The Christmas Trip to Richmond

Last Friday I traveled from Union Station in Washington, DC to Richmond, VA to visit with family.  We decided we would have a pre-Christmas celebration this year by a few days, leaving all of us time to spend with other family and friends on Tuesday.  This turned out to be a wonderful idea.

I headed to Union Station around noon on Friday.  When I arrived and went to the board to check on my train, I found that it was delayed.

I was on the 95 N.E. Regional to VA Beach that was scheduled to leave at 2:30PM.  It turned out that the train was only 10 minutes late, so our schedules were not interrupted.  I have found that Amtrak runs a tight ship.  There are few delays.

Given that I arrived at the station early, I had some time to walk around.  Union Station in Washington is a beautiful space.  The station was redone a few years ago and it really is beautiful.

The stairs leading to the "Upstairs Bar" in the center of the atrium when you first enter the building.  The decorations were simple and elegant.  I would not have changed a thing.

A couple more shots from the open atrium area.  The building is very elegant.  Tasteful and elegant.  As you can see above, the atrium is awash in natural light.  It is very soothing.  It has a calming effect on the soul.  I many times need a calming effect on my soul, especially when traveling.  I'll either take an environment like this or a valium, but I prefer being in this beautiful space.

Here you see another eatery of some description on the upper level and shops on the lower level.  There are lots and lots of shops.  I went into a Bath & Body Works, but it was too crowded for me to stay for very long.  There is a wonderful Swarovski shop with the most exquisite pieces in the windows.  I did not buy anything from them, but I was tempted.

Finally, it was time to make my way to my gate in the waiting area.  It was very crowded.  Just before they started to call passengers for our train, people started crowding around the gate which is infuriating.  I was in the business class car.  They called for handicapped travelers and then business class travelers to board first.  We all had a difficult time getting to the gate because of the rude people who would not move out of the way.  Another sign of the times in which we live.  The train was crowded and hot, but in a mere two and half hours I was in Richmond.  So I put all of that unpleasantness behind me and had a wonderful visit with my family.