As someone in a medium-distance relationship, my weekends are often marked by my partner and I coming and going between Charlottesville and Washington, D.C.. Because of this, I’ve spent quite a few commutes on the Amtrak train with my ratty backpack and trusty duffle bag in tow.
Despite the train’s almost perpetual lateness and often less-than-ideal traveling conditions, I’ve always approached my journeys with excitement. I consider each train ride to be a movie-like adventure, conjuring up romantic allusions of departure and the promise of a new destination. I always look forward to my Amtrak journey, ready to simply be present in the moment as I watch the world pass me by, offering up a brief moment of pause and reflection in an otherwise extremely busy schedule.
Departures from the Charlottesville station are replete with University students also embarking on travel throughout the weekend. We stand together, briefly connected by our sole purpose of getting away for the weekend. Some will make small talk, others will chat animatedly with their friends and many tune out the world completely in their headphones.
Despite having successfully romanticized this journey, I will admit that I have quite a contentious relationship with the Amtrak system. After living in Spain for a semester, the American system pales in comparison with the efficiency, modernity and affordability of high-speed European trains. Last spring, I paid 20 euros for a nine-hour train ride from Prague to Budapest, passing through multiple countries in comfort. I loved the experience of watching the landscape outside the window, sitting comfortably in the plush leather seats and enjoying a delicious espresso in the train’s cafe car.
Unfortunately, unlike its European counterparts, the comfort and reliability of the Amtrak pales in comparison. I spend most of my rides shifting uncomfortably in the tattered leather seats and attempting to prevent my computer from sliding off my lap as the train takes slight turns. The price — ranging from $20 to over $70 for a ticket from Charlottesville to Washington, D.C. — feels outlandishly expensive in return for a mediocre experience.
But despite these flaws, I always find myself enjoying my train ride. Due to the perpetually crappy Wi-Fi, I’m often forced to read my book or listen to previously downloaded music while staring out one of the train’s windows. The train ride provides me with a moment of reflection in my daily life, forcing me to be fully connected to my present journey.
I also love the fleeting sense of connection I feel amongst my fellow travelers, united briefly in this moment in space and time with the shared goal of going somewhere else. I’ll never forget the excitement of my train “neighbor” announcing that he and his wife have finally arrived in Washington, D.C., after a 12-hour journey beginning in New Orleans, and the ensuing cheers of my fellow passengers as we congratulated them for completing their adventure. I hold on tight to the memory of bumping into an old friend I hadn’t seen in years, connected in a moment of serendipity as we made our way up to the District. We ended up splitting an Uber ride back into the city as a result of our coincidental reunion on the Amtrak.
The Amtrak isn’t exactly the lap of luxury, but it will get you where you need to be, offering up the opportunity for brief reflection and perhaps connection if you’re feeling bold enough to sit next to a stranger.
This kind of magic — that of reflection, peacefully watching the world go by and finding brief, fleeting connections with other travellers — is a phenomenon that is rarely afforded in the busyness of everyday life. The train ride is always going to be less than glamorous — with perpetual breaks and stops and a questionable smell emitting from the bathroom. But it takes me where I need to go and forces me to be entirely present in the process.
All this to say, I encourage all of my fellow Amtrak users to put the laptops down, say hello to a stranger and enjoy the ride.
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