We had an early(ish) departure from New York today and got up bright and early to make sure we got a bus to Penn Station on time. We were the first down to breakfast so we missed the free bagels (free bread and butter though) and then we took a pleasantly air conditioned bus all the way down to the station. Nice and easy =)
After that, however, all the trains on the line we needed were plagued by delays and we ended up leaving New York around an hour later. Still, after a freezing train journey thanks to air conditioning powerful enough to keep a polar bear happy (thanks for the simile, Li), we made it to Washington D.C. (which I now know is part of no state – Columbia doesn't exist in North America...) and tried to get in touch with Ethan, our friend from last year at Connaught Hall. We failed. U.S pay phones really aren't that helpful but, thankfully, we'd been left useful directions to the nearest metro station to Ethan's house and dutifully followed them. Upon reaching Rockville, a delightful quiet suburb that's actually in neighbouring Maryland, we tried again and got through. Ethan seemed relieved, believing we'd been robbed/murdered/kidnapped en route and he came to pick us up.
After living in university halls and student housing for the past 2 to 3 years, Ethan's place, even by normal standards, is a palace. Rockville, we were told, is quite small and relatively expensive but house prices are still enough to bring a tear to any UK homeowner's eye. One thing we didn't entirely understand or accept was, once again, the air conditioning. Being from the South (note the capitalisation), Ethan has grown up coddled by its icy embrace. To use his words, we were cutting glass. Still, we were comfortable.
We hit a bit of a snag with what to do in the evening as Li is still a week away from turning 21 and becoming a fully fledged adult and Real Human Being in this country. Drinking, obviously, was out and, as everywhere requires ID on the door unless you want to go to an overpopulated, overrated, overpriced dance club, 18+ events are no fun. It was Ethan's recently refurbished Xbox to the rescue and we enjoyed a night of killing each other instead. Pat (another friend from my first year) was meant to come round too but he had attended a BBQ earlier that day and, to the best of his recollection, was unconscious by 9:30pm.
Hmm, I'm coming off as really negative about this whole day. This really isn't the case, though. It's great to catch up with old friends (we hadn't seen Ethan in over a year and Pat in nearly as long) and, after NYC a change of pace was more than welcome. Plus, we have all of D.C's history and spectacle to enjoy at our leisure!
Apologies for lack of photos at this stage – I'm updating on the train and my camera is locked away in my bag. Once electricity, light (night trains – woo) and a USB cable make themselves available to me, I'll add pretty pictures.
-Oz
P.S – We've been on this train for 10 hours now. 5 to go...
After that, however, all the trains on the line we needed were plagued by delays and we ended up leaving New York around an hour later. Still, after a freezing train journey thanks to air conditioning powerful enough to keep a polar bear happy (thanks for the simile, Li), we made it to Washington D.C. (which I now know is part of no state – Columbia doesn't exist in North America...) and tried to get in touch with Ethan, our friend from last year at Connaught Hall. We failed. U.S pay phones really aren't that helpful but, thankfully, we'd been left useful directions to the nearest metro station to Ethan's house and dutifully followed them. Upon reaching Rockville, a delightful quiet suburb that's actually in neighbouring Maryland, we tried again and got through. Ethan seemed relieved, believing we'd been robbed/murdered/kidnapped en route and he came to pick us up.
After living in university halls and student housing for the past 2 to 3 years, Ethan's place, even by normal standards, is a palace. Rockville, we were told, is quite small and relatively expensive but house prices are still enough to bring a tear to any UK homeowner's eye. One thing we didn't entirely understand or accept was, once again, the air conditioning. Being from the South (note the capitalisation), Ethan has grown up coddled by its icy embrace. To use his words, we were cutting glass. Still, we were comfortable.
We hit a bit of a snag with what to do in the evening as Li is still a week away from turning 21 and becoming a fully fledged adult and Real Human Being in this country. Drinking, obviously, was out and, as everywhere requires ID on the door unless you want to go to an overpopulated, overrated, overpriced dance club, 18+ events are no fun. It was Ethan's recently refurbished Xbox to the rescue and we enjoyed a night of killing each other instead. Pat (another friend from my first year) was meant to come round too but he had attended a BBQ earlier that day and, to the best of his recollection, was unconscious by 9:30pm.
Hmm, I'm coming off as really negative about this whole day. This really isn't the case, though. It's great to catch up with old friends (we hadn't seen Ethan in over a year and Pat in nearly as long) and, after NYC a change of pace was more than welcome. Plus, we have all of D.C's history and spectacle to enjoy at our leisure!
Apologies for lack of photos at this stage – I'm updating on the train and my camera is locked away in my bag. Once electricity, light (night trains – woo) and a USB cable make themselves available to me, I'll add pretty pictures.
-Oz
P.S – We've been on this train for 10 hours now. 5 to go...
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