From January 6th through January 20th, I will ride Amtrak trains all the way around the United States. My first train, The Crescent (plus a bus), took me from DC to New Orleans.
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Bicycles Built For Two
“My purpose is to talk to people all the way around the country, and so I’ve brought bribes with me. I have a laminated sign that says, “I’ll trade a Lindt truffle for a story. (I’m Celeste Headlee of NPR and TED Talks, not a weirdo).” In my bag, I have three large bags of assorted truffles, ready to delight the palates of people who chat with me.
But here’s the beauty of the train: it’s designed to encourage conversation.
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Boomwhackers in ‘Bama
In Atlanta, we had to get off the train and transfer to a large bus (because of the track work I mentioned in the last update)…
I will, however, tell you some of the stories I heard from people on the bus.
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A Wall Made of Hate
The Detroit Wall, also known as Detroit’s Wailing Wall, is six feet high and about a foot thick. After the wall went up, physically isolating the black neighborhood, the government decided to give the developer FHA approval.
It was a physical barrier separating the races and a monument to racial hatred that still stands. Whites left that area in the 1970s and so, for more than half a century, blacks have dominated the neighborhoods on both sides of the wall.
Yet, it still stands, as a reminder of how real racism is, how racism was supported by government policy, and how it does real damage to real people.
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Walking The Big Easy
Train schedules don’t always line up perfectly. So, I am “forced” to spend a day or so in the cities where I change trains. This is not a downside to train travel. This is part of the magic. Not passing by, but passing through.
I spent a day in New Orleans walking around. I’ve been here before and had no tourist agenda, and was therefore free to leave my hotel in sneakers, walk toward the Mississippi River and just follow my fancy.
I don’t generally travel this way. Most of my travel is centered around business and I’m very carefully and tightly scheduled, but I’ve carried those habits into my personal life so that my vacation time is often defined by lists and timetables and maps.
Since my purpose is to experience a slower, easier kind of travel, I made no plans and just walked….
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