MY JOURNEY HOME

I had thought that my trip from NY to VA to vote would be tough to top. I was very, very wrong.

My train had just passed Philly when my phone rang. The Nor'Easter has shut down the LIRR and Penn Station is closed! I checked with the conductor and like I've seen in too many bad movies, I sort of started a panic. We were looking at being stuck in Penn Station all night and having to sleep on the floor. Thanks to me people were talking and calling and panicking.

Let's go back a little. I had a great dinner and night with Cubby and his Partner watching the election results come in at Dupont Italian Kitchen. Cubby from Patently Queer has more photos and overly flattering write up.

I spent the morning after reading all about the great news and writing a few posts before checking out of my Priceline deal of the year Hotel and heading to lunch at Miewah. My train back to NY wasn't until 6:05 so I hung out and just relaxed, window shopped and took a few pics of hot guys on the metro. At around 5, my father called about the worsening Nor'Easter, that it was snowing and very windy 20-35 mile an hour winds with gusts up to 60. He thought I might be better staying in DC for the night. The news I had heard didn't make it out to be bad enough to stop the trains from NYC to where I live on Long Island and really thought he just didn't want to pick me up at 11 pm or midnight and told him I'd just take a cab. So I got on the train.



                                   Meiwah Restaurant
1200 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036







If I had gotten this call before Philly I would have gotten off the train and called Anne Marie but it wasn't meant to be. I went to the bar car and wound up getting a half bottle of wine that I shared with my seat mate and we had been talking since Baltimore. She didn't want much. I decided that this would just become an adventure, a perfect end to my trip, and relaxed. By the time we pulled into Penn, the LIRR was running again and Penn Station had been reopened. My train home was in ten minutes and all was looking good. Until they closed my branch of the LIRR and had cut outgoing trains to 2 per hour. The next train was not until 11 pm. I started wondering around and the more I heard and discussed with the station Police (there are always police, troopers and more in Penn Station) the more it looked like I was going to have to find a nice corner to spend the night in - at least Walmart was open, I could buy a cheap blanket and pillow.


I was faced with two options, either stay in the station or take the possible last train out and try to take a cab home from station much further from my home. I decided on plan B. Plan B took me to a station about 5 miles from my home or so I thought. Getting a cab was out of the question as they weren't running due to the storm - high winds and 5-6 inches of heavy wet snow that was weighing down trees and power lines. I knew the area and decide to get out of the madness in the train station and maybe get ahead of everyone by walking to some nearby stores. Not a good idea but I was committed to it. Of course at midnight all the stores were closed so I just kept walking and soon a few blocks became more. I was wearing running sneakers and they were soaked but I kept walking hoping the next group of stores would have something open but they didn't.

All along, I was playing Cher and she stayed with me my entire journey. At some point, I can't really remember when, it became clear (or maybe it was anger) that I was just going to have to walk the entire  way. Maybe it was the wine or the sense of adventure but I was energized. I was also wrong about how far it was. Things seem shorter in a car.

I had been walking for 2 hours an 45 minutes, taken a few pics (I would have taken more but needed to conserve battery power) and sent a few texts (in case I disappeared into a snow drift) when I was greeted by the State Police.


• SP - "Hey buddy, what are you doing?"
• Me - "Walking home."
• SP - "Why?"
• Me - "They canceled my train, I couldn't get a cab or a ride."
• SP -  "Where's home?"
• Me - " Lynbrook. But I started in Mineola."
• SP - "Whow! Why don't you hop in and I'll give you a lift."
• Me - " That would be great."
I had walked 5.5 miles and learned I still had 3 to go. I'm not sure that I would have made it. If I had been less tired, I would have tried to take advantage of being picked up by a hunky cop on a dark and stormy night but I guess it wasn't meant to be. That was Wednesday and although I'm not sore, it has taken me until today to get back to full energy. 


I hope President Obama appreciates what I did to vote for him and help swing VA blue.