We left home with me wearing jean capris, a polo top, and ballet flats, carrying a purse, and we headed for Lorton, VA to ride the Auto Train. Those unfamiliar with the service may not know it exists...Amtrak will take you and your automobile from a DC suburb to Sanford, Florida on an overnight train trip. You thus do not spend the majority of two days on that crazy road which is officially known as Interstate 95, and you either sleep in your reclining coach seat or sleeping car accommodations. The train bills itself as the longest in the world - that day, 3/4 of a mile long, consisting of (that day) 7 sleepers, 4 coaches, 2 lounge cars, 2 diners and 31 auto rack cars. And in the peak of the southern winter rush it can have as many as 50 cars, making it even longer.
We, and the friends we were traveling with, found this to be a comfortable and convenient way to get there, but noted the average age of the passengers was "elderly" and found only two babies amongst the other 400+ passengers. That's unusual in train travel.
I made no pretense of femininity, other than the fact that everything I was wearing was from the women's department. And for most of the train trip, I was interpreted as male. However, not so much at breakfast on the second day - fortunately alone, not with my spouse or friends, as we were in sleeper and they were in coach - the male dining car host seated me with what I would describe as a "grumpy old man." He was not at at all friendly, and even though I spoke to him in a male voice, was not receptive to conversation. Deaf? A hater? I'll never know. He never looked up at me. Others around us were not overly talkative either, so maybe it was simply a train full of old codgers, who resented having wake up that early. Fortunately, the train was not running too late, so it was a quick breakfast and back to the room.
If you have a chance to go to Florida, this is a great way to get there...I recommend it highly. But beware of grumpy old men...
End-loaded auto rack cars, in commercial use for Amtrak's Auto Train.
Once in FL, with temps in the 80's and 90's, I was always wearing shorts or capris with pantyhose, ballet flats and polo top. Having lunch at the food joint in Sarasota's Ringling Museum. I asked about a restroom, and the twentysomething cashier promptly pointed me to the women's room. Wife and friends were with me, but she/they didn't hear, or ignored "the women's room is around the corner" comment (and more notably, lack of mention of a men's room. One of our female friends figured it out, when she went to the restroom, and discovered only the women's room - the men's was elsewhere. Of course, nothing was said - and as we were with friends, I found - and used - the men's room. That DID get some looks from the patrons sitting near the door, who to that point hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary about me.
In the course of some sightseeing, in Sarasota, my wife and I came across this statue of the soldier kissing a woman upon his return home after World War II. You've probably seen the newsworthy actual pictures:
"Unconditional Surrender"
My wife chose to remain in the car while I got a few pictures... and the self-timer enabled me to get a picture of myself standing next to it, to show you the size of the statue.
At the Museum at the former Tampa Bay Hotel in Tampa and at a museum in Ybor City (Florida's former Cuban cigar capital), my wife addressed me as her husband upon first entering, both times under appropriate circumstances. But the result: I was still addressed as "Ma'am" by staff in both places. Very interesting...and my wife said nothing about the "miss-identifications." Thus we were "ladies' at both places.
But at the restaurant that evening - the dreaded "S" word came back to life! (As I knew it eventually would.)
Mandy
It seems that it is a bit of a coin toss whether you are identified as a man or woman and that your wife has almost come to accept that as par for the course.
ReplyDeleteFor the past 10 years or so my wife and I have averaged at least one auto train run down to Florida...usually every January just to beat the cold for a week or two. We have travelled in the roomette, the deluxe and the family car. On the ride back last winter my wife let me be dressed while in the sleeper car wearing my jean skirt, blue tank top, with bra and forms as well as my pantyhose and high heel pumps. When leaving the car for dinner she asked me to change. It was very enjoyablee to be dressed and dealing with my wife while on the train.
We have generally had good trips while on the train. We have encountered some delays from time to time but it has never been unpleasant...although last May we went down for a wedding and were late for the rehersal dinner. Union rules required that the train change engineer crews twice...the second time was less than 20 minutes outside of Sanford.
In all of our experience we have found most of the people to be pleasant and good company. For the first several years that we rode the train we were both smokers and the smokers lounge was a fun party place to hang out. I am glad we have both quit since they no longer have smoker cars.
I recommend the Auto Train for anyone looking to travel back and forth to Florida.
Pat
Since we were around some folks we know, my wife raises a fuss if I look too girly Thus, out come my less feminine outfits. It's amazing that I still am "miss-identified" almost as much even then - must be the female cues I present all the time: purse, hair, nails, eyebrows, pantyhose, and flats.
DeleteAnd those don't have much chance of disappearing....
Good that you and your wife quit smoking. Nowadays it's tough for the remaining smokers, what with the no-smoking rule in effect almost everywhere, company insurance plans penalizing smokers, and the price going up. We've never smoked...but can remember when cigarettes cost $9 a carton. Now, they're almost as much per pack as a carton formerly cost.
Except for the rich and famous who can afford it, smoking literally "burns smokers' money" as it slowly shortens their lifespan!
Mandy