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Writer's pictureLucian@going2paris.net

Made It To DC


Union Station

Washington, DC

January 1, 2023


I must have taken the Northeast Regional from Charlottesville to DC 200 times. So many memories with an unhealthy dose of sadness.


Becasuse I have a "private room" on my next two trains, I have free access to Amtrak's Metropolitian Club. It's better than sitting in terminal (what a terrible name) but a far cry from the Air France lounge in Paris.


A good number of people traveling today.




I knew this answer but so I don't forget. From Tge Smithsonian:


Union Station, Penn Station— why do so many major train stations have the same few names?


In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many railroad companies built and owned the stations on their lines. The Penn Stations in New York City, Newark, New Jersey, and Baltimore are remnants of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company’s network, says Travis Harry, director of museum operations at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, a Smithsonian Affiliate. But other stations—such as those in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.—were transportation hubs, serving trains from multiple companies. They were named Union Stations because that’s where different lines met up.


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tommasopacelli
Jan 01

do you find the train travel more relaxing than flying? or driving? convenient?

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Lucian@going2paris.net
Lucian@going2paris.net
Jan 01
Replying to

Hi Tom. Bucket list item. First time I have taken an overnight train. Got a “roomette” so I don’t have to sleep in a seat. If nothing else, it’s something different! Costs a whole lot more than flying. I’ve read so much about the building of the Transcontinental Railroad that it got me thinking of long-distance train travel. My trains follow a different path — if this trip is fun, I might try a different route next time that possibly follows more of the TR route.

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