Being an intellectual creates a lot of questions and no answers

Janis Joplin

A nice commuter train ride from New York cruising along, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and into Baltimore, Maryland. Delightful overnight visit with Dave and Twig in Baltimore. not a lot of time but sometimes that works best, always leaving something yet to do. They drove us through a variety of neighborhoods going for wondrous crabcakes at Koko’s bar, some state the best in Baltimore which is famous for its crab.

50 minutes to Washington DC and another Yotel hotel, 15 minute walk from union station. It turns out not only the cheapest place yet we have stayed but the best. Good coffee in the morning, just down the hall, 24/7! Room was larger than in New York, but still with the outlets and foldup, very comfortable bed. Again, not much time there as out and about.We came to explore not sit in a hotel room.

We had seen Washington D.C. a few years ago and we had seen much of what interests us, hence opted to just walk about. Have some friends here, but know they have been very busy with high end jobs, family visitors, and currently have more visitors plus 2 small child. We opted to let the young folks visit each other, and we would just walk about. Cutting through the capital grounds, headed to the Anacostia River thinking there would be a river walk along the edge. There was for part, but some parts did not, although easily wandered the streets nearby. Passed a large stadium getting ready for a soccer game. We tried tickets, but alas standing room only.

Looking for a beer after the Anacostia river joined the Potomac and entered the walkway along a slough of the Potomac, with lots of high end restaurants. Not our desire. Then a place up on second floor overlooking the slough, with boats heading in and out at sunset. The bouncer apologized as they only had beer and booze, no food. Perfect! Another block and a crab market where we got a cup of chowder each. Not very good chowder either. Shrimp chowder devoid of shrimp and the clam chowder OK, but nothing exciting, needing some spices. Then a walk back to hotel along the national mall and numerous office buildings, museums, and federal whatnots. In the end nearly 9 miles today of concrete walking.

Washingon is clean, with wide streets and as opposed to previous visits it is seemingly very quiet. But I noticed people did not seem as friendly. At our visit with Tom and Ilona in Chicago we had commented how Euopeans find America strange in that they like to say hello to each other – strangers. That would be me. Hence in New York I found people would make eye contact and acknowledge me. Here they look right through me. I am non existent. OK Jeanne finds it weird too.

Hard to say what the personality of Washington DC is. Like trying to determine the personality of Las Vegas while only going to the Las Vegas strip. But from what I saw, it is business, although whoever designed the place made wide roads, sidewalks, bike lanes. Lots of monuments, museums, and more offices. It is the capital of the United States and a lot of fascinating history.

The big museum we had not visited prior was the African American history, and Jeanne had obtained us tickets. Amazing history throughout. A couple of items struck me. Sugar and rice were big crops which helped develop our modern world with an influx of forced labor. Seems people, realized slavery was bad, but making money was more important and cheap labor was available. Whiteness was not a thing until the 1500’s when tribalism was very present but it was more religious. In Spain if you did not convert to Catholicism from Jewish or Islam, they basically killed you. Other future countries had their own tribes and cultures, often denigrating those outside their tribe, in their own way for whatever reason. Then the idea of whiteness developed. Humanity???

As with most museums , no matter how good or how much information there is my brain starts filling up at about 2 hours, and it was true for this museum. We managed three hours but in the end sort of rushed the years of 1950s to present. A very significant part of American history.

There was a section on “The Green Book”. That was a book published telling of places blacks could get fuel, spend the night, and eat in the south while driving through. During that time it apparently was very difficult, if you did not have the green book. It was published from apparently the late 1920’s until 1966. I had already had 2 trips into the south by then. One, with my uncle and cousin driving across the deep south from Georgia to California seeing the segregation in 1962 and bigotry. It left a big impression on me. The second trip was the 1965 bicycle trip starting in Philadelphia, riding through lower Pennsylvannia, into Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and ending in Washington D.C. That trip did not have the overt segregation and discrepancy but definitely visible. Again weird. I still wonder why, and why is that celebrated as a great way of life.

Not sure about humanity?

After the museum it was again time for a beer, but definitely not New York where multitudes of storefronts offering all sorts of things. Here there were food trucks on the mall, but no beer. Stopped in at the White House visitor center to inquire where to get a beer. A block up off the constitution and Pennsylvania Avenue thoroughfares she said would be some restaurants. Yes there were restaurants, almost all high end, but we persevered as it was enroute back to our bags and union station.

Now just over half way through the trip. Twig had asked us which is best part and we could not answer. Most interesting just seeing the country. Would have been nice to see more but slept through a lot. Colombia Gorge, the Appalachians, more of the Great Lakes, but, we came to circumnavigate not stop and enjoy each locale, hence the train. Very glad we have some stops along the way. the train would be difficult just going straight through.

We ask people on the train- “Why the train?” Most we have talked to just want the experience of the train, or to see the country. One stated they like the train as do not have the patience for the troubles of flying. Each to their own reasons, all valid, all different. But as I was talking with 2 couples this morning the train is not for the weak hearted. Contorting into the bedrooms requires some finesse. The empire builder from Portland to Chicago was the only one with a lounge observation car. All have had a dining car, (food is included with sleeper accomadations), but it is busy and one can’t really hang out there. There is a cafe car, but not with the large windows. the lounge was a wonderful place to watch and talk with others, we miss it, spending more time in our roomette, feeling a bit like bad kids sent to our room. We are realizing this is a very expensive trip, why I am not sure, although half the expense is the sleeping horizontal and not in coach class. But then airline first class is also very expensive. Maybe I have gotten soft?

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