Riding the Magic Carpet Made of Steel

"The sons of pullman porters
And the sons of engineers
Ride their father's magic carpet made of steel
Mothers with their babes asleep
Rocking to the gentle beat
And the rhythm of the rails is all they feel"

- Arlo Guthrie, City of New Orleans

I took my first train ride today! Aunt Ada gave us a ride from Princeton to Philadelphia, where we boarded the Acela Express bound for Washington DC. There was a very nice red cap person named Rick who helped carry our baggage down to the track and waited with us until the train arrived. Then we rolled past houses, farms, and fields, through two states (Maryland and Delaware) and even got a great view of the mighty Chesapeake Bay. Daddy was so excited- he finally got to take me on a train ride that he had been singing about for a year and he also got to check off another state on the list of ones he's visited (Delaware). That means only North Dakota, Kentucky, and Rhode Island to go!

I wasn't all that impressed by the ride, but it wasn't exactly a fair measure: I was horribly constipated by the iron I am now taking and I was pretty tired too. But I wasn't too upset to meet Amelia. a very nice 20 month old girl riding the train also.

When we got to DC, we went straight to the hotel and tried to lay down for a nap. After a short sleep. we rallied and made it to Zed's for Ethiopian food. I loved it! A cuisine made to eat with your fingers- this is a place for toddlers! I was also totally fascinated by the beautiful, dark skinned waitresses- I couldn't stop staring at them!

We finally made back to the room and collapsed all night- we needed to rest up for the next adventure: pandas at the zoo!