It started this week on Thursday when my parents, Chris, Nova, and I left for the Bay area for my cousin's wedding. I realized that starting my train trip from San Francisco meant that I would be able to take a different route to Chicago than when I return home to Los Angeles. That was certainly appealing to me. So, Thursday evening we left, picking Chris up in LA since he had been working up in that area. Nova (Chris' chihuahua mix dog) was able to come with us since she is such an easy dog to travel with, but Hannah stayed with friends, and Lizzie (my parent's new dog) was treated to a stay in a pet hotel.
We stayed in Hayward and drove in to San Francisco's Chinatown Friday to have my parents' experience dim sum for the first time. I ordered fried red bean balls, honey glazed pork, beef meatballs, chicken buns, pan fried pork buns, beef buns, custard buns, and egg tarts (the last three items they had run out of...my favorites). Instead we tried a fried pumpkin-egg yolk ball, which was pretty good. Then we were stuck in traffic trying to rush back to the hotel and ended up late for the wedding, which was way up in the hills behind Berkeley at the Brazilian Room.
What a lovely wedding though - gorgeous location, my cousin was beautiful, the company was great, just a bit cold (okay....super cold). The fog rolled in during the ceremony and the wind picked up so everyone was shivering. Still, lovely though!
Saturday we joined the bride and groom with family and friends for a brunch in the cute Shattuck Hotel in Berkeley. We drove back into San Fran for Fisherman's Wharf where we picked up fried clams and clam chowder for Chris, and then up to Ghiradelli Square for my mom. Of course, we all had some treats at Ghiradelli Square! It was so crowded that day - it was sunny and fairly warm (for the area) so people were just packed like sardines around Fisherman's Wharf. We piled back into the car (including a fairly overwhelmed Nova), and drove back to Berkeley to meet up with my good friend Elise and her husband, with whom we had dinner and chatted while Nova buried herself in Chris' jacket. Nova had too many new experiences that day and needed to be denned up Chris' sweatshirt jacket so she would stop doing the chihuahua shiver.
Chris and I tried to go back into SF that evening after dropping my parents off at the hotel, but an asphalt spill (which we later heard about) brought the bay bridge to a complete halt. Luckily we found this out before the last exit to get off, and after about a half hour of stop and go (mostly stop) traffic, we rerouted back to the hotel.
Six fourty-five came early this morning when I arose to take my last shower for a while (no shower available on the train from what I read since I am not in a sleeper car). I gathered my stuff and we left for the Amtrak station at Emeryville. We didn't eat, expecting it to be a large station since this was the first in line to Chicago. It wasn't a big station at all! There was a little coffee/bagel stand and that was it! We waited around for about 45 minutes as more people with bags gathered around the train. It was a few minutes late, and when it arrived, we were all sectioned off into different cars depending on our destination.
I was careful to be in the front as much as possible so I could get a forward facing, window seat, but I am still sitting next to an empty seat. We are supposed to be a full train, but I think the rest are getting on in Sacramento. The seats are spacious with lots of leg room. They recline and have foot rests. A tray comes down like in an airplane, but extends out
toward me since there is so much space in front of me. I have my suitcase up above me since I managed to pack everything I need into a carry-on size. I have my daypack with me along with a blanket (thanks mom) and a neck pillow so I can sleep in my seat at night (I did not opt for a sleeper car - those are expensive!).
Thanks to Chris I have a full set up on my iPad - keyboard and case that allows my iPad to look like a mini-computer. I have my blogger app so I can directly access my blog. I have a few movies downloaded - Twilight (the first one...hey I got it for free. The first movie sucks - although the books do not), and Harry Potter #5. I can watch them as some point on this four day ride and then delete to open up more picture space.
I'm currently passing by fields and brown hills dotted with green bushes and trees somewhere between the Bay Area and Sacramento. The first half hour of the ride was nice since we skirted alongside the inlets of water and I even saw a few sailboats, which I love watching! I'm on here for three days to Chicago, then one more day to New York, where I'll meet my New York native friend, Meredith.
So, more to come....
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Emeryville, California
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