I wish I could say the trip home went as smoothly as our trip up, but I would be lying.
The first leg of the trip from Milwaukee to Chicago went smoothly. We were able to get on the train with relative ease. There was no rush; we found space for our luggage and comfortable seats. I was even able to do a little writing. Our stop was the last in the line, so we didn’t even have to worry about missing it.
Unfortunately, our luck ended there. Checking our luggage at Chicago was easy enough, then we went to the great hall in Union Station, which is something to see if you get the chance. But then we made the ill-fated decision to go to the food court. It was a bit of a rabbit warren and full of people. Managing it by myself would have been a challenge. But add in an overwhelmed and tired daughter with luggage in tow and it becomes a nightmare.
Thankfully, since we had booked a sleeper, we were able to wait for our train in the Metropolitan lounge. And wait we did! Our scheduled departure was for 6:40 p.m. We finally boarded about 10 min. to 10:00 p.m. That they had snacks and TV while we waited helped pass the time, but it wasn’t quite enough.
Needless to say, everyone was tired and cranky by the time we got on the train. Thankfully, my daughter was able to get a shower while the train was still moving slowly. Showering while it is moving at speed is not for the faint of heart! Fair warning, the shower, like the toilets, is pretty small. Add wet and slippery to careening train, and you now have the perilous part of the adventure! We were both happy to climb into our bunks that night, and yes, I was in the top bunk again. This time though, I had packed better so we were much more organized.
The next day was tough. It turns out that they had to remove the dining car from the train. The cafe car became their kitchen and dining car. So the seating and eating weren’t nearly as nice as on the way up. The food was still good, but it was more like a better quality microwave meal than anything else.
We were both tired, and the delay just kept getting longer.
As tired as I was, there were still a lot of stories to be seen in the landscape as we passed by.
I kept nodding off, and eventually, my daughter took over taking pictures. As the delay started to reach the 6+ hour mark, we were both pretty stressed out, and I think her taking pictures helped her cope with that.
Every time we had to stop for another train, we felt more and more anxious. The thing was, I did not want to come into West Palm station after midnight, which at that point was looking increasingly more likely. Even though the area there is not what it once was, everything changes after dark. And I wasn’t feeling comfortable with the idea of me, my girl, and all our luggage trying to navigate that station and reach our car at that time of night.
But someone was looking out for us. I was trying to figure out how we could get off the train and still make it home, when out of the blue, my friend Jenni called about something completely unrelated. Apparently, her spidysense was tingling. When I told her about the situation, she threw her hand up in the air (this might have been literal. I don’t know because I wasn’t there, but I could absolutely see her doing it), and said, “Get off the train at Winter Park. I will pick you up and drive you guys home.
Now, usually I would have declined and just pushed through or figured it out on my own. I mean, we had already ordered dinner to be brought to the roomette! But this time, I saw the offer for what it was, the universe throwing me a lifeline, and I took it.
Everything from that point was a whirlwind. The staff was amazing! They helped make sure my baggage would get off with us at Winter Park. They, too, seemed relieved that we were not going to be getting off at West Palm at almost one o’clock in the morning. It could also have had something to do with the fact that my daughter had been in tears for hours at that point.
Jenni, true to her word, was there to pick us up, having driven about an hour plus to do so. The relief at seeing her at the station was something I can’t put into words, and given my occupation, that is saying something. As my daughter put it, “Jenni saves the day!”
From there, she drove us another two and a half hours home. Then, in the morning, she drove me to pick up my car. On top of that her find-cool-places mojo must have been working overtime because we found this great little ’50s style dinner with great tongue-in-cheek names for their dishes. The food and service were fantastic. If you ever make it down to West Palm Beach, Florida, I would recommend you stop at Nick’s 50s Diner on Okeechobee Blvd. (a link to their Insta here if you are interested)
How many people can say that they have friends like that! If you can, then appreciate them and hold on to them tight. They are more precious than diamonds.
Idyll Dreams & Nonsensical Things 