DowneasterPassenger
Lead Service Attendant
A few months ago I got in touch with a old friend of the family in Maine through Facebook. We began chatting and hit it off really well online and in phone calls. Finally when it came time for my periodic rail trip back east, we planned a rendezvous in Boston.
The last few times I did a cross country trip, I had good luck with my connections in Chicago. My friend had to take time off from work and I didn't prepare her for the possibility that I might arrive to meet her in Boston a day later than planned. The California Zephyr was on time all the way to Omaha, when we halted for several hours to deal with flooding in Iowa.
The details of that story are posted in another thread, but in summary the CZ took a detour to Chicago and finally arrived at 10pm. Meanwhile the crew first announced that we would miss all connections, including the Lake Shore, but then later announced that the LSL would be held and we would make the connection. Needless to say it was a real nail biter, especially for my friend who was not familiar with the details of Amtrak delays and missed connections. We were texting the whole time of course.
Eventually got to Boston about 2 hours late, still enough time for a meeting and [details cut out here kids, but suffice it to say it went really well]. We spent a wonderful couple of weeks together in Maine and then it came time for me to head back to California. We made tentative plans to meet up in New York next month.
I departed the east coast from Philadelphia and had a brief layover in Pittsburgh to catch the Capitol Limited. Sometime in the middle of the night around the Ohio-PA border, my friend and I were texting and I proposed marriage. Earlier we had joked about eloping to Vegas and I said, "Forget New York, let's go to Vegas." She said "OK". I texted back "I think I just proposed marriage by text and I think you just said yes". Her reply was in the affirmative.
My return route was the Southwest Chief and I traveled in a roomette courtesy of Amtrak Guest Rewards. I pretty much spent the entire time holed up in the cabin catching up on all the sleep I hadn't gotten on my trip, and texting my new fiancée and making plans.
The need for a ring led me to the Indians in Albuquerque who sell souvenirs on the platform. I took pics of the rings for sale and sent them to her to help me pick one out.
The best Amtrak trip ever! SanJoaquinRider is soon to become DowneasterRider.
The last few times I did a cross country trip, I had good luck with my connections in Chicago. My friend had to take time off from work and I didn't prepare her for the possibility that I might arrive to meet her in Boston a day later than planned. The California Zephyr was on time all the way to Omaha, when we halted for several hours to deal with flooding in Iowa.
The details of that story are posted in another thread, but in summary the CZ took a detour to Chicago and finally arrived at 10pm. Meanwhile the crew first announced that we would miss all connections, including the Lake Shore, but then later announced that the LSL would be held and we would make the connection. Needless to say it was a real nail biter, especially for my friend who was not familiar with the details of Amtrak delays and missed connections. We were texting the whole time of course.
Eventually got to Boston about 2 hours late, still enough time for a meeting and [details cut out here kids, but suffice it to say it went really well]. We spent a wonderful couple of weeks together in Maine and then it came time for me to head back to California. We made tentative plans to meet up in New York next month.
I departed the east coast from Philadelphia and had a brief layover in Pittsburgh to catch the Capitol Limited. Sometime in the middle of the night around the Ohio-PA border, my friend and I were texting and I proposed marriage. Earlier we had joked about eloping to Vegas and I said, "Forget New York, let's go to Vegas." She said "OK". I texted back "I think I just proposed marriage by text and I think you just said yes". Her reply was in the affirmative.
My return route was the Southwest Chief and I traveled in a roomette courtesy of Amtrak Guest Rewards. I pretty much spent the entire time holed up in the cabin catching up on all the sleep I hadn't gotten on my trip, and texting my new fiancée and making plans.
The need for a ring led me to the Indians in Albuquerque who sell souvenirs on the platform. I took pics of the rings for sale and sent them to her to help me pick one out.
The best Amtrak trip ever! SanJoaquinRider is soon to become DowneasterRider.
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Perhaps yall can consider getting married in New England,lots of beautiful places there rather than Vegas! (Elvis has left the building!)
