NYC to DC

The train pulled out of penn station and I sat contemplative of the future. The train ride from NYC to LA would have two major transfers. I first would go south to DC, wait two and a half hours than go to Chicago have six hours than on to LA. Along the way we would have major stops in big cities, little cities and towns that extras from deliverance and children of the corn lived. I couldn't wait.

Before the advent of the interstate highway system and air travel, the American passenger train service was one of the best in the world. But because of the conspiracy by big auto that we saw in "who framed roger rabbit", it had gotten to the point that Egypt had better train service than we did. Still though, Amtrak's biggest moneymaker was off their Northeastern corridor which carried hundreds of thousands of people a day between Boston and DC. If only the rest of the country had this.

As we pulled out of the tunnel and into north jersey I looked out the window. So many times I had seen this site, swamp land mixed with industrial and old style row housing. Ahead of me was that great American crap hole known as Newark. I looked back and could see the new World Trade Center rising in the distance . It was funny when I arrived nine years before it was just a whole in the ground and now it was rising again. I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture. An older rich regular of mine had said to me when he heard the news that I was leaving was you can't go home again. Only forward. I really didn't understand it till that moment.

We made our way to Newark penn station. More commuters crammed onto the train. I sat there, watching everyone. When I was 16-17 two movies had had a major impact on my life. One was Fight Club, the other was Office Space. I know, I know your thinking what the fuck? I know, but those two movies showed me what I didn't want my life to be. I mean they're both very similar . Guys realizing their corporate jobs suck ass, and do something extreme to get out of it. Of course they did things that where not very healthy anyway you looked at it. But I knew I wanted something different. Though in the last two years I had thought about going back to school and getting some job like that. Though a lot of people I knew who worked in that world hated it and hated their lives. Maybe that's why a lot if those guys drink a lot. I drink personally because its fun. So who am I to judge.

We passed through the ghetto of Newark, passed the north jersey suburbs, past Metuchen where I had shot many a sci-fi action film and had died many a great and glorious time from mutant aliens, zombies, space zombies, and girls with a crossbow. We passed the epic woods of South jersey where they lost the Russian in the sopranos. We got to Trenton the amazing state capital. I had never been to Trenton but it looked kind of like Camden which is kind of bad. Okay it's really bad. Finally we crossed over into Philly.

I had passed through Philly a number of times over the years but had only been there once on my 27th birthday when I ran up the steps like in Rocky. It was a cool town. Kind of like a mini NYC. It was ghetto in parts, but hey most cities on the east coast are kind of ghetto. I had gone into north Philly looking for Joe Frazier's gym. Wasn't able to find it. I had at one time wanted to live in Philly thanks to the Rocky movies. Heck I would of lived in Newark if the rocky movies had taken place there.

Philly sports fans are some of the biggest nut jobs in the world. Even Boston and New York fans agree they hate Philly fans. If Boston and New York are the Palestinians and Israelis, Philly fans are like the Iranians. These are the same fans who booed Donovan mcnabb when he was drafted, even though all those quarterbacks taken that year where busts. The Philly phanatic the biggest bastard mascot in the world, is the perfect embodiment of the sports fans of Philidelphia.

We pulled out of the station in Philly. I was able to get a window seat and looked out the window. I had always found something so beautiful about the industrial wasteland of the northeast. I could never put I to words what it was. Maybe it was the idea of this is America at work? Or maybe it looked like the set to all the movies I loved over the years ? I don't know. But I looked out at it and took it all in.

We left the industrial parts of Philly and hit the more rural parts of the northeast. It's funny you look out at the woods and you end up wondering what it looked like when the Europeans came. Is it the same woods it was when the original inhabitants where here? What about during the revolutionary war? That's been a cool thing about living in the northeast, you are surrounded by all of this history. You walk down the street or go to a town and you'll find some epic battle had happened or George Washington and Ben Franklin had hooked up with the same prostitute there. It's always kind of cool.

We made our way into Wilmington. Immediately looking around I said to myself don't mess with Wilmington this is Biden's town. We continued on into Maryland. We crossed a bridge that looked out towards Chesapeake bay. "God" I thought to myself," I wished I had come down here more often". We went through the woods past the horse farms of Maryland. We came upon Baltimore.

Baltimore a town that has seen much better days. Man I think Baltimore needs a Corey booker or a Bloomberg or a boss Daley. I look out and see the beat up row houses. Man this city could be something good if they could get their shit together. But isn't that the theme of the country at the moment? Heck that's the theme of my generation. We're all saying if only I could get my shit together. If only.

We leave Baltimore and proceed towards DC. It's woodsy now. Few houses nothing big. We start making our way into the outskirts of DC. In the distance I can see the capital dome. It's a magnificent sight to behold. We pull into DC Central Station.