One-Liner Wednesday – Consideration

One Line Wed, Travel 66 comments

Last Friday, I settled into a nice comfortable seat on AMTRAK’s Vermonter, getting ready to enjoy a six-hour ride home from Washington, D.C. I take the Vermonter because it’s a through train to my destination, meaning that I don’t have to change trains in New Haven, CT. Trust me, that’s huge. That means I can plug my laptop into an AC outlet, connect to the free WiFi and work, read and write.

Until someone in front of me puts the seat back.

Actually, AMTRAK seats aren’t too bad. There’s enough legroom to adjust, if the seat comes back slowly. If the seat comes back fast and unexpected, well, the diagram says it all.

This is why I was so pleased when the guy in front of me looked over his shoulder and asked:

“Would you mind if I lean my seat back?”

Seriously, no one has ever asked me that question.

I said that I didn’t mind, but asked for enough time to move my laptop from the portion of the seat that would grab and crush it.

It’s absolutely amazing how good that little bit of consideration made me feel.

This post is part of Linda G. Hill’s fun weekly series One-Liner Wednesday. You can follow this link to see the one-liners from the other participants. The gallery includes a few of my favorite photos from the ride home. You can click on any one to start a show and read the captions. You know, all work and no play…

I’ve taken photos of these old chimneys multiple times, but very few look as good as this
My favorite stop inside Union Station
Penn Station, NYC is being repaired. Normally, it’s a pretty dark ride through here.
It’s a crane…of sorts. OK, it might need some work.
Philadelphia. It’s pretty hard to get a decent photo of that bridge. I’ve tried for years. I see much better views than I’ve ever captured.
Just some rolling stock on the side of the tracks
I love this structure. I don’t know if it was used for loading coal or if it is used for loading dry material.
The weights keep the catenary wires under tension.
Trains, cranes, bridges and reflections.
This must be the Philadelphia Zoo. That’s what the balloon says.
I like seeing the old signal buildings.
Connecticut Capitol
Where we’ve been.
Our local park has three softball fields. I count 16 here.
My absolute favorite locomotive – New Haven Railroad. I think I’m in there too.
Rare selfie
Inside Union Station
Still attempting those artistic shots.
Two happy men. He’s fishing. I’m watching him from a train.
I love it when we reach the point on a curve where the power poles line up and disappear behind the lead pole.
Yeah, cranes.

66 comments

    1. Thanks John. I’ve had to shove the seat back to keep it from crushing my screen, and I’ve had it slammed shut. It’s the way we travel. There’s enough room on the train, but you still have to be careful.

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  4. I truly appreciate when someone is considerate. Doesn’t that make the world a better place? My roomie and I have a neighbor that is uber considerate…all the time. I may have to write about him some day.

    Liked by 2 people

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  5. Wow. You should have asked for a photo of the rare Considerate human being too. That was nice. I love your photos. The selfie is great! My favorite shots-that crane shot, the view through the rear window of the rail car and the ball fields. Baseball has a special place in my heart. Well done Dan!

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    1. Thanks Cheryl. A little later, that same guy moved to a different seat, so a family could sit together. He was really nice. I’m glad you like the photos. I wish I could get a shot of those ball fields with action on a lot of the fields. Can you imagine what that looks like? The selfie was somewhat accidental. I switched into that mode and thought “what the heck?”

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      1. You look reflective, contemplative. Not selfie-ish at all.
        Nothing is so grand as a live baseball game. Wish I could have watched the greats, before it all became about money…

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    1. I hope to do that at some point, too, Pam. This is the longest trip I get to make. My wife and I traveled from Pittsburgh to Hartford once, about 35 years ago. That might have been longer, but big layover in Philadelphia.

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  8. Timely post since I’ve just spent time riding a bus to and from Logan and then spending quality time at Logan and at the KC airport. I could vent but won’t. We had one considerate act, and I’ll share that positive note. In KC, my husband was trying to get our suitcase off the carousel, but it was upside down and he just couldn’t get it. All of a sudden, the young man that had been sitting next to me showed up with the suitcase. Nice. :-)

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    1. Thanks for sharing that, Judy. It’s encouraging to know that these people are still out there. The part of your comment that makes me shiver a bit is “riding a bus to and from Logan…” I hope that’s a better ride than I’m imagining.

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      1. There is a terrific bus company here on the Seacoast – C&J. They do double decker commuter buses, executive buses to NYC, and hourly buses to Logan and South Station – all equipped with wifi, newspapers, and water. It is a wonderful option to avoid driving to and parking at Logan. They drop us right off at the gate. You do have to add a little time in for finding a parking space which is at a premium and then the two hour ride.

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  10. Cranes, trains, bridges, and a reflection! Wow. You hit pay dirt on this one … not to mention the encounter with real life consideration from the guy in front of you.
    I get the distinct impression you don’t mind train rides at all ;) The give away was the caption on the photo of the guy in the boat. My smile for the day.

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    1. Thanks Joanne. I think I could go anywhere on a train. I don’t know what the appeal is, but I enjoy every bit of the ride. The ironic thing is that we had a few delays where we were moving very slowly. I thought “yay, better pictures!”

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    1. Thanks Deborah.I’m glad you liked the photos. The ride home was heavy overcast, which made it easy to get some photos that, on previous attempts, were badly washed out. That guy was great!

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  14. Can’t beat travel by train! Positively civilized, especially when you sit behind a gentleman like that. Loved the pictures, too!

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    1. Thanks Steve. Nothing like traveling by train (and when I get on a plane, I say “this is nothing like traveling by train”) – sorry, I think you bring that out :-)

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  18. Love the shots…amazing how much a little courtesy and consideration can brighten ones day!! Great post!! Miss Amtrak…use to take the Surfliner from San Diego to La about once a month…love Business class!!

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  19. Really enjoyed the post today, Dan, and of course, your fun (though what it’s depicting isn’t funny, I know) doodle. So nice to hear of someone being considerate for a change, though. There’s not enough of that going around. You also have some excellent photos today. Extra impressive that you took them on a moving train!

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  20. Apologies for not being able to comment frequently. I loved the rare selfie here. In India, I can hardly think of using a laptop when traveling. Of course, if I am traveling in an AC coach for city to city commute. Not in the local trains.

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  23. Train travel is the best. I bet it attracts nicer people, and they aren’t already overly irritated already when they board like they are on planes. I used to travel for business every once-in-awhile by taking the train up the coast. Unfortunately/fortunately my plans to get some work done on the way always were forgotten as soon as I looked out the window. It was so easy to relax and watch the scenery whiz by.

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  26. I have been on a train once and it was Amtrack. Unfortunately, I was down below in the handicap section, which I will never do again. I did have a window seat though so I did enjoy looking out at the scenery. I am sure I would have liked it more if I had been above.

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    1. AMTRAK is generally pretty good, certainly my preferred travel option. The tray sits in a pocket in the seat-back. When it’s down, there’s a recessed opening in the back that can catch the top of your screen if you’re not careful.

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  29. We have cranes in our town and each time I feel I got a great shot, I am less impressed with the content and overall look.
    I liked the #s 3, 9 and 13 pictures, Dan. The 3 is the towers photograph which is stunning. The 9 is a very cool building made of bricks with an interesting shape.
    The way you find things like those towers and each time make them exciting and new, is by showing changes of seasons and beauty in seeing if things changed. :)

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  30. Pingback: French Friday: So Many Trains. So Many Places. Season 1. – Evelyne Holingue

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