Boston
I took a cab to our Boston (Braintree) office Tuesday morning. My cab driver fancied himself a stand up comic who tested his newest material on me. He had his moments, but being a cabby certainly wasn’t his calling. We took the scenic route around the Boston area because he got lost a few times. Thankfully his meter was broken, so my cab was a flat rate from the beginning to the end of our ride.
NY
From Boston I took a train to our NY office (Kearny, NJ). I’ve been on commuter trains, but not regional trains like this. It was great!! I felt like I should have been carrying a trunk and hat box. Prepared for what seems to be an old fashioned method of travel, I brought Cary Grant movies to keep me entertained. I took lots of pictures to brag to my nephew that Auntie Beth rode a train. (I hear I scored cool points!)
When I arrived at NJ Penn Station, all that “cool” feeling went away. I got confused which stop was mine, almost got of a stop early, then brought other passengers into my panic. “Is this Newark or NJ Penn Station stop? Anyone? Is this where I’m supposed to get off?!” Note to Amtrak – your stops are not labeled and no one can hear the over head speaker.
When I did make it off the train and was dumped out to the masses and more confusion ensued. I had no sense of where I was or I need to go. I called my poor driver and tried to explain where I was. He, not used to the MB panic, was just as confused then finally just said, “Call me when you get outside.” So I called my boyfriend who had traveled more recently than me. He, bless his heart, is more accustomed to crazy MB. I managed to make it outside, a little frazzled, near tears, but safe in the car.
While in NY/NJ, I spent some time at the Javits convention center. The Director of Operations was kind enough to let the HR girl tag along on a walk through and ask silly questions. Fun fact: The Javits is just off the Hudson and our guys actually saw the plane land in the water. Unbelievable.
DC
A little more familiar with the NJ Penn Station, I felt like a pro this time. I got my ticket, sat in the waiting area until my train came up on the info board. Then I calmly walked to Platform 3.
That was until the TV monitor at Platform 3 showed “All Aboard” next to my train info. But there was no train. Another confused traveler got my attention, asked if we missed it. I, the more seasoned train traveler confidently said, “No, we’re in the right spot and clearly there is no train. There must be a mistake.” But then others started asking where the train was. I checked my ticket, then my watch, then the TV monitor, and all over again 3 or 4 times. Is it possible I sat in the waiting area too long?! But about a minute later the train arrived. I gave a knowing smile to the other travelers and boarded.
