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Praetorium Honoris

Monday, March 10, 2014

Trains

AMTRAK Station, Providence
Monday, being the day that The Missus Herself and Little Bit return in triumph from their trip to our nation's capitol, I left work early to head to Providence. Capital of the fair state of Little Rhody (not its official name mind you, that is - drum roll please - The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. I kid you not. Seriously, it is written. Ask the Dothraki.)

So, I'm at the train station in Providence. I arrived with enough time in hand to actually get a parking spot in the garage under the station.

Sweet, right?

Um, yeah sure. The Missus Herself's train will, of course, be late.

15 minutes, no 20, check that...

25 minutes late.

I don't want to talk about how much parking costs here. Makes the airport seem like a sweet deal. Sigh...

(When we left the station I discovered that the posted parking rates are to scare the non-AMTRAK users away. Because The Missus Herself was in possession of an actual train ticket, the cost was a mere eight bucks. Which wasn't bad for the ninety minutes I was parked.)

But while I'm cooling my jets, I note a sign in the station "Free WiFi!"

Ooh, I can surf the web of world-wideness while biding my time in the splendor of the Providence AMTRAK station...


Okay, "splendor" is perhaps a stretch. But I've been in far less luxury before, believe you me. Why there was this one bar in Kunsan where the plumbing was not exactly up to code, if you know what I mean. Seems that there was a leak in the feed pipe running to the sink, which caused a small stream to run across the floor, continually.


Why yes, it was exactly like that picture above. Well, if you take the trees and shrubberies away. Oh, yeah, the rocks have to go as well. And it wasn't quite that wide, nor clear. And it was indoors in a rundown bar in Asia. But other than that, the picture does remind me of that place.

We were so used to that stream running across the floor that we were rather miffed with the owner when he got the pipe fixed.

"Mister Kim, where's our babbling brook? It was so nice."

"You shutup GI, you want brook, go outside, this is bar, not fishing resort! All GIs crazy and pain in my ass..." Usually Mr Kim would mutter that last bit as he headed towards the backroom. Mama-san always told him to calm down, the crazy GIs are what paid the bills, thank you very much.

So all-in-all, the train station in Providence isn't bad. If you head out the front, you can see the Rhode Island State House. Which I snapped a shot of today... (yup, just for you)


It's very nice...

Actually, the building is a local celebrity (if a building can have that distinction) having been in two films - it served as the United States Capitol exterior in the 1997 film Amistad and also served as the City Hall of Capital City in Disney's Underdog.

Amistad I've seen (an excellent film, I must say - channeling my inner Martin Short). Underdog I have not seen. In fact now I must find it, having watched the Underdog cartoon series as a young lad.

Such was the latter half of my day, a visit to the train station and then writing about the visit to the train station.

To tell the truth, I was trying to post all of this via my "smart" phone with a significant lack of success. (Harking back to the "Free WiFi" noted above.) But my rather sausage-like fingers and the wee virtual keys on said "smart" phone were producing some rather interesting misspellings and subsequent autocorrects. It was with a great deal of frustration that I shut it down. Went outside. Came back in and tried again.

Only to have my "smart" phone inform me, "Post, what post? I don't have any posts in storage..."

Grrr...

When I got home, there was the post. On the computer in draft form. Of course, the "smart" phone was now telling me, "Oh, that post! Yeah, got it right here, why?"

I guess I'll stick to the computer and the Surface 2 for posting. The "smart" phone, he's not so smart.

8 comments:

  1. The State House is very pretty. Sounds like you cheered up a bit, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm feeling much more chipper thank you. It's good to have the wife home.

      Delete
  2. I was going to post last night an agreement with your sticking to the computer comment. But my iPad froze before I could submit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heh. I so get that.

      I think my "smart" phone likes messing with me. The phone call part works as does the texting part. Which is good, otherwise, Mr Smartphone would currently be at the bottom of Narragansett Bay. I'll tolerate the other stuff as long as I can make and receive phone calls.

      Delete
  3. I won't post from my phone ...except, maybe, pictures

    That train station's architect has either a great imagination or... I guess I just can't see enough in your photo
    It looks like a bunker

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah ha!

      While posting that picture of the station's exterior, it reminded me of something but I couldn't think of what. Bunker! Of course. How did I not see that? And me, a military guy. Good call IT!

      But looking at the station from ground level, it totally looks like a bunker!

      Delete
  4. I'm betting if you were to look at it from the State House steps ...or even halfway up that hill ...the station might present a different image,..
    ...maybe not!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I shall have to check that out. The Nuke now has The Missus Herself into taking the train back and forth to DC, I'll have to remember to get that photo and share it here.

      Provided of course, that I remember to do so!

      Delete

Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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