The good trains

It's been two weeks since I left New York and so far I don't miss it. It always takes a while to get used to a new area and how things are done but one thing is very much the same, the trains.

Riding the train to Washington, DC is not the same as riding the train into Manhattan. For example, the conductors are never quite sure whether or not they've checked your ticket. The trains are newer and double-decker since there aren't any tunnels to go through and that means more comfortable seats with more room. So people aren't so crammed on the trains as in New York.

There is a "Quiet car" on each train where people aren't allowed to use their cell phones or talk loudly, the down side is that they don't make announcements either, so be sure you're on the correct train before you sit in the quiet car.

The station where I get on the train near my apartment doesn't have a platform so the conductors only open the doors in two places and get out with stools to allow the riders to climb up inside. There really isn't a line so people just sort of push together without touching each other. Amongst this the riders are still more courteous than New Yorkers.

When the train gets to Union Station the riders begin to line up back from the door the same as in New York only in New York all those people lining up will get off the train before you if you don't shove into the line before it starts moving. In Washington the riders in the line wait like in an airplane for those in the seats ahead of them to get out. It's nice but slows down the process if you're in a hurry. The best advice is to get in line and move as close to the door as you can and past as many rows of seats as you can.

But getting off the train quickly won't help you out unless you are in the front car. Everyone walks really slow down the platform, I can't even take a full step. Then they all squish through a couple of doors into the station and then down a single escalator to get to the Metro trains. The best thing to do is probably just sit on the train for a minute and let it all clear up.

However you do it, no matter what, it still feels more laid back then the commute to Manhattan. It makes things feel less stressful when you can leisurely commute, it adds a little bit to your day and takes a little less from your soul.

The Movers

Although we've done our fair share of moving we've only used movers twice in the past. When you hire movers there is a lot to think about, how much should you pay, do you get the extra protection coverage, etc. Both times we've used movers it was paid for by my company and we didn't get to choose, it was Allied.

They did such a good job packing us up and replacing the TV stand they broke that it was an easy decision to go with them for a third time around. This time I had to see the price though, and it was more to move us to Maryland than it cost the company to move us from Seattle to New York. I'm guessing that the company has some sort of discount program with Allied that I won't be able to use this time.

So we will foot the bill out of my signing bonus and cover any of the differences ourselves. The good news is that we won't need to worry about packing the apartment we're letting them take care of that. It's the least I could do for my wife after she takes care of the baby while I'm at work everyday.

Now all we need is for our brand new apartment to be ready on time. We are scheduled to move in May 8 but they won't guarantee anything and just say that it depends on the county inspections.

Cross your fingers for us.

Maryland, here we come!!

We've been in New York for slightly less than 2 years, of course this was our second time around in the area, but I am glad to say that I've taken a job in Washington, DC and we will be leaving in about 2 1/2 weeks.

While New York has its good points it's hard not to become calloused by the difficult circumstances of working and living in a place with so many people. It's probably one of the only cities in the world where you can be surrounded by millions of people and feel totally alone. With all of the panhandlers and people handing out fliers on the street it becomes easy to ignore everything going on, you become cynical and hardened.

I made a trip to Seattle last fall and my coworker and I couldn't figure out why people were honking at us, we were just crossing the street just like we would in Manhattan, on the "Don't Walk" signal. The drivers were freaked out that we would even attempt to cross while they were making left turns in front of us. It's a daily occurrence that a car gets within 2 inches from my foot as I cross 5th avenue, and I think nothing of stepping out in front of a car as it stops for the red light.

I'm looking forward to leaving all of this behind and beginning a new job in a new city with my wife and baby.

Dogs on the train

Every now and again you will see someone bringing a dog onto the train. Animals are generally not allowed to ride the rails but some people don’t care where they take their dogs. I’ve even seen them at the grocery store riding in the same carts where I put my produce, gives new meaning to washing your vegetables before eating them. Only occasionally do you see someone who actually has a legitimate reason to bring their dog on the train. Tonight it was a gray haired blind man.

The dog sniffed around and took him to a nearly empty seat. The dog immediately ducked under the seat and lay down next to his master’s feet. The blind man felt around and made his way into the seat. The woman across from him looked only slightly concerned that the dog had pushed passed her to lay down. But even a sleeping dog at a man’s feet was not enough to stop an overweight Italian man from attempting to get into the only other seat on the 4-seater, the man practically stepping on the poor animal’s head as he squeezed into a seat that only a child should sit.

Twenty minutes into the ride and the yellow lab guide dog is calmly sniffing the floor of the train to see if there is anything worth licking up, hoping that his master will drop one of the Fritos he’s eating. He gives up on his dream and lays his head back down patiently waiting until it’s time to get up and help his master off the train.

At the Peekskill station the dog sits there as all the people walk by. An Asian man actually stops and bends down to touch the dog, something that the dog obviously didn't expect and jerked his head backwards as if to say, "hey, what the heck!"

I couldn't help but want to take a picture of the good 'ole dog. What can I say, I'm a sucker for little girls and labs.

Mobile disease incubators

With cold and flu season at it's peak it's only natural that I would take the time to complain about those people who for the sake of saying "I HAVE to be at work" will get on public transportation and spread the "love."

It usually takes a lot for me to get sick but if I do I can usually get over it in a couple of days without too much discomfort. A year ago I was sitting on the train in a 4-seater with two people facing me and one right next to me. The guy across from me starts hacking right in my direction and there was nothing I could do about it. Sure enough about 2 days later I was down with a 102 degree fever. I was out for 3 days before I managed to make it in to the office confident that I wasn't contagious anymore.

So here I am again, a year later and now I have a 7 week old baby at home to consider. There is no way I'm going to bring some nasty flu home this year. So on the train this morning, the man in the row in front of me keeps hacking, this time I get up and move. I hope he noticed.

There is something called "the strap" that people use in the subway. It is a piece of leather that goes over the handrail in the train so they don't have to touch it to hold on. Maybe if it gets really bad I can start carrying SARS masks and hand them out to the coughing people.

Sick days are not just for you, they are for the courtesy of the people around you. Don't go to work and spread your cold to everyone you come into contact with along the way.

Frozen chunks of Hudson

This is the view of the Hudson river from the Beacon train station in the middle of winter. I know it's small but notice how the river is frozen. The only exception is a tiny path in the middle cut by the large ships on their way up the river to Albany.

Across the Hudson lies the ghetto (no joke) of Newburgh, NY. A small passenger ferry brings commuters across the river to the train station during rush hour but when the river looks like this the ferry can't make the trip and the commuters have to take a bus across the river.

I personally think that the ice chunks floating down the river are very cool. When my mother-in-law came to visit from Tennessee I went out of my way to show her the river, things don't freeze like that down south.

What I've liked the most about the river freezing is the train ride into the city. The tracks go right along the river and you will see ducks and geese and all sorts of birds sitting out on the ice. There are even a few Bald Eagles that like to sit on floating ice chunks and watch for fish to swim by.

It's one of those things that makes you forget that you are surrounded by a bunch of New Yorkers and lets you appreciate the beauty of the area. Then when you are in the midst of appreciating the magic of nature two old ladies in front of you start in... "Did you see all the ice on the riv-uh? I know, I've never seen so much ice in the riv-uh before. I told my daw-tuh that she has got to see all the ice on the riv-uh. Oh look a Bald Eagle!! Out theh on the ice!"

At this point I just put on my headphones and crank "Where the streets have no name."

Repair vs. Trade

Last week I took our Subaru to the dealership because there was a small gas leak in the engine and fumes were coming into the car, not the best thing to have with a newborn. So the shop said they could fix it, oh and by the way there's all this other stuff wrong too and it will cost you $2700.

The Kelly Blue Book value for the car is $3250, only $550 more than the cost of the repairs so I decided that it didn't make much sense to dump that money into repairing it but it would be better to put that money towards another car.

Dealerships in my area of New York are a lot like other places in the country only it has New Yorkers as the salesmen. So imagine a car salesman with New Yorker attitude showing you cars that you sort-of like and telling you that they are making you a huge deal on it and that you would be missing an opportunity if you don't act on it right now.

I went to five different dealerships and each one of the them want your contact information before they will talk to you about a car. This way if you leave without buying something they can send you a letter in the mail and call you to try and get you to back in there to sell you a car you don't want.

I finally found what I was looking for on day 2 of looking but it was a lot more than I wanted to spend. I couldn't get them to budge any further on the price so I left and told them I would think about it. This gave them license to call me twice the next day to see if I was going to come back.

I waited 2 days before heading back and making the deal. In the long run we decided it was better to spend the money on something that we really liked and that would hold it's resale value longer than the cheaper cars out there. I bought a certified used Nissan Murano from the dealer in Newburgh, NY.

I signed the papers on January 20th and in the middle of the process we stopped to watch Barack Obama take the oath of office. It will be an experience I won't soon forget.