The source of the above quote can be found here (some naughty words for those with sensitive ears) but Virginia was our destination and we loaded our luggage into a cab and headed for Penn Station, coincidentally right next to Madison Square Gardens.

Our cab driver was enthusiastic about his driving, and in lieu of his indicators preferred the use of his horn to announce his next move. Safe to say he used most of the lanes down 7th avenue.

We bundled our gear out and found our way to the Amtrak waiting area. There’s a great service here called the Red Caps who come and collect your bags and help load them onto the train. Much appreciated and very useful!

While we waited we grabbed a snack and watched the public service TV which explained in detail what to do when a gunman starts shooting up the place, or when terrorists attack you. To lighten the mood they explained how not to get hit by a train. Quite disconcerting really.

Soon we boarded and headed South. Not much of excitement to report of our journey through New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Baltimore looked as delightful as portrayed in the Wire, but to be fair it may have just been that part of Baltimore.

A few hours later we pulled in to Union Station in Washington, DC. Contrary to a lot of stations (and certainly Penn station) it was a very nice building with sculptures and high ceilings.

Salli picked me up and took me to the rental place where I climbed into our transport for the next week and a bit – a big Dodge SUV. Now for the fun of trying to drive on the wrong side of the road began…

Thankfully my brother in law had lent us his GPS (thanks Bryce, you’re a life saver!) so despite a few false turns I was soon back at the station to collect the rest of the team.

A slightly circuitous route via Maryland and we were in Alexandria, Virginia, to stay with Salli, Patrick, Dottie and Sadie. They have a lovely place in a nice leafy neighbourhood, a pleasant contrast to Manhattan.

We settled in and let E stretch his legs, and had a nice relaxing evening sampling a good selection of local craft beers and chatting. Lovely!