How Many Pokémon You Catch Today?

After 62 days on the road, I arrived in a state I had never previously visited. “Welcome to Mississippi! The land of being last in everything,” said Mr. Y, my host for Hattiesburg, as he greeted me. My initial impression seemed to the contrary.   The station,...

Vibrant Greenville

“It seems like you are on the ‘Dilapidated American Trail,’” said a friend after reading a few of my blog entries. While my visits to larger cities have not been so disheartening, my jaunts into smaller towns such as Dillon and Palatka were upsetting. The extent of...

3 Good Seasons

Faded Raleigh Amtrak Sign   “We get 3 good seasons and 1 week of winter here in Raleigh!” exclaimed my Uber driver who had grown up in Pennsylvania. “That’s what keeps me here,” he added. Invariably, the cold winters seem to be the prevailing factor for those who...

A Graceful Independence

“Most travel, and certainly the rewarding kind, involves depending on the kindness of strangers, putting yourself into the hands of people you don’t know and trusting them with your life. This risky suspension of disbelief is often an experience freighted with...

“My accent?” I Mused To Myself

Stepping off the Palmetto, a train service that connects New York City to Savannah, I was greeted by a clear blue sky and warm sunshine. Despite the pleasant weather, downtown Dillon was not the kind of place to offer any business hours on Sunday. It was Super Bowl...

Savannah

The genesis of Savannah was of a utopian idea. James Oglethorpe, a British statesman, was appalled at the conditions of debtors’ prisons in 18th century England. His concern was compounded by the fact that once defaulters were released they often had no means of...