A Week Til My Train Leaves the Station
The countdown is ON. Next week I’m embarking on what feels like one of the grandest adventures of my life.
Hotels are booked, tours and attractions are scheduled, friends are notified, and your girl’s hair is already done because we ain’t got time to deal with frizz and tangles. Heat and moisture will not get in the way of this lady’s Hot Girl Summah adventure.
Read on to find out which cities I’m visiting, what I’m most looking forward to seeing, how I’ve been prepping, and check out the *official* Great USA Rail Adventure playlist!
Where I’m Headed
1. Denver, CO: Gonna check out the Molly Brown House Museum and Larimer Square.
2. San Francisco, CA: Terribly sad that I won’t be able to ride a cable car (they’re still closed due to COVID) but I’m excited about taking a San Francisco Bay Cruise, walking along the Golden Gate Bridge, and seeing the sea lions at PIER 39!
3. San Luis Obispo, CA: Just a quick stopover so I can pick up the Pacific Surfliner train to LA, but I’ll for sure hop over to the intriguingly gross Bubblegum Alley.
4. Los Angeles, CA: A friend is flying out to meet me and we’ll be staying in Little Tokyo! Looking forward to eating all the things and taking a full-day tour of “ICONIC” L.A. sights.
5. Flagstaff, AZ + the Grand Canyon: Do I even need to say anything? I’m going on a full-day tour to the FREAKING GRAND CANYON. I might also try and do a nighttime tour at the Lowell Observatory.
6. Chicago, IL: Spending a nice chunk of time here in a fancy hotel in the heart of the action! In addition to trying to meet up with a couple of friends, I’m going to the American Writers Museum (it would be blasphemous not to), visit the Skydeck, and hopefully go on an architecture river cruise.
7. New York City, NY: Spending another big chunk of time here! I’m planning a visit to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and the Guggenheim among other things.
8. Niagara Falls, NY: Been here with the fam before but haven’t explored the U.S. side. Looking forward to jumping back on the Maid of the Mist and all the activities in and around Niagara State Falls Park.
I’ve never been out West (with the exception of a few days in Las Vegas) so I’m super stoked about visiting California and the Grand Canyon. I often joke that I’ve traveled to more places outside the U.S.A. than inside it, but I have spent really brief periods of time I barely remember in Chicago and NYC, and I took an amazing trip to the Canadian side of Niagara with my family that I absolutely loved.
I still have two remaining train segments and 7 days after I come back to use them. I’m thinking I might do a round-trip visit with family/friends…or just let them expire if I’ve had enough train-riding by then, haha.
How I’ve Been Prepping
- Got my hair did! It’ll be one less thing I have to worry about on the go.
- Researching and comparing attractions and must-see sights.
- Watching YouTube videos with tips and tricks for surviving long train rides in coach.
- Watching a ton of Food Network shows set in the cities I’m visiting so I can make sure I get some good eats.
- Bought a carry-on-sized travel backpack (so I don’t have to pay to check luggage on my flight), packing cubes (to keep me organized), a daypack, and some new tarot cards (The Modern Witch Tarot Deck). I have an ever-growing list of things I still need to get like a sleeping mask, ear plugs, etc. Pray for my wallet.
- Requesting my mom make me a “quillow”–a quilt that folds into pillow and has a pocket I can tuck my feet into.
- Deciding what books to load onto my kindle!
The Official Great USA Rail Adventure Playlist
For this trip, I’m building a living-and-breathing playlist that I’ll be adding to as I get inspired by my time on the train, places I visit, and general vibes. I love pop, indie pop and rock, and alternative so if that’s not your thing, you probably won’t like it. Still, I encourage you to give it a try! For now, you can listen to the jams that have been getting me hyped up while I’ve been preparing for take-off.
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