Travel. I do it
pretty often these days. Both for pleasure and work. My most frequent trip is
the Acela, business class. 2 hours and 45 minutes South to DC's charming Union
Station. I say charming when comparing to NYC's Penn Station. There is
always routine in these trips. Cabs, Dramamine, starting and stopping,
trying to eat healthy. Business people talking proposals, parents
checking in with nannies, daycares and each other. Obnoxious office calls
to admins, bosses and clients. Northeast train views, sunsets and life buzzing
around. Weather changes. Cool breezes, warm days, rain, chilly temps, snow
delays.
I've come to
really love a few things about traveling for work, and specifically, from NYC
to DC.
• Cabs - last
week, I left on a cool Spring morning. I felt very "movie-esque"
running in the street in the Upper East Side to catch a cab to Penn Station. I
loved the cool breeze through the windows as we shot down 5th Ave along Central
Park and drove straight through Times Square.
• Food - I have
to eat. I love to eat. And I love that I don't have to pay while eating the
food I love.
• Face time -
can be fabulous when you spend 80% of your time behind a computer swamped in
emails.
• Daily
routines of others - are just flat out fascinating to me. Social media has
trained me to pay close attention to everyone's eating, drinking and social
habits. Seeing this in person is quite the treat.
• Train
conversations - can be great! A few trips ago, first class was emptied when Dr.
Jill Biden boarded the train with her secret service posse. Thus, we ended up
next to an investment banking Californian who lives in CT and travels to Philly
often. We shared political, social and nonprofit views.
• Being away
from home - Makes you appreciate home and its simplicity. Having dinner with
your husband, walking the dogs and the routine that you create in your own
little cloud of life.
• Independence
- navigating trains, planes and cabs forces you to gain independence whether
you like it or not.
There are also
things I hate about work travel, specifically NYC to DC.
• Cabs - I get
car sick.
• Food - it's
not homemade or routine or always healthy.
• Daily
routines of others, throw my routine off.
• Train
conversations - never, ever end.
• Being away
from home, my husband, my dogs, my space.
• Independence,
I don't always want it.
And then you
have those moments of thought.... Because when you travel, you have a lot of
time to think... and your brain begins to pump out questions faster than you
thought humanly possible.
-train leaves-
I should get some work done. Internet and VPN are not working. Does everyone
have this many IT issues? Am I on the right career path? At the right company?
The right level for my age? Do I have a healthy work/life balance? What is a
healthy/work life balance? Do I spend all my time working towards my passions?
What are my passions? Am I using my greatest strengths? If I'm not, and if I
jump ship...will I be able to pay my bills? Will I have enough stability for a
family? Or do I really love my career? Why do I always wonder if the grass is
greener? Grass... Will we ever have our own yard? I hate yard work... Do I even
want a yard? Do kids really need a yard? Should we be starting our family? Are
we in the right city? Is this the right time? What is the right time? What time
is it? Will my cab be on time? Where's my Dramamine... -train arrives-
And this, my
friends, is why I sleep so soundly while staying in hotels and my first night
back home. I am exhausted upon arrival.
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