Baltimore to Home

I have watched the Acela Express, up and down the NEC. My first encounter was in Boston, MA and many just north of Washington DC. I made this the opportunity to ride, from Baltimore to Washington. It as great, fast, smooth and clean. The only problem is that unlike Amfleet, there are no electrical outlets at you seat.

I only had an hour plus before the connection with the Silver Star and home. It seems, only one of the five trains ran late and it was about an hour. Starting with the home-bound, I begin to think about the trip and reflecting on it quality. This trip was determined by unknowns, such as what Landmark Center was. I begin looking more at the next trips. I do have several or more drawn up in part or whole.

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This was a unique trip, it was railfan inclusive rather than railfan exclusive. The primary purpose of this excursion was not to watch trains, so I called it a railfan inclusive excursion. I did take the train and watched some rail. If its primary purpose was train watching, that it is railfan exclusive.

I am a tourist and a sight seer, that is I love to tour and see the sights. I am not so much a site doer. I would not go to a amusement park, to ride the rides. I would prefer to go to the mountain top and watch the rides. The only doing that I prefer is riding trains or light rail or monorails.

Baltimore, MD, Part 2

I walked back to Centre Street and took to light rail to Mount Royal Station. Mount Royal was a former B & O Railroad Station. "Following its closure as a railroad station in 1961, it became part of the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)." [Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Royal_Station]


Behind Mount Royal Station is the Howard Street Tunnel. not a easy thing to photograph. I asked a CSX worker, where I might take a better picture, he mentioned that CSX still uses the tunnel. I asked how often, and he said about every 30 minutes

I snapped a couple of pictures, through a chain link fence. Before I could turn around, a CSX freight came along.

Of course, I do love to collect pictures of public are in public spaces.

From Mount Royal, I walked back to Penn Station. One thing I notice while waiting for the Acela Express, I took the second picture, It might be seen as a welcome sign from the train, but it is in a bad location. However it is good for those leaving on the train.


Before heading back to Penn Station, take video of the Light Rail at Mount Royal.

Baltimore, MD, Part 1

I spent the afternoon and evening in Prudential Center, Copley Place, and Back Bay Station. Finally, my train arrived. Overnight to Baltimore, MD. I first started thinking about Baltimore transfer when I thought about coming into Washington, and taking a short trip back to Baltimore. That quickly became a stop off and an excursion on the Acela Express. Of course, I can't stop anywhere without some local touring. I planned to stop by Mt. Holly Station, a monument in downtown and Camden Yard. A coup;e of other sites were chosen but more out of the way. I changed the order and went first to Camden Yard, via light rail. Only pictures of this part of town was the Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
I took the light rail to Centre Street and walked to Washington Monument and Mount Vernon Place

Close by is the Marquis de Lafayette Statue


The street leading to these is call Monument Street and these are some others

Landmark Center

As I planned this excursion, I came across the Landmark Center. It appeared to be a warehouse that was converted to a Shopping Mall. I wanted to visit just to see. Besides it was a nice ride on the green line, to a part of the area that I had never been.


Landmark Center is not a mall but an office tower with a few retail spaces on the ground floor. I might have some mallish space in the future. I spent a little time there and than rode the green line out and back to Copley. I took a brief stop by the Boston Public Library, a remodel of the Boston Public Library, I came into 35 years ago. I attended a seminar at the Library. I was a more comfortable. I took a brief nap there, before moving on.

I walked through the Prudential center mall and over to Copley. After dark, I went to the Prudential Observatory. I took pictures of the lights of Boston, with a bit of fog settling in.
End of day and time to wait for the train.

South Station to Landmark Center, part 2

I walked back to South Station, to catch the red line, one block along the river, right one block to the T station. As you have noted, I like trains, architecture, and public art. In these two blocks, I got all three:

Public Art

Trains (South Station)

Artistic Architecture

From South Street Station, I went down to the red line and took it to Park Street Station, the southeast corner of the Boston Commons.

As I worked my way through this trip, something came to mind, "visitors think they know everything, but locals know they know everything." Another, "it takes a visitor to really see everything, because the locals have begun to ignore the everyday." While at home, I don't notice a lot of things. I passed by statures and memorials that I never really look at and can't tell you who was who.

I have walked the Commons, a number of times, while living in the area and the various visits back to Boston. I have many pictures so did not take all that many. I started to take some of the ice skating rink, but no one was skating. I did take one of the State House, because it was a different view than I had in the past,

I got a couple of the Christmas Tree,

and one fountain.

I had thought about crossing the Commons and the Public Gardens to Arlington Station, but changed my mind and went to Boylston Station, instead. I boarded the Green Line to Riverside, exiting at Fenway Station.

South Station to Landmark Center, part 1

I did walk along the Harborwalk toward the Tea Party Ship and Museum.


I passed what I thought was art and entered the Hood Milk Bottle Plaza. From the Hood Milk Bottle Plaza we see Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, I did go in.

On Road, Second League

Normally, I do not blog as I go, but might make notes as I go. As i went, I made a few more journal entries than usual, as seen below, I will add notes as I go. The Journal entry is bold and I am inserting changes and additions.

[Day 2, Tuesday December 5, 2018]

6:45 AM We are stopped in Providence, RI. My first experience with Amtrak was taking the train from Providence to New York visiting Don and Sally and then Ann in the fall of 1978. I took the Chesse Steam special and then on to New England. I was still in Williamsburg. [my seat was not good to see the Providence and Worcester Railroad. In the 2012 excursion, in Providence, I saw the P&W and the Circus Train.]

[When I got into South Station, I saw that there was an unusual hook-up on the train. In Washington, Amtrak switches motive power from Diesel to Electric. For some reason, they use both diesal and electric in a two engine hookup.

In South Station, I got a day pass for the T, allowing me to use the public transit for the day. This will be quicker and better than individual fares. I got a bite to eat at South Station and prepared for the next part of the trip. The original plan was to walk to Rolling Bridge Park.

Instead, I took the T and walked from the nearest T station.

When I was planning for this trip, I was looking for a good place to video trains coming out of South Station. I saw this entry for Rolling Bridge Park.

 

Rolling Bridge is centered on the old lift bridges coming in and out of South Station. Looking at the pictures, it more of a historical site or memorial than a true park. It is separated from the rest of the city by industry. The only thing connecting it to anything is that it is at the end of the Harborwalk. It seems small and apart from the rest of the city, to be useful.