Day 331/365 - Choo Choo Ch'Boogeying

A couple weeks ago I decided to spend Labor Day weekend in NYC, so today during lunch I walked over to Union Station to pick up the ticket for my train ride north tomorrow morning. I had been waffling over whether or not to go until I got lucky and snagged a $159 a night rate at the Best Western at the South Street Seaport off Quikbook. When I looked into booking directly through BW, they were going to charge me over $300 per night. No, thanks. Then I found the same room at the same hotel for half-price on Quikbook. Yes, please. Damn, I sound like a commercial.

Anyhow, tomorrow I head up to NYC. The plan is to see the mariner's museum, Highline Park, the Cloisters, the City Museum, 125th Street (the 'main street' of Harlem), have dinner at Wolfgang's Steak House and a beer at McSorley's Ale House, catch "The 39 Steps" on Broadway, get some cheesecake from Junior's, go to a jazz concert at Birdland, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, and spend some time sitting on the beach at Coney Island. And maybe squeeze in visits to the Met, Central Park, and the MoMA. All between 1 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Monday.

Ambitious, but do-able.

(Taken with my Nikon Coolpix S200)

Day 213/365 - National Train Day

Today was National Train Day in the U.S., although most people probably weren't aware of that fact. Amtrak held celebrations in DC, NYC, Chicago, and somewhere on the West Coast. The DC festivities were held at Union Station. They have model trains, real trains you can tour, and various other activities.

I think last year's Train Day was better. They had more historic trains you could walk through last year, including a really cool old streamlined train. This year it was mostly contemporary rolling stock from Amtrak and local commuter rail lines MARC and VRE. They did have an old Pullman car from the 1930s though, and the railcar Obama and Biden rode into DC for the inauguration. You couldn't walk through that one. You just had to peer through the windows.

I love trains, even though I don't really know much about them. My friend Chris and I have decided that if either of us ever wins the lottery we will put together a huge model train set-up that replicates various regions of the U.S. I've never owned a model train. My brother had one when I was little that made actual smoke. I remember thinking that was pretty cool.

(Taken with my Nikon D90)

Day 58/365 - Flotsam & Jetsam

This is the shopping arcade at Union Station in Washington, DC. This, along with the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building, is one of my favorite buildings in DC. Before they turned the train station into a mall and food court, this room used to be open at the ends and the trains used to pull into it like a carport. This is where passengers would board and disembark the trains that were taking them to or bringing them from the far reaches of the railroad.

I had to stop by Union Station after work today to pick up a train ticket. Tomorrow morning I'm day-tripping up to Philadelphia for the Army-Navy game (Go Navy, Beat Army!). I kinda wish they'd restore this part of the station back to its original use. The place where you catch trains now has all the dark, drab, concrete charm of an office building parking garage. Keleti train station in Budapest still uses the old carport style approach and I like it much better.

I really love train stations, airports too although they don't have quite the same sense of nostalgia and romance. I like getting there early before a trip and marinading in the excitement of going somewhere. It's just such a vital and vibrant place to be with people bustling to and fro like salmon swimming upstream, either rushing toward or pulling themselves away from someone they love.

(Taken with my Nikon Coolpix S200)

Day 5/365 - Columbus Day

This photo shows floral wreaths commemorating Columbus Day placed by various historic and cultural groups in front of the Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain at the main entrance to Union Station in Washington, DC.

I took advantage of the Federal holiday and the great weather and went to the National Zoo this morning to shoot some pictures and then swung by Union Station to grab some Italian food for lunch in honor of Christopher Columbus -- patron saint of guys who refuse to ask for directions even though they don't really know where the heck they're going. Walked home from there afterward to burn off some of my pasta.

Grand total for the day -- 443 photographs taken and 7.9 miles walked. Pretty productive for a day off.

(Taken with my Nikon D80)