Train ride to Upstate NY.

Thursday, Heidi and the girls and I took our first train ride.  They stayed Wed. night at my house.  The taxi came for us at 3:00 am to take us to Union Station.  There we caught an Amtrak train to Penn Station in NY city.  Changed trains to Albany, NY.  Got a rental car so that we could drive around.  Total time traveling was 7 hours.

The purpose of our trip was to find a house for Marc and Heidi.  They are moving to that area the end of May.  But we also had a great adventure.  Our hotel was very nice with a small living area, two queen beds, big flat screen TV, and a swimming pool.  The girls especially liked the swimming pool.  They are both great swimmers.  Heidi and I swam also, but our favorite was the hot tub.

We looked at several townhouses and Heidi decided on one that met all of their needs, so our mission was successful.

On the train.

The winning house.  It is two levels.

Dancing in the elevator was a must.

Waiting in the train station to begin our trip back to DC.

It was snowing, changing to rain, when we left.

The trip home proved to be a lot longer.  We caught the train in Albany and traveled to Penn Station without mishap.  But just outside of NY city, our train had engine troubles.  They sent for a mechanic.  Then they sent for another engine.  Still problems so they put us on another train.  Trouble was, it was already full, so we would have to stand.  We decided to get back on the first train and wait.  Then they put us on a different train.  Finally, three hours later, we were on our way again.  Total travel time was about 11 hours for Heidi and the girls.  Once we got to Union Station in DC, they still had to take the metro to the last stop on the orange line and then get a ride (about 17 miles) to Manasses.  It was a long day.