occasional posts by risa aratyr
Risa Aratyr Washington, D.C. was our entire holiday in microcosm: big fun, but over-ambitious. We lived in Baltimore when I was quite young, 1958-1960. DC was a day-trip. Of course our parents took us there, probably more than once. My sister, two years older, retains a vague recollection. But though I remember Atlantic City (Boardwalk, diving horse, … Read more A Day in DC
In the idea phase of our cross-country train trip, we had it in mind to go from Tampa-St. Pete to Houston, where our daughter and son-in-law live. Inter-city travel is why trains were invented, right? We knew Amtrak wasn’t on a par with Europe’s anywhere-to-anywhere rail services, but surely it could get us to the … Read more Riding the Rails – A Monograph
We pulled into the station only about 30 minutes behind schedule and a few minutes ahead of our ride. Stepping down from the train onto the barely-shaded platform, the Florida heat hit like a giant fist wrapped in steamy towels. Florida boasts 4 Köppen-Geiger Climate Zones. A small square of south-east coast real estate qualifies … Read more Sunshine City
About 1821, a Brit – George Stephenson – successfully applied the burgeoning steam technologies of the Industrial Revolution to the field of transportation and created the world’s first steam locomotive. Over the next few years, he improved his design and sold a few English colliers on the benefits of shipping their product by rail. His … Read more Riding the Rails – A Primer
There was a full roster of ReUnion events set for Sunday as well, but Roy and I decided to call it quits Saturday night. Our new plan: Sunday brunch at the Starving Artist Café in Lee, snap a few pics of the town before heading out, take a leisurely drive to Albany to drop off … Read more New York – Round 2