Not-so-live blogging my train trip East

View from my perch

South Bend, Ind./11:30 p.m./Departure 

A packed car means I'm in an aisle seat next to a girl who wouldn't acknowledge me for 10 hours. (Off to a great start.) 

There are a few things to be learned about sleeping (or attempting sleep) on trains. 

1) The lights are never off. Bring a blindfold, or you could end up sleeping with a fleece pullover draped over your head. Boy, can that get a little toasty.

2) The annoying omnipresence of HEY I'M AWAKE SO I'LL JUST CHAT LIKE I'M OBLIVIOUS TO THE MASS SLEEPING OCCURRING ALL AROUND ME types. Earplugs saved my sanity and possibly that man's life. 

3) Yes, you're uncomfortable. Just deal. No matter how much I pretzeled myself inside my seat, I couldn't sleep for more than an hour in the same spot. Luckily, I had 18 hours to grab a full night's rest. 

Elyria, Ohio/4:21 a.m. 

Too early to be awake. Why are you yelling, man in the Amtrak uniform? Dear God, why? 

 

Erie, Penn. / 6:54 a.m. 

This trip is doing interesting things to my eating habits. Time to break out the snacks. I down a half of a peanut butter sandwich and shift my body into "The Lazy Cactus." 

Positions in which you can seat yourself on a train: 

1) Aforementioned Lazy Cactus: Legs should be straight out resting on the foot rest while arms are resting behind your head. (Comfort level: 5.5)

2) The Curled-Up Cat: Knees should be parallel with your waist, while you lay on your side. This is only possible for up to 20 minutes. (Comfort level: 4)

3) The Frumpy Flamingo: One leg is bent at the knee, cocked to the side, and tucked behind your other leg. Arms are wrapped your pillow which is tucked under your chin. (Comfort level: 7) 

Rochester, NY/9:50 a.m.

My seat mate finally leaves without so much as an "excuse me." I sprawl all over my new two-seat train haven just to prove that it's mine. I mark my territory with my sleepy limbs and drift off.

Albany, NY/3:00 p.m.

I decide to make my way to the dining car for a soda. It's not as quaint as I pictured it, but there is much less cigarette smoke. The food is all prepared and put into freezers before it's heated and shoved onto plates. The waiter is a younger man from Philly who talks like he's just lived the longest day of his life.

I have a two-dollar Coke, which was just poured into my glass straight from the can, and sit down with three strangers. Something's floating in my glass. I suck it up, and play dumb. Next to me is a boy - probably 19 or 20 - from San Francisco who is visiting family in Queens. He talks about his girlfriend every other minute. It's cute. For 10 minutes. 

The couple sitting across from me are native New Yorkers. They're fast-talking and charming. The man is witty and funny, but his comedy is subtle, not overarching or searching for a laugh. Just simple. They're returning from a wedding somewhere upstate and are fascinated that San Fran and I rode the train all night. They also seem fascinated by the midwest in general. I think they're surprised by my calm attitude about moving to their city, and our similar disdain for all-things Time Square. 

We spend about 35 minutes continuing our chat, but never exchange names. 

No Idea, NY/4:00 p.m.

MOUNTAINS! 

Croton, NY/5:15 p.m.

We're scaling the riverside, looping around the banks dotted with large, luxurious homes that sit importantly over the mini-cliffs above the water. There's too much to look at. I'm not getting enough reading done. On a train for nearly 20 hours and I've only read about a hundred or so pages. I feel unimpressive. 

NY, NY/6:00 p.m.

We're on the outer rim of the city and I'm anxious. We're thundering through tunnels under highways and peeking out next to parks. We're close. 

Penn Station/6:25 p.m./Arrival

Chaos. Wondering how I'm going to navigate a train station with suitcases in tow. A man instantly yells at me for being in his way on the escalator. A homeless man is hustled by NYPD's finest. Good to be back.