But before we could get onto that train, we had to drive our rental car about 6 hours from Coconut Creek to Jacksonville, Florida to catch the train - because AMTRAK is doing track work south of Jacksonville and there are no trains running to Ft Lauderdale... ha ha... the Universe thought that would stop us... but NO... we just put on the new CD we swiped from Nana and hit the road!
We left at 7:30am and stopped once. The kids were good and the drive was uneventful. We arrived in Jacksonville for lunch. I tried to drop the car off at the rental return in downtown at the fancy Omni hotel on the promenade thing but they said no... you need to drop it off near the train station. I called the other drop off place and they said, don't bring the car here, just park it at the train station and leave the keys there... so that was our plan (universe again tried to screw with us - not going to happen). After figuring that all out, we decided we needed to have an outdoor fiesta at a place called Cinco de Mayo! I ordered a round of virgin margaritas and three orders of cheese quesadillas for all of us! And just like that we were partying it up in Jacksonville - hello kaleidoscope - we can have a good time anywhere. We had time to kill before our 5:00pm overnight train to Washington DC so we took a walk/run on the promenade and hung out - trying to get some of our wiggles out before the 15 hour enclosed space imminent experience...
Then we gathered up our stuff and headed out for the train station. It is a little train station in the middle of nowhere. Jonah, Vera and I had to get ourselves, 2 car seats, and all our luggage and carry ons into the station, to the baggage check and on the train... and you guessed it - no porters! With the help of some kind strangers we checked in and made it onto the train! Take that Universe!
On the train it was quite funny. We had a sleeping car for us and we made a fast friend across the way. Turns out he was riding by himself, but he was a gay dad of 4 1/2 year old twins from Long Island - and a elementary school teacher! How's that for funny! Jonah & Vera were were very excited to have a friend across the hall from us.
Everything in the sleeper car was super fantastic cool to Jonah & Vera... all the buttons and the "convertible furniture" and especially the seat that turned into a magical toilet and its accompanying flush button!!! They were excited about the little table that folded out of the wall and they used it to color, do stickers and watch movies. Around 6:30 we went for dinner in the dining car with our friend from across the hall... that was a mitigated disaster - enclosed space + slow service = melt downs... We returned to the sleeper car and got ready for bed. Jonah & Vera were super cute tucked into bed and actually fell asleep... we all were in the bottom bunk... snugs as bugs in a rug. We woke up early and went to the cafe car for snacks for breakfast - chocolate milk and donuts. An AMTRAK train guy hung out with us for a while and talked to Jonah & Vera. He gave them special tickets, crayons and Chuggington coloring books - they were so excited to meet the train conductor!!!
The train was delayed a bit but we packed up our stuff and thank god in Washington DC a wonderful Red Cap picked us up in a golf cart, whisked us away to the baggage claim, gathered our suitcases and car seats for us and walked us out to our car and Mama - who was waiting for us curbside... take that universe!
As they sing at the end of every Dora episode: "WE DID IT!"
Take that universe.
Better than a Thomas the train movie or a Chuggington ride at Disney - we did the real thing... 15 hours overnight in a real train - after a road trip from Nana and Pop and a little fiesta by the river...
Take that universe!
Chugga chugga chugga choo choo!!!!
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| HELLO JACKSONVILLE! |
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| WOW THAT TRAIN IS MUCH BIGGER THAN THOMAS MOMMY!!!! |
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| BREAKFAST TIME |
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