After 9 hours stuck in a car driving from Pensacola, FL to Greenville, SC, my silver chariot awaited me.
The Amtrak. I only had one day and a half at home before it was time to get on a plane headed to Los Angeles, California.
 
I am exhausted. And quite frankly, writing from this train, I am uncomfortable.
Nothing but excitement filled my body before boarding this train. That was before I had spent nine what seemed like never-ending hours driving my car to the train station. And it was before my train was delayed by two and a half hours, in increments of 3 minutes. (Can you understand my frustration?)
Lastly, this was before I got placed next to an adorable, yet noisy old man who won’t stop snoring. Oh! And before I found out they keep the lights on, on the train the whole time.
Any chance of me getting a second of snooze is completely out of the window.
The elder gentleman didn’t have much to say upon our boarding of t
he train. Surprise, surprise! Sir Snores A Lot sure makes a lot more noise while he is sleeping. We both boarded in Greenville, South Carolina. He won’t be exiting until the very last stop in New York City, so it looks like he will be here throughout the entirety of my trip.
Earphones. If you can’t sleep to music, get some ear plugs. The train rattles around a lot and it can get noisy with he snoring and chatter among the other passengers. You’ll wanna be able to get away from that. Personally, when traveling, I am listening to music 95% of the time. These are some of the albums that have been getting me through this trip:
In Through The Out Door: Led Zeppelin
Astral Weeks: Van Morrison
Hymn For My Soul: Joe Cocker
Nobody’s Fool: Dan Penn
Pain-reliever. Bring some just in case. After long travel days, my back frequently gives me trouble; it is always a good idea to have some on ya. This is a staple in any form of traveling; nine times out of ten, my purse will have some form of a pain reliever in it. But, of course, just when I need it… I forgot to bring some on this trip.
Probably wasn’t the smartest idea to experience my first long distance train in the states after I’ve been driving for 9 hours. This was the conclusion on my stateside journeys with my car. Thank god! Traveling with your car is handy, no doubt. But if you are like me in any way, shape, or form, then a car is nothing but extra baggage. It gets pretty tricky to live on the fly with your car. Tricky, but totally doable. It just requires a bit more research, thinking, and help from friends ( sometimes strangers, eek!)
So, I kissed my car goodbye in Greenville as I headed north.
It’s 5am; for some reason all my thoughts seem to seep onto paper much nicer at this hour. I’ve always been the epitome of a morning person. There is just something about being awake before everyone else and getting to see the world before they do that makes me feel alive.
It is nearly impossible to get comfortable on this ride; I’ve been tossing and turning like a mad woman. I absolutely cannot get comfortable. Deep down, I am certain that my brain won’t allow myself to go to sleep, in fear of missing the sunrise from the train.
Welp. The sun rose on the other side of the train. But the sky was still gorgeous.
I’ve taken trains all around the world, yet I’ve never taken one (long distance) in my home country. It is so easy to get so wrapped up in the mindset of traveling and experiencing the world, that you forget your home often can offer those same, or similar, experiences that you search for on the other side of the world. I truly love when I am forced to step outside of my comfort zone in a country that feels so comfortable and familiar to me.

Four and a half more hours, I’m definitely going crazy. And, as of right now, I am not the biggest fan of trains. I’m more into the whole teleporting idea. That seems a bit more my speed.
Definitely want to wake up the man next to me, but totally socially unacceptable. I could really use someone to chat with, as it’s too dark to see anything outside. Queen of ADHD over here is going a tad stir crazy. But I would be lying if I said part of me didn’t want to wake him up to get him to stop snoring. His hat just fell on my lap and I am really at a loss on what to do about that. It’s one of those adorable hats that old men wear. You know, the old men that you’d imagine play chess in the park. He is most definitely a park chess player.
Book. For some odd reason I brought four on this trip with me. I know, I’m crazy and excessive. But! I can justify it. I brought one book on embroidery, because I brought a flannel, needles, and some embroidery floss. Then, By The River Piedra I Sat Down And Wept, the book I am currently reading written by my all time favorite author, Paulo Coelho. My plethora of books also included one on how to turn a forty hour work week into a four hour work week. Who doesn’t wanna make more money in a less amount of time? So, duh, I brought that one. Lastly, a plant based cook book. No, I didn’t intend to cook anything while on the train, I simply just wanted to read the recipes out of the new cook book I had just purchased (at the thrift store for two quarters!) Yes, my book stash is a little extravagant, but when you get bored so easily, as I do, you need a lot to keep you entertained. Books are such a staple for everyday; I bring a book everywhere I go. When you are waiting for something, and it feels natural to look at unimportant things on your phone, that is when I take out my book.
  
I look around the train, only to notice a bunch of sleepy passengers. Most of which are enjoying both seats to themselves. My sincerest apologies to the man next to me, but I envy those solo passengers sprawled out across two seats. One lady has even managed to create a bed out of the two seats. She put both seat backs as far back as they will go and put both leg rests all the way up… genius! I’m mighty jealous over here.
Maybe she will trade her solitary for my cheezeits and a bottle of water.

Neck pillow. This is one item I absolutely cannot believe I didn’t bring. I never use one when I am traveling by plane, but I so wish I had one today. Luckily, I got a window seat. But unfortunately, the windows are much further away from the seats than they are on a plane. It’s an uncomfortable stretch to rest or your head against it, unless you’ve got an abnormally long neck.
Snacks/drinks:
Snacks are never a bad idea, ever! I have a super cool Dakine backpack with a small cooler pocket that keeps my drinks cold, so I stocked that up as well with a couple of teas and waters. There is a fabulous dining cart, as well as a snack cart. From what people told me, the food is actually pretty scrumptious on the dining cart. Sadly, there aren’t too many tables; I felt bad taking up a whole one by myself and the wait was insane. So I just stuck to the snack cart, which had full tables as well as one seaters. Yogurt with blueberries and granola with apple juice… ain’t too shabby.

Now that the sun is up, as well as the people, it is much more enjoyable. Everyone is walking around and the sights are absolutely stunning. We haven’t passed too many buildings or infrastructure yet, which is incredible. Ive seen several cows and horses roaming on heaps of empty land.

Some things to note, if you’re planning on going on a train ride:
1. There is wifi, but it is spotty and unreliable.
2. Each seat does have its own power outlet. ( I didn’t realize this until the last hour of the ride.)
3. Seats are assigned as you walk onto the train, you do not have a choice of where you sit.
4. You are allowed to bring four checked suitcases total; the first two are free. Your suitcases remain above your seat the whole ride.
5. You are also permitted to bring two carry on items and two personal items. Way better than the plane!
As we were approaching my stop, an announcement was mad over the loud speaker. “Next stop: Alexandria. Please grab your belongs and make your way to the nearest exit.” Okay, so this part was a little scary. While the train is moving, you get your suitcase and walk to the exit. The exits are in between the carts. The whole train is moving around like crazy and you’re just standing there in between the carts, moving back and forth with every move the train makes. There is a man there, waiting to help me get off the train safely.
“Are you ready?” He asks me.
“What! I am going to jump off while it is moving?!” I replied.
I was genuinely concerned that I was about to jump off of this moving train the way they do it in the movies. As I am trying to plan how I am going to leap off of the train with out breaking all of my bones and somehow managing to get my luggage off with me, he informs me that I would be exiting after the train comes to a stop. Thank the lord.
The stop was still incredibly nerve-racking, as the train is pretty far from the ground and the workers are rushing everyone off so they don’t delay the train.
After eleven hours (which was supposed to be nine hours,) crammed inside of the train, I was officially ready to be on a still ground. Overall, the train was an absolute blast, and a really different way to travel. The sights were amazing; the train is a really great way to see different parts of the country. I am already planning my trip to take the train cross country. I couldn’t even image how beautiful it would be to take the train through the desert, sign me up!
Although not as fast a plane, I highly recommend traveling by train. It sure as hell beats having to drive your car, and it isn’t too terribly priced. So, take my word and hop on a train to your next destination! You will not be disappointed.