caravanman
Engineer
For the correct sequence, please read parts 1, 2, and 3 first!
Mon 8th Jan 2007
I am in New Orleans, sitting beside the Mississippi River, having just eaten biegnets, a sort of square doughnut, and washed them down with a coffee..
I decided to take a tram ride, and managed to catch one straight away.
The cost is $1.25. no change given. This is fun, quite a long ride along Canal Street, all the way to the cemetaries at the end of the line. These must be the regular tombs, nothing “voodoo” about them. Many are extremly ornate in decoration, and are built above ground simply to avoid the swampy conditions underfoot. The graveyard opposite the streetcar terminus has an “Odd Fellows” sign over the entrance (I wonder if they will let me in when I stop travelling.. quite like the thought of being a little odd! )
Back to the centre of town, and into a Walgreens store, I buy the most violent green colour travel blanket, and a small pillow, as I have decided to try a night in “coach class” for the next Amtrak stage.
My second evening in New Orleans I do get to walk up and down Bourbon Street, and sample a few liquid refreshments and hear some live music, which was good fun!
Tuesday 9th Jan 2007.
Now aboard the City of New Orleans, an Amtrak train, which left on time. This is my first coach class trip. This morning I just pottered about, I had to buy an additional bag to accommodate my bright green blanket and pillow, I hope that I might look a little like a seasoned traveller with my bed roll, but fear I just look like an odd bearded bag lady…still it might help me get into the “oddfellows” cemetary later on!. I should confess to deliberatly choosing a near day-glo blanket, it seems so apt for dossing down on a train!
Lot of hassle at the station, the clerk on duty had trouble finding the correct destination code for San Francisco city, and wanted to send me from Emeryville to Market Street, San Francisco via Bakersfield and all over.. thank goodness I knew more than she did about the connections, and the dates. Rail passes can generate confusion for rail employees!
I had considered trying to upgrade to sleeper while aboard train, but this seat is so comfy, and the train is quite empty, that I think I am going to stay put,
There are a couple of “young dudes” in the seats behind me, both a bit smelly, with skateboards, guitars.. they are the real travellers in one way, yet although they scrounge things, and eat out of tins, they still have mobile phones and music players.. not quite “keeping it real” The conductor comments to them that he can smell them too!
Had a nice chat at lunch in the diner with a maths proffessor and his wife, who lived at Carbon and also with a young Australian guy seated opposoite me in coach. He seems quite straight laced for a student, but is traveling by train on a months pass having finished a 6 months study in America on some university exchange scheme.
I am finding my mp3 player is great, but it is quite thirsty on batteries, and I only managed to transfer a few tracks onto it before this trip. One cd is of Woody Guthrie songs, which fit well with my current hobo mood !
The train is running well, and the two lads behind settle down after a brief guitar picking session. I manage quite a good nights sleep, spread out over the two seats.
Weather in the morning is colder, with a dusting of snow. We arrive into Chicago a couple of hours late. I have a few hours to wait untill I catch my next connection, the California Zephyr, so I put my bags into the lockers, which was quite expensive, and have a quick look outside the station…
(to be continued..)
Ed
Old Bloke on Tour (part 4.)
Mon 8th Jan 2007
I am in New Orleans, sitting beside the Mississippi River, having just eaten biegnets, a sort of square doughnut, and washed them down with a coffee..
I decided to take a tram ride, and managed to catch one straight away.
The cost is $1.25. no change given. This is fun, quite a long ride along Canal Street, all the way to the cemetaries at the end of the line. These must be the regular tombs, nothing “voodoo” about them. Many are extremly ornate in decoration, and are built above ground simply to avoid the swampy conditions underfoot. The graveyard opposite the streetcar terminus has an “Odd Fellows” sign over the entrance (I wonder if they will let me in when I stop travelling.. quite like the thought of being a little odd! )
Back to the centre of town, and into a Walgreens store, I buy the most violent green colour travel blanket, and a small pillow, as I have decided to try a night in “coach class” for the next Amtrak stage.
My second evening in New Orleans I do get to walk up and down Bourbon Street, and sample a few liquid refreshments and hear some live music, which was good fun!
Tuesday 9th Jan 2007.
Now aboard the City of New Orleans, an Amtrak train, which left on time. This is my first coach class trip. This morning I just pottered about, I had to buy an additional bag to accommodate my bright green blanket and pillow, I hope that I might look a little like a seasoned traveller with my bed roll, but fear I just look like an odd bearded bag lady…still it might help me get into the “oddfellows” cemetary later on!. I should confess to deliberatly choosing a near day-glo blanket, it seems so apt for dossing down on a train!
Lot of hassle at the station, the clerk on duty had trouble finding the correct destination code for San Francisco city, and wanted to send me from Emeryville to Market Street, San Francisco via Bakersfield and all over.. thank goodness I knew more than she did about the connections, and the dates. Rail passes can generate confusion for rail employees!
I had considered trying to upgrade to sleeper while aboard train, but this seat is so comfy, and the train is quite empty, that I think I am going to stay put,
There are a couple of “young dudes” in the seats behind me, both a bit smelly, with skateboards, guitars.. they are the real travellers in one way, yet although they scrounge things, and eat out of tins, they still have mobile phones and music players.. not quite “keeping it real” The conductor comments to them that he can smell them too!
Had a nice chat at lunch in the diner with a maths proffessor and his wife, who lived at Carbon and also with a young Australian guy seated opposoite me in coach. He seems quite straight laced for a student, but is traveling by train on a months pass having finished a 6 months study in America on some university exchange scheme.
I am finding my mp3 player is great, but it is quite thirsty on batteries, and I only managed to transfer a few tracks onto it before this trip. One cd is of Woody Guthrie songs, which fit well with my current hobo mood !
The train is running well, and the two lads behind settle down after a brief guitar picking session. I manage quite a good nights sleep, spread out over the two seats.
Weather in the morning is colder, with a dusting of snow. We arrive into Chicago a couple of hours late. I have a few hours to wait untill I catch my next connection, the California Zephyr, so I put my bags into the lockers, which was quite expensive, and have a quick look outside the station…
(to be continued..)
Ed
