Trains, Buses, and Shopping

First of all, I am safe and sound in Boston! I've unpacked all of my clothes & things and have even gone grocery shopping. Of course I already have a list of things I still need to buy:

-shower puff (how did I forget to bring that?!)
-laundry soap & dryer sheets
-coffee

In case you're not up to date, I don't have a car up here, which is FINE. My friend Mary & her husband picked me up from the train station this morning and just being in the car was kind of harrowing. I'm happy to be taking the bus (there's a stop like, a minute from my apartment) and the subway (which I have not attempted yet).

But I'm getting ahead of myself!! Let's back up to the AMTRAK. I got on the train at approx 8 am yesterday morning and arrived in Boston at approx 8 am this morning. About 22 hrs of that was actually on the train, but there were two hours in between trains where I chilled in D.C. As I've said before, this was a really new experience for me. Since I know most of you haven't spent this long on a train, either, let me share some of my observations with you.

The first thing I noticed was the space. There was plenty of room for my long legs - enough room that I put my duffel bag and my cooler of food under my feet and was still incredibly comfortable. The website said that economy class wasn't guaranteed outlets to plug my crap into, but there outlets on both of my train, which was really nice. The bathrooms were sketchy in that way all bathrooms on moving things are, but they were much bigger than airplane bathrooms. The seats aren't assigned; it's first come, first serve, and I had no problem finding a good spot.

I got on the train at the beginning of the line and stayed through to the end on both trains, which made things less stressful - even when I fell asleep for hours at a time, I wasn't worried about missing my stop. I had different seatmates all throughout the day & night. Some of my favorites:

-The girl who sat down, opened her computer, and immediately started watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. When she noticed I kept looking over her shoulder, she was kind enough to offer me an earbud, and we totally geeked out for a little bit.
-The South African guy who'd had an even longer day than me - he'd started in Edinborough, to London, to Frankfurt, to D.C., and finally on the train to Baltimore. He's getting his freaking ph.d. in biomedical engineering at Carnegie Mellon; I was a little flabbergasted. We bonded over traveling and having no clue what to do after undergrad.
-The guy who got on the train with me this morning in Providence, R.I. to commute to Boston and, amused, was like, "you've been traveling for a while, haven't you?" Because in my black sweat pants, grey hoodie, wrapped up in a blanket, and eating food out of a Bud Light cooker (I am ALL CLASS), I clearly was not a commuter. He then gave me lots of advice about what to see and do while I was here, and he recommended a bunch of museums, as well as several towns and cities I could day trip to. I think I'm definitely going to check out Providence while I'm here - it seems like a really cute city.

I really did enjoy having my own food & drink with me. I didn't spend any money at all on my trip, which was really nice. The train stations were relatively easy to navigate, and I had no problem getting my luggage from either train. I also feel like the employees in the train station were much more helpful and friendly than ones in an airport. Even though the train trip took a lot longer than a plane would have, it was so much more stress free and comfortable.

So, this morning Mary and I walked outside of the train station to her car and I was amazed to find some chilly, rainy weather. The weather here is much closer to Boone than to Savannah, which I am honestly glad of. I hate hot summer weather - I was in hibernation most days in Richmond Hill. Anyway, we drove to Whole Foods for some breakfast foods, and what did I get? Sushi and a mango smoothie. Seriously. A spicy tuna roll for breakfast is kind of fantastic, I'm not gonna lie. I couldn't even think about eating another sandwich, and I really wanted something refreshing.

Once I finally got to my new place, the first thing I did was take a shower. Because I was gross. Like, not gonna lie, I smelled really, really sketchy. And it was a really, really amazing shower because of that. The bathroom here is really nice. There's only one in the apartment, but it's tiled and really well kept up.

Second step was getting on the computer, where I was joined by some adorable kittens, who stayed with me while I napped for literally 4 hours. Woke up this afternoon to more rain, and I really avoided leaving the house until after 5:00. I took the bus to the grocery store, and got confused about which stop to get off at (Was supposed to get off at Coolidge Corner, not Coolidge Street). It was fine, though, because I walked the few remaining blocks and it was awesome. This was literally the moment I fell in love with Boston. The bus had been hot and crowded, and the windows were so fogged up I couldn't see out. So when I stepped into the fresh air and looked around at the neighborhood, I just broke out into this huge smile. Next time I'll take pictures, but let me describe the area.

There's a huge Jewish school, which means there are lots of shops and restaurants that cater to Kosher food and Israeli culture. There are also Thai, Vegan, Italian, French (crepes!!), and Mediterranian restaurants, just to name a few. There are tiny bookstores, clothing stores, and whatever else kind of stores. I actually stopped at the Gap on the way to the grocery store and bought a $19.99 (no tax on clothes!!!) pair of jeans. SCORE.

And of course I love Trader Joe's. I bought a cloth bag, and between that, my backpack, and a paper bag, I had it all comfortably packaged to take back on the bus. I only have to take one bus - the #66 - and it runs almost comfortably, so that's really easy! I saw where the subway stop is, which is really helpful. I'm going to explore more tomorrow!

My roommates seem really great so far. They're really friendly and helpful, and one of them invited me out with her to celebrate the 4th of July together. Her boyfriend has a rooftop on his building where we are going to cook out and watch the fireworks! How amazing is that? She's also going to show me around some on Friday, when she has the day off.

I know this is ridiculously long! But I don't want to forget anything, so you're going to get it all. Feel free to comment with any questions you have or stuff you want me to talk about in future posts!