs all over the place. I was glad to get back to the peacefuloasis of the lounge, where we could have our pick of coffee or soft drinks anda variety of snacks. It wasn’t breakfast, but it helped soothe our janglednerves. Hubby pulled out the laptop and worked on his WiP until about 2. Iworked in my notebook until he got done with the laptop, then I switched andstarted working on a short story I had barely begun.
We did leave the loungeonce, about lunchtime, to go to the food court in search of ‘real fool’. Allthat was available was fast food, so we each picked something and went back tothe lounge to eat.
We had been told to bein the lounge at 3:00 to be ready to catch our train. I packed up the laptopand put it back in our luggage about 2:45. At 3:00, they announced there was aproblem with the displays, they weren’t updating as needed, but the lounge employeesand the red caps could see the correct times, and they would get us to ourtrains on time.
About 3:30, a red capcame looking for my party of 2. He helped us get our luggage out to his golfcart and zipped us out to our train. We were in a 2-level car, so we had toclimb a tiny square staircase. The train’s attendant helped get our stuff upstairsand to our room. It was at least twice as big as our roomette had been, with acouch along one side, and a bathroom, sink and chair on the other. We put ourcarryon bag on a shelf above the single chair, piled the boxes and cpaps on thesofa, and we both got to sit near the window.
Soon the attendantarrived to take our orders for supper. There was no dining car, only a cafécar, so their choices of food were limited, and everything was microwaved.(Okay, I suppose the bread, salad and drinks were not.) What I had wasn’t greatfood, but it was edible. And it came with a complimentary alcoholic drink. (Trygetting complimentary drinks on an airline!)
We ate at 5:45, and itwas dark by the time we got done. Hubby had finished his word count for the dayand he hadn’t brought anything to read, so he decided it was time to turn in!After all, we had to get up by 6 to get breakfast before he hit Chicago. We hadthe attendant make up the bottom bed, which we’d been told could hold 2 people‘snugly’, and place all our boxes on the upper bunk.
Okay, we tried, butafter 40 years of sharing a CA King bed, we couldn’t make a not-quite-full bedwork for us. After a couple hours, I climbed out and told Hubby I would sleepin the chair. I’ve slept sitting up many times and didn’t think it would be aproblem. It was.
