I was on the road again this week and had to travel light. I did the thing that always makes me feel like Cheryl Strayed in Wild: I finished reading a book and mailed it home to myself, to save room in my suitcase.
(People Collide by Isle McElroy was so good, I finished it in less than 24 hours after starting. I’m dopey in love with the story, sleep-walking around just thinking about the characters. That’s the book I mailed home this week—and it got back a few hours before I did!)
This week I rode the Pennsylvanian Amtrak line from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and back again.
… And last night I slept for 11 hours. Business trips are demanding! I find riding the train more relaxing than driving or flying, but it still took a lot out of me. Plus I had a tiny headcold all week (I tested neg for COVID every day; I masked as a courtesy and people were aggressively unpleasant about it).
I had a BLAST just watching the world go by out of the train windows. I tried to see it as a game, snapping photos at just the right moment:
Shoutout to the World Famous Horseshoe Curve!
But here’s how Pittsburgh kept me on feet:
Got a little Philly time, too:
Home at last! It was Friday the 13th but I tried not to think about that while I was traveling. Once safety at home, I got festive:
Laura Eppinger 