Hey,
I rode the Southwest Chief from LA to Chicago last month. Had an interesting person sit next to me. I was sitting in the window seat behind my two older children (age 20 and 16). She appeared to be about age 50 and was able to get up and down the stairs on the train fine. The following occurred in the first evening:
* Before the train started, she asked me to open the CD player she bought. It came in hard, thick plastic but I was able to puncture the plastic with a key and give her the CD player.
* After I handed it to her, she made no move to take the plastic trash and instructions despite me holding them right in front of her for a minute or two. I placed the trash at our feet and one of my kids tossed it in the trash can a few minutes later.
* She treated me and all in the area to a serenade as she sung along to the CDs she was playing. This went on for a few hours. She was not very loud but she was mouthing the words loud enough for many to hear. I assume that was so because she had headphones on and could not hear herself singing aloud.
* She invaded my territory (seat) and used my leg as a table for her to place her purse while she was looking for something. I didn't mind but I thought she might ask before doing so. When she slept, she was pushed up against me.
* While I was brushing my teeth in the bathroom downstairs, she asked my daughter where the snack bar was. My daughter gave her the directions (we were in the last coach car). The woman asked if my daughter could take her to the snack bar. She did. When my daughter took her there, my daughter turned to go back to her seat. The woman said not to leave her as she was not sure she could find her way back to her seat. (Up the stairs and go to the last coach car....oh well.)
* She ate her snacks on the tray and fell asleep with some food on the tray. I had to use the restroom about 11:30 PM. My kids helped me lift her food off of the tray, fold up the tray and I stepped over her. I felt like Mr. Bean and my kids had a hard time not laughing their heads off at what happened. When I returned to my seat, we had to lower the tray and put her food back on it again. She woke up around midnight and offered me some of her food. "No thanks."
* A bit later that evening, she woke my daughter up to ask where the bathrooms were. At least she didn't insist on my daughter taking her to and from the restroom.
The next day--
My kids and I spent almost the entire day in the observation car. I found a seat across the aisle from my kids that was completely empty and slept there.
* When one of my kids went back to the seat to get an item, the woman asked if my kid could bring her a fork from the snack bar. "Okay, but I don't plan on being back here for several hours." The woman said that was okay. (NOTE--she did not appear to have a disability or mobility issue/)
* As I said above, we spent most of the second day in the observation car. We got off at Albuquerque and walked around some. She ran into us near the train and said, "Oh my gosh I am glad you are here. I thought maybe I had missed my stop." NOTE--Her stop was Chicago, same as ours. It was also the last possible stop for the train. I would think even the most geographically challenged person may see that Albuquerque and it's dry, dusty appearance is NOT Chicago.
Anyway, I only had to spend one evening and night next to her. She wasn't horrible but she was quite an experience.
Dan
I rode the Southwest Chief from LA to Chicago last month. Had an interesting person sit next to me. I was sitting in the window seat behind my two older children (age 20 and 16). She appeared to be about age 50 and was able to get up and down the stairs on the train fine. The following occurred in the first evening:
* Before the train started, she asked me to open the CD player she bought. It came in hard, thick plastic but I was able to puncture the plastic with a key and give her the CD player.
* After I handed it to her, she made no move to take the plastic trash and instructions despite me holding them right in front of her for a minute or two. I placed the trash at our feet and one of my kids tossed it in the trash can a few minutes later.
* She treated me and all in the area to a serenade as she sung along to the CDs she was playing. This went on for a few hours. She was not very loud but she was mouthing the words loud enough for many to hear. I assume that was so because she had headphones on and could not hear herself singing aloud.
* She invaded my territory (seat) and used my leg as a table for her to place her purse while she was looking for something. I didn't mind but I thought she might ask before doing so. When she slept, she was pushed up against me.
* While I was brushing my teeth in the bathroom downstairs, she asked my daughter where the snack bar was. My daughter gave her the directions (we were in the last coach car). The woman asked if my daughter could take her to the snack bar. She did. When my daughter took her there, my daughter turned to go back to her seat. The woman said not to leave her as she was not sure she could find her way back to her seat. (Up the stairs and go to the last coach car....oh well.)
* She ate her snacks on the tray and fell asleep with some food on the tray. I had to use the restroom about 11:30 PM. My kids helped me lift her food off of the tray, fold up the tray and I stepped over her. I felt like Mr. Bean and my kids had a hard time not laughing their heads off at what happened. When I returned to my seat, we had to lower the tray and put her food back on it again. She woke up around midnight and offered me some of her food. "No thanks."
* A bit later that evening, she woke my daughter up to ask where the bathrooms were. At least she didn't insist on my daughter taking her to and from the restroom.
The next day--
My kids and I spent almost the entire day in the observation car. I found a seat across the aisle from my kids that was completely empty and slept there.
* When one of my kids went back to the seat to get an item, the woman asked if my kid could bring her a fork from the snack bar. "Okay, but I don't plan on being back here for several hours." The woman said that was okay. (NOTE--she did not appear to have a disability or mobility issue/)
* As I said above, we spent most of the second day in the observation car. We got off at Albuquerque and walked around some. She ran into us near the train and said, "Oh my gosh I am glad you are here. I thought maybe I had missed my stop." NOTE--Her stop was Chicago, same as ours. It was also the last possible stop for the train. I would think even the most geographically challenged person may see that Albuquerque and it's dry, dusty appearance is NOT Chicago.
Anyway, I only had to spend one evening and night next to her. She wasn't horrible but she was quite an experience.
Dan