Train travel, American style

10 AM Acela train to Boston cancelled. This was initially billed as our answer to France's TGV and Japan's bullet trains. OK, trains get cancelled. They're doing construction in New London. I took the cancellation well, with a minimum of cursing and raging. I went out for coffee and scone. I went upstairs to my blissfully frigid office and tootled around the Internet. This is what Al Gore still calls the Information Superhighway. He invented it, you know. Tim Berners-Lee and hordes of like-minded nerds attended to the details..

Comunque.

1 PM train 20 minutes late.

I am directed to Business Class. It looks the same as Coach except I think we have plugs for our laptops. No Wi-Fi though. (We're just like Italy. I've got tears in my eyes.)

We make many stops. We are detoured. We arrive in Boston a mere 4 hours later than expected, if we stay no more late than we are.

I've managed to get a lot done. The iPod's cranked up high and the fat lady next to me who talks on her cell wirh an accent straight from "Mystic River" makes it imperative to focus, focus on work. Amazing. It gets done.

Then I head for the snack car. No food left. Well, yes, a salad with turkey regurg and walnuts, which has the look of a Second Avenue sidewalk on Sunday morning. And some white wine! (No red.). The label says "Walnut Crest Chardonnay.". And I think it's gonna be some sweet, wood-chipped merde from Lodi, as in Credence's song.

But not. The label reveals very little, but I see "Valle Central.". Now, unles unbridled immigration has altered Cali's Central Valley beyond credence (ha ha), this stuff's from Chile. It takes a while, but s, es del Chile. Tiny hidden print. Those damned Chileans and their special trade deal with the United States of Stupidity!

Actually, this twist-top swill isn't so bad. I could use some more. If there is any. We've reached Hartford. And from here to South Station, Boston, they tell us it will be over 3 more hours. This does compute. Even little Berlusconi gets the trains to run more or less on time.

About that Chilean wine. You pay 5 bux for what is essentially a glass. 30 a bottle. Hm. Must cost about 2 wholesale. Someone's making out well. You can bet it aint the poor schmuck who broke his back in the vineyards, or even the guy who hired him. TANJ.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Comments

[Lisa Qiu]

1. I'm always impressed that you can write so much on your blackberry.

2. LOL (inside) @ turkey regurg

3. Wow, no idea that Chilean wine was 2 dollars wholesale... No wonder this liquor store that doesn't card always let's me buy 3 bottles of "The Black Cat Wine" for 10 bucks.

[gesundheit]

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