In Old Town Portland sits Portland's train station, Union Station. Union Station was built in 1896. It was considered to be the finest rail station west of St. Louis and the hub of the northwest railways. It is built of sandstone and brick in the Italian Renaissance style With a 150 foot clock tower that stands over the three story building. Later a neon "Go By Train" sign was added which has since become a Portland icon.
Inside the walls are of marble and art deco light fixtures hang from the three+ story high ornate ceiling. Sun light shines in from the 2nd and third story windows putting on an amazing dance of light on the marble. One hundred years later in 1996 the train station took on renovation that brought it back to its wonder years. The original wooden seats, fixtures and light up signage were kept in place. Stepping into Union Station is like stepping into a gauzy World War II movie scene.Passengers waiting for their train to board sit and stand by their worn leather luggage, poised in their travel clothes and various military uniforms. A young man and woman stand on the platform in the mist. She in a charcoal gray pencil skirt, pink cardigan sweater and high heeled pumps and he his bell bottomed sailor uniform. They are having one last embrace before he boards the train and heads off to war. They tear apart from each other as they hear "all aboard, last call...", the train pulls out and she chases it for a few minutes crying I love you. The train leaves her behind and she is left to her sobs and tears and the uncertainty of their future and the future of our country and world.
However, the reality of people talking on cell phones and using laptops keep me spending too much time in the day dream I have stepped into. Too bad the train station couldn't be a reality free zone and leave me to over romanticising this form of travel.
This is where my 48 hour train adventure started. I convinced my children plus one that this would be a great way to travel and get to Grand Junction Colorado where I would have a tearful reunion with my own soldier. There is a bench against the brick wall outside the entrance under the Union Station, Portland Oregon sign. I am sure everyone starting a vacation at this train station gets their picture taken under this sign. We did of course as well. Sitting in the middle of the bench all by himself was a little boy. He appeared to be around seven years of age and out of a modern day Oliver Twist story. I don't believe he spoke much English and we could not ask him to move so we sat around him and included him in our group photo. From then on we referred to him as "Train Boy". Train Boy did have a dad, we saw them together later on our train and he provided entertainment as we had Train Boy sightings and made up Train Boy stories.Inside the station we met "Mr. Conductor" and checked in and then waited. You do a lot of the waiting part when traveling by train. Hours and hours of waiting. they never leave on time and then once you are moving you will wait more and sometimes wait in the middle of nowhere. It turns out that Amtrak leases the lines from freight companies and the freight trains have the right of way. Frequently you will stop, sometimes for a few minutes and sometimes for hours while a freight train works its way around you.
Waiting in the station to be called "all aboard" we discovered "Train Girl".
Train Girl looked like she just stepped out of the before mentioned movie. She was sitting with perfect posture, long legs crossed in a chair reading a book. Dressed in a black pencil skirt, soft yellow sweater, a red scarf tied around her neck and a pair of vintage white pumps helped to show off her long legs. Train Girl's makeup was flawless, a soft matte finish and bright red lipstick. Her hair was pulled back into kind of a partial French twist. Sitting at her feet was a vintage round leather suitcase and a big floppy hat rested on top of it. In her lap was a bright red clutch purse. She was amazing. We all wanted to be her.After boarding our train, the Coast Starlight, (doesn't that sound romantic?) we situated ourselves. Figured out who was sitting with who, organized our luggage and other things. We had enough food for five people traveling for two days, cooler, blankets, pillows, games and music. Amtrak does not provide much if you are traveling coach class. We tested our seats to see how far they would recline and how comfortable the foot rests were. We got used to the steady hard swaying of the train and the noises it made. Then it was time to explore and spy on Train Girl. We pretended to take pictures of each other so we could get her in the back ground. We followed her into the lounge car and the movie car and made up stories about who she was and where she was going. She was always looked wonderful. We are not completely crazy stalkers had fun on our own. Reading, games, napping,day dreaming and wandering through the cars. We watched "Because of Winn Dixie" in the movie car. Who wouldn't love to see Dave Matthews singing barefoot to the animals. We slept.
The next morning we caught up with Train Girl again. She was still completely put together. Wearing a new outfit of the same quality, no wrinkles, hair done and makeup applied. She looked fresh and well rested. Somehow she was able to pull this off effortlessly. Later we saw her sitting in an observation car having an intense conversation with an exotic looking gentleman. I am sure it was some deep philosophic conversation or they were solving the world's problems. We parted ways half way to our destination in San Francisco. She stayed on the train headed south for Los Angeles, or Mexico, or maybe even Argentina. We never talked to her. I supposed we didn't want to risk a chance of ruining our idea of who we wanted her to be. We got off the train and waited for another heading east, one that would get us to Colorado. The California Zephyr.
