Today started very early...on the street at 0600...that's 6:00am for you non-military types. Actually, I was up before 0500 but I took some time to finish yesterday's blog. I set two alarms...one my phone and the other the hotel's clock radio. The radio went off at 0445 and I got up because I was afraid I would sleep through my phone's alarm and then be late for my train.
I walked 1/2 block and caught a taxi to the station, arriving $6.00 and 5 minutes later. I told the driver to drop me off at the entrance I had come out of last night, but as it turns out, it would probably have been easier on me if I had just told the driver I was catching a train and he would have dropped me off right at the door.
As it was, I entered the subway system, then had to exit the system, walked up a set of stairs or two and do a lot of walking to the Amtrak area. I was following the signs, but it was still confusing so I finally stopped a guy with a uniform on and a pouch on his belt, much like you see train conductors wear in the movies. He wasn't an Amtrak employee but he was able to direct me to the right place...about 100 feet down the hall and up the escalator. Once I rose to the top of the escalator, there was the Amtrak ticket booths and self-service ticketing machines. Next time, I'll definitely let the driver take me to the right place.
Once I had my ticket, then it was a hurry up and wait situation. I had been told that the track number for my train would not be posted until about 30 minutes prior to departure...that turned out to be more like 10 minutes. Everyone just stands around watching this big status board and then when their track number comes up, they run off to the track and board the train. Gambling that my track would be on the lower level, I went down the escalator and waited by a smaller status board. A young woman waiting there as well ended up on my train...or should I say I ended up on her train. By the time I got downstairs...pulling my bag down the stairs...bump, bump, bump...I got on the train and there she was. I asked her if I was on the right train for Washington and she said I was, so I took a seat.
The inside of the train was very nice. There wasn't too many folks on at that point so I had both seats to my self. There was ample overhead space for my bag and and even an electrical outlet so you could charge your computer and/or phone while you rode. It allowed me to organize my pictures and write a draft for today's blog...however, blogger.com won't let me cut and paste from a Word document so now I'm re-writing it.
The scenery from the train's windows wasn't too thrilling. Mostly all I saw was the area's slums, industrial areas and a lot of trees. As the train got close to a town or city, the trees thinned out and housing could be seen. There were a few nice areas...mostly rural...in Maryland but I probably should have taken a nap and foregone the scenery.
As we neared Baltimore, the train's engineer came on the PA system and announced that there was a "service interruption" at Union Station in DC. I think it probably took us an extra 30 minutes. We crawled into Baltimore but as we got closer to DC, the train sped back up. I'll have to watch the news tonight to see if there's anything about the "service interruption".
I was the last one off the train...had to put everything back in my bag...in the dark. It was really strange. Once the train was in the station, the power went off and the entire crew disappeared into the terminal. By the time I made it into the terminal, it was almost 12:00 so I decided to grab a bite to eat before heading out to Reagan National and the hotel. My plan was to ask the hotel to hold my bag until I came back this evening to check in. As it turned out, they let me check in almost 2 hours early so I did not have to worry about the bags. I thought about using the baggage storage facility at the terminal until I discovered it would be at least $30 for 5 hours...and that was just for 1 large bag. I thanked the lady and headed off to find the right subway train.
Washington's subway system is much simpler than New York's, plus the signage is more clear. I purchased two 1-day passes and headed down to the tracks. I stopped by the information booth to get a map of the entire system and then got on the train to National. It didn't take too long to get there but it wasn't much fun wrestling my bag on and off the train...as well as hauling it up and down stairs.
After about an hour, I finally found a taxi and headed for the hotel. I thought the NYC taxis were going to be expensive but they weren't anything compared to the airport taxis...the tack on $2.50 to the actual fare. Oh well, $10 was better than walking, especially since I didn't know where I was going.
When I got ready to head downtown, I asked the front desk for directions to the nearest metro station...1 1/2 blocks down the street...piece of cake. I headed for the Smithsonian and walked through the Museum of Natural History and Museum of American History. I wasn't sure I was going to make it all the way through the second one. My legs were aching, as well as my back, and I was very sleepy. I finally sat down on a bench to rest...had a real problem with falling asleep.
After about 15 minutes, I got up, finished my whirlwind tour and went back to the subway for the short ride down the line to the Library of Congress. I walked a couple of blocks to what I saw on the map but it turned out that not only does the library close at 4:30pm...which is what time it was...I was in the wrong building. The police officer working the inside was very helpful with good information for tomorrow and in addition looked up the address for the Old Ebbitt Grill. Actually, he called someone in the control room and they looked it up, but he asked them to.
I got back on the subway and headed the opposite direction over to the station near the White House. As it turns out, the Old Ebbitt Grill is directly across the street from the Treasury Building, which is next door to the White House. I had a nice meal before heading back to the hotel to veg for the remainder of the night...and probably fall asleep early once I finish typing.
I'm going to sleep in a little in the morning, perhaps workout in the fitness room, have a good breakfast and then head downtown. My plan is to see if I can go to the top of the Washington Monument, check out the Vietnam and WWII Memorials and then go to the Library of Congress. I'm guessing that will take up the bulk of the day...we'll see.
I walked 1/2 block and caught a taxi to the station, arriving $6.00 and 5 minutes later. I told the driver to drop me off at the entrance I had come out of last night, but as it turns out, it would probably have been easier on me if I had just told the driver I was catching a train and he would have dropped me off right at the door.
As it was, I entered the subway system, then had to exit the system, walked up a set of stairs or two and do a lot of walking to the Amtrak area. I was following the signs, but it was still confusing so I finally stopped a guy with a uniform on and a pouch on his belt, much like you see train conductors wear in the movies. He wasn't an Amtrak employee but he was able to direct me to the right place...about 100 feet down the hall and up the escalator. Once I rose to the top of the escalator, there was the Amtrak ticket booths and self-service ticketing machines. Next time, I'll definitely let the driver take me to the right place.
Once I had my ticket, then it was a hurry up and wait situation. I had been told that the track number for my train would not be posted until about 30 minutes prior to departure...that turned out to be more like 10 minutes. Everyone just stands around watching this big status board and then when their track number comes up, they run off to the track and board the train. Gambling that my track would be on the lower level, I went down the escalator and waited by a smaller status board. A young woman waiting there as well ended up on my train...or should I say I ended up on her train. By the time I got downstairs...pulling my bag down the stairs...bump, bump, bump...I got on the train and there she was. I asked her if I was on the right train for Washington and she said I was, so I took a seat.
The inside of the train was very nice. There wasn't too many folks on at that point so I had both seats to my self. There was ample overhead space for my bag and and even an electrical outlet so you could charge your computer and/or phone while you rode. It allowed me to organize my pictures and write a draft for today's blog...however, blogger.com won't let me cut and paste from a Word document so now I'm re-writing it.
The scenery from the train's windows wasn't too thrilling. Mostly all I saw was the area's slums, industrial areas and a lot of trees. As the train got close to a town or city, the trees thinned out and housing could be seen. There were a few nice areas...mostly rural...in Maryland but I probably should have taken a nap and foregone the scenery.
As we neared Baltimore, the train's engineer came on the PA system and announced that there was a "service interruption" at Union Station in DC. I think it probably took us an extra 30 minutes. We crawled into Baltimore but as we got closer to DC, the train sped back up. I'll have to watch the news tonight to see if there's anything about the "service interruption".
I was the last one off the train...had to put everything back in my bag...in the dark. It was really strange. Once the train was in the station, the power went off and the entire crew disappeared into the terminal. By the time I made it into the terminal, it was almost 12:00 so I decided to grab a bite to eat before heading out to Reagan National and the hotel. My plan was to ask the hotel to hold my bag until I came back this evening to check in. As it turned out, they let me check in almost 2 hours early so I did not have to worry about the bags. I thought about using the baggage storage facility at the terminal until I discovered it would be at least $30 for 5 hours...and that was just for 1 large bag. I thanked the lady and headed off to find the right subway train.
Washington's subway system is much simpler than New York's, plus the signage is more clear. I purchased two 1-day passes and headed down to the tracks. I stopped by the information booth to get a map of the entire system and then got on the train to National. It didn't take too long to get there but it wasn't much fun wrestling my bag on and off the train...as well as hauling it up and down stairs.
After about an hour, I finally found a taxi and headed for the hotel. I thought the NYC taxis were going to be expensive but they weren't anything compared to the airport taxis...the tack on $2.50 to the actual fare. Oh well, $10 was better than walking, especially since I didn't know where I was going.
When I got ready to head downtown, I asked the front desk for directions to the nearest metro station...1 1/2 blocks down the street...piece of cake. I headed for the Smithsonian and walked through the Museum of Natural History and Museum of American History. I wasn't sure I was going to make it all the way through the second one. My legs were aching, as well as my back, and I was very sleepy. I finally sat down on a bench to rest...had a real problem with falling asleep.
After about 15 minutes, I got up, finished my whirlwind tour and went back to the subway for the short ride down the line to the Library of Congress. I walked a couple of blocks to what I saw on the map but it turned out that not only does the library close at 4:30pm...which is what time it was...I was in the wrong building. The police officer working the inside was very helpful with good information for tomorrow and in addition looked up the address for the Old Ebbitt Grill. Actually, he called someone in the control room and they looked it up, but he asked them to.
I got back on the subway and headed the opposite direction over to the station near the White House. As it turns out, the Old Ebbitt Grill is directly across the street from the Treasury Building, which is next door to the White House. I had a nice meal before heading back to the hotel to veg for the remainder of the night...and probably fall asleep early once I finish typing.
I'm going to sleep in a little in the morning, perhaps workout in the fitness room, have a good breakfast and then head downtown. My plan is to see if I can go to the top of the Washington Monument, check out the Vietnam and WWII Memorials and then go to the Library of Congress. I'm guessing that will take up the bulk of the day...we'll see.
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