2009 Vacation Trip

I attended a conference in Philadelphia last month, and Sara and I decided to travel there by train. She had not been on the east coast, so we decided to turn it into a vacation.

The final itinerary ended up including Chicago (to change trains), Boston, Mystic, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Chicago again. We left on March 14 at 4 a.m. and got home on the 29th just before midnight. We didn't take along a computer, so we were disconnected from the Internet for two weeks.

While waiting in Chicago, we left our bags in the Metropolitan Lounge, and hopped on a bus to go down towards Lake Michigan. It was a cold day, so we walked from the bus stop until we could see the lake (from Millennium Park), and then headed back to catch the next train. (more pictures)

On to Boston, where we really liked Hotel 140, which was within easy walking distance of the Back Bay train station, and the least expensive of any we stayed at on this trip. We visited the Museum of Fine Art because Sara's dad's cousin, Jonathan Fairbanks, had been a curator there. Unfortunately, he was out of town, but we met a docent who knew him well (pictured here with Sara, and items collected by Jonathan). 

It was Sara's first time to ride on a subway, so that part of it was a lot of fun.

After the museum, we took the subway to the harbor, then walked into the city and came upon huge crowds of people (mostly in pubs or waiting to get in) celebrating St. Patrick's Day, pictured here. (more pictures)

After a second night in Boston, we caught an early train to Mystic, Connecticut. Its famous train station pictured here.

We celebrated Sara's birthday there, and enjoyed staying at the Inn at Mystic, pictured here.

The next day we went on to New York City. And, yes, we saw the Statue of Liberty, pictured here. (more pictures) 

Wow, what a vibrant place New York City is. Besides two days of open-to-the-air bus tours (freezing), we took in two evening shows, The Fantasticks and The Phantom of the Opera.

After 48 hours in the big apple, we went on to Philadelphia, where Sara rested and I attended the conference.

The last two days were spent in Washington D.C. The first day was quite cold and rainy, but the second morning was great. The second day, we were in the subway at rush hour, another new experience for Sara. We took trolley tours both days, and saw the sites. (more pictures)

Finally, three more days on the train, pictured here in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. (more pictures)

We're glad to be home.