Oh My God, its Here!

12/27/09: Pack, shop, rip cd's; load MP3 Players, 1 hour on the phone with Quickbook's tech support (don't ask!), gotta make cookies, eat the rest of the left overs, anybody need a quart of 1% Milk? Pack more, read the Amtrak baggage rules, unpack...send out email blast....Drink a very large cup of Sleepy Time tea...ZZZ-ZZZZ-ZZZZZZZ.

12/28/09: 5:30am ALARM, ALARM, ALARM!!!!! Jump out of bed, shower, shave, dress, forwards the phones, turn down the heat, lock the doors, We're outta here! Pick up our friend, Austin who is driving us to the 'T' Station in Kingston.  Take a deep breath... Relax.

"Hmmm, Bob, did you happen to pick up my electric shaver???"
"Nope".

"I 've been wanting one of those new, fancy electric shavers Now looks like I get to buy one!"
Bob is not impressed. Austin is laughing...

Do you remember the movie "Home Alone" when the alarm goes off late and the family (minus Kevin) rushes around like crazy to make it to the airport? Wasn't at all like that. We stopped at Exit 6 to gas-up and have an exquisite and very healthy breakfast at 'Burger King' I threw out the coffee. How can they make coffee taste that bad? I discovered many years ago that the French will not tolerate bad coffee calling it "pisse de cheval" (for a translation :Translation by Yahoo Babelfish Software just cut and paste the phrase).

Ok, Gassed, fed and watered we are over the 'bridge' by 8:00am and arrived at the 'T' station by 8:15. Time to spare for farewell pictures and grateful hugs and board the commuter 'T' by 8:37... We're on our way!

BTW in our last Posting we kind of beat-up on the non-existent ticket booth at the Kingston 'T' station. Today it was OPEN, so we stand corrected... It isn't open on Fridays... but other times it might be.

Now this is really cool, 'T' arrives at South Station and we step off the train and walk right into Amtrak baggage handling. Friendly, fast, efficient and with none of the paramilitary attitude at the airports. What a refreshing change! Baggage checked we walk into the train room and are immediately greeted by a 'Red cap' (yes, they really wear red caps) named Cliff who takes our carry-on luggage and shows us to the Acella First Class Lounge. The hostess, Patti, greets us and tells us she will call us just before our train leaves. free wireless, coffee, pastry, TV, CLEAN rest rooms... NICE!

but, I gotta admit to me there is an electricity to a Great Terminal's Train Room which screams of exotic travel.  People coming and going, greeting and departing friends and family, students texting, business people on laptops, most everyone using the ubiquitous MP3 players, mysterious people drinking coffee behind a newspaper, grand people eating pastry. It is, to me, the very essence of a great trip.No matter where it is anyplace in the world it is magic and I do love it so...

Woops, here's Cliff ready to take us to our carriage. More later...Stay tuned.