gallimaufry wrote:
I once took the Sunset Limited from Florida to California, and then the Coast Starlight from California to Washington state. It took 5 days. My seat was in coach, but I spent most of my time in the observation car, taking in the ever-changing terrain. I had never been out west. I enjoyed the Coast Starlight the most, riding along the California and Oregon coast, seeing mountains on one side of the train, and the Pacific ocean on the other side, and then riding through the Cascade Mountains (seeing snow for the first time).
I'd love to do that journey, but I have a problem with keeping still. I can sit in a chair all day long of my own volition if have something to do. But being told 'this is your seat' or being expected to sit in one place surrounded by strangers for hours on end is something I can't cope with. I also have a problem with people sitting behind me. I have no idea where that comes from. I hate it. Unless I can get a seat at the back of a bus or a train compartment, I won't travel.
I have been asked if I'd like to visit American relatives in San Jose (well, Los Gatos) or Canadian relatives in Mississauga, but that would mean sitting in a seat - buckled in - for hours on end with little or no option to get up and move around. That would take me weeks to prepare for and I'd probably just frighten myself enough to cancel.