Who you meet on the slopes makes all the difference

Friday March 9th leaving the city on an Amtrak train bound for New England.


I find myself back in familiar and familial territory this weekend, traveling by train from New York to meet my parents and good family friends in Greenfield Massachusetts. Train travel in the U.S can be an interesting harrowing, and educational experience or just a plain drag depending on what you want out of traveling. Many commute with trains every day others take long distance trains from city to city... Train travel is quite different here than in other countries in Europe I've been too recently. France for instance has an extensive, well developed, high speed and modern train system, people rely on the TGV for fast reliable travel between cities in France as well as Belgium.

 Greece on the other hand does not... Train travel in there is frowned upon and very badly maintained. Very few use trains to travel from city to city and those who do don't have a very pleasant experience to recount. It's some what considered second class travel. Despite the fact that many could benefit from using trains instead of cars in their travel between cities. Trains are old and run down for the most part and I guess if you want an authentic cinematic experience alla Theo Angelopoulos might as well take a train to northern Greece from Athens... Larissa Station.

Upon leaving New York City from Penn Station on a busy Friday afternoon I found myself among the commuter crowd leaving the city for the suburbs, of southern Connecticut and beyond. People ending their work week reading the newspaper, texting their families, reading that book they intended on finishing last week or catching a little shut eye between destinations. The city in the setting sun disappearing in the distance as the train made its way up the north east corridor towards New England...


Western Mass was my home town for many years. I have very fond memories of my life here as a teenager but now I love that I be here as an adult and see it in a very different light. Beautiful mountains, farmland, simple and honest people who don't give too much of a fuss, liberal crazies who fight for every cause that is never too big or small.  I love this place.




Departing New York for Massachusetts


Vermont Prospect Mountain ski slopes!

A fine meal with friends :)




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