Riding
the rails
Or
Riding the Rails
Sadly, our cross country excursion is coming to
a close, we spent the last leg of this trip relaxing in our temporary home,
sipping the favorite drink of our choice, and getting to know each other
better.
We learned that Rosy and Vince are going to
travel north, heading for Niagara Falls, where they hope to wed, honeymoon and
possibly even settle down. Of all the
people I’ve encountered over all the years of my life, these two delightful
folks would be the last I’d have thought would find each other, and of all
places in a box car.
Tall Dude, after stating he “ain’t never been to
New York.” seems quite excited to be
going there. Frankly, I think he kind of
has a crush on Linda, and she does seem to be particularly fond of him. He’s a little to old to be her son, and she a
little too young to be his mother, but none the less I think they are forming a
friendship that will likely last their life time.
As for Marie, I never really imagined her riding
the rails, and I think she is surprised at how much fun spontaneity can
be. She seemed to enjoy the cooking,
setting up our make-shift meals, and even cleaning up after. She has lots of things she wants to do, and
places she wants to see in the ‘city that never sleeps’, and has been talking
about all the things she wants to buy along the way.
As for me, this is a longtime dream, and if I never sleep while
there...well that’s okay with me. I want
to see the Great White Way, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, go to the top of
the Empire State Building, see the Chrysler Building, and sit in Central
Park. I want to take in a play or two,
have lunch at the Crossroads of America, and have my picture taken with Naked
Cowboy. Who knows, maybe we will even
run into Regis and Kelly, or perhaps David Letterman. Shoot, I may not even want to go home and
maybe I won’t.
Well, it won’t be long now...excitement is on
the rise.
OH MY GOSH!
We are actually here! What grand
adventures await. We bade farewell to
Rosy and Vince and wished them well. I
hope we all hear from them in the future, at least at Christmas time.
The rest of us (the bedraggled group we are at
the moment) are going to look for a homeless shelter and donate our ‘bindles’
there. However, the first order of
business is to find a pet friendly Hotel and settle in. Tall Dude, says he probably can’t afford to
stay where we are, but will be ready to join us for activities and meals. Such a sweet guy, he has added much to our
trip. For now I think we all just want a
hot shower, and a comfortable bed.
We have decided to splurge and stay at the
Marriott, Court Yard, Time Square South.
With three of us sharing the expenses, (but each for our own pets) we
figure for a once in a lifetime experience it will be worth it. All Linda asks is we save enough money to fly
home first class...is she saying she’s done with box car travel? Well, THAT was fun, but I have to agree,
flying home is the only option as far as I’m concerned, too.
I don’t, and won’t have more time to write, but
will fill you in on some of the places we have added to our sightseeing
adventures. Tiffany’s (for coffee and a
donut, like the movie) Wall Street and the Big Bull, Ground Zero, the Statue of
Liberty, Ellis Island, St. John’s Cathedral, Grand Central Station, Flatiron
Building, SoHo, Chelsea, Harlem, and on and on till we drop.
We will be here till Monday the 25th. We want to walk 5th Avenue on Easter Morning,
and then simply hang out around Time Square the rest of the day. Maybe eat at Friday’s, and wave to people
back home from the camera located there.
Exactly where Tall Dude will land after this
week is over is still up in the air, although I’m sure he knows he will always
welcome in Oregon or California. I’m
sure he could find work either place.
Regardless he will always have a special place in our hearts.
Well, I’ve got to go. Hope you enjoyed our adventure Riding the
Rails. Bye, bye.
The end
(The End)
|
All the places I mentioned within are real
places I found while exploring the Internet.
They are intended to be shown in the best light, with the hope that
given the opportunity anyone reading this story will stop by and visit these
places themselves. I learned a lot, and
had great fun exploring the country from...my boxcar.
Published by:
Gues Who Original Publications
3922 SW Comus Street
Portland, OR 97219-7422
First edition, May 2011
With grateful appreciation to my sister Linda
and dear friend Marie in allowing me to use their likenesses in our imaginary
trip across America, Toot, toot.
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