Art: Inner Jouney

From the start of the class, I knew I was most excited to see the art in New Orleans. Before transferring to nursing school, I spent my first year of college studying art. I love art so much, and am so lucky to know what I know about all aspects of art like color, texture, and lines. I love that I can analyze a piece of art using my knowledge. When walking down Royal street and glancing in all of the galleries, I wanted I was most attracted to the colorful pieces of art. That is one thing that I have learned about myself during this trip. I'm attracted to color, and New Orleans does color so well. From the art to the buildings, there was color everywhere. I also thought about how much work had to go into one of her pieces of art. She applied layers of oil paint on her canvases. Because oil paint takes so long to dry, she would of had to wait days for each layer to dry. When I first laid my eyes on a piece of Isabelle Dupuy's art on display in one of the art gallery's window, I immediately thought of home. The colors of the tree and sky reminded me of the season fall in my little hometown. There are trees, similar to what was in Isabelle Dupuy's paintings, lining the streets. It made New Orleans feel a little bit more like home. That is why I was attracted to her art so much...because it felt like home. I think her art tells the story of the seasons. Each picture is filled with aspects of nature during a beautiful season she probably witnessed in France, where she was born. I love this story because, if I were an artist, I would write a similar story. I love sunsets, sunrises, and beautiful foliage so much that I would also want it to be the center of attention.

Isabelle Dupuy's Work in Sutton Galleries

Sutton Galleries

Art: Outer Journey

As I walked down Royal street, I was so excited to look through the art galleries. One of the first galleries we walked into, there were these beautiful oil paintings displayed. The artists name was Isabelle Dupuy. The first painting of hers that caught my eye was a painting of a big tree dressed in orange leaves placed in front of a pretty blue sky. All of her paintings were amazing. She would layer the oil paint in very thick layers in the most beautiful vibrant colors. As we walked through the gallery, I asked the man in the gallery about Isabelle Dupuy. He said that most of her work was inspired by the landscape of France, where she was born and raised. He also said that Isabelle would, instead of framing her paintings, paint all the way to the edge and on the sides of her canvases to create the illusion that the landscape she is painting exist beyond these boarders. Something I've always been a fan of when it comes to art is bold colors. Isabelle Dupuy definitely used bold colors, which she expresses through complementary combinations. The texture she created with layers of oil paints was magical, and made me want to reach out a touch her paintings. Her painting aesthetic fit perfectly in the streets of New Orleans. The colors used in her paintings matched the brightly colored building with ferns hanging from their balconies. It was so hard for me to walk out of the gallery because my eyes couldn't get enough.

Mapel Colors in the Water

Mapel of Bright Delight

Autumn Sycamores along Calm Waters 

Music: Inner Journey

Music is definitely something that plays a huge role in New Orleans culture. Music is everywhere. It's on every street corner, in every bar, and playing in every restaurant. I've learned a lot about my music taste since I've been in New Orleans. New Orleans is all about Jazz. I didn't think I was a big fan of Jazz before going on the trip, but once I walked past all of the bars and listened to all of the different band, I leanred that I like Jazz, just a certain type of jazz. The jazz that intrigued me the most was jazz that had a lot of soul. Any band with an amazing trumpet player and some other funky horns was right up my alley. Every time my friends and I stumbled upon someone playing music, we rarely kept walking. You could tell that music was something New Orleans was proud of. It's like really good white noise that never ends. I need the sound a fan to fall asleep, but New Orleans needs jazz music. Listening to all of this music, made me appreciate these local musicians. They get up everyday to do what they love and entertain people that they don't even know. It made me think about how many kids raised in New Orleans want to grow up and be a musician when they grow up because of how much music they listen to when they are little. I've learned that New Orleans speaks through music because it is a way of life.

Here is a video showing all of the differnt kind of music and musicians in New Orleans:

Music: Outer Journey

I had a lot of amazing experiences with music during my trip to New Orleans. One time that stuck out to me was when Kendra, Marcy, and I were spending some of our free time exploring random streets in the French Quarter. We stumbled upon a jazz band playing on Frenchmen street. They had a crown enjoying their talent on both sides of the street. It was impossible to keep walking past them. We stood and listened to one song, and they were so amazing. It was so refreshing how laid back and chill every one of the band members acted. You could tell that they had been playing for a long time because of how confident they were in their abilities. One of my favorite parts was that they had a dog laying in the middle of them. The dog way laying in a big instrument case with its eyes closed, taking a nap. You could tell that this was a normal activity it probably did most days.

Another time where music stopped me in my tracks was on the very last day we were in New Orleans. We broke from our class meeting and decided that we wanted one last beignets before heading home. There was a trumpet player and a guitarist standing outside Cafe Du Monde singing the blues. It was so beautiful. The trumpet player sang notes so beautifully I could've sat there all day and listened. We stayed long enough to listen to two songs, and after each, the whole cafe applauded. He was seriously talented and belonged on stage instead of a sidewalk.

Farewell to New Orleans: Inner Journey

As we sat on the train heading home from New Orleans, I reminisced on all of the things that made the trip so great. I think learning about New Orlean's food was my favorite part of class, specifically from the food tour. I think it's amazing how these foods haven't changed one bit from when they were originally made. I also loved that I've never had these foods before. It forced me to step outside my comfort zone and try new things, which I appreciated. For example, I'm not a big fan of spicy foods, and many foods that we ate were all very spicy. I genuinely enjoyed all of them, so I'm glad the spice didn't hold me back.

Spicy Shrimp and Turtle Soup

My favorite part of the trip was getting to spend time and learn alongside my classmates. It makes me very happy that I've left the trip with more friends that I started the trip with. Talking and learning from each other was such a lovely experience. You'd think I would be tired of seeing the same people over and over again for a week straight, but I'm already looking forward to seeing them at school once the spring semester starts.

My Classmates and I

The people in New Orleans had a mix of personalities. Some made you feel right at home and some made you want to run away as fast as you could. Obviously, there is a great deal of homeless people in New Orleans. I didn't mind them unless they said rude things. These kind of people made me feel sad and uncomfortable. I quickly learned how to avoid and brush these people off, because these were regular occurrences. There were also people who made you feel right at home. They didn't mind if we were tourists, they minded if we were having a good time. I liked these people the best, and they are one of the reasons I fell in love with New Orleans. I was raised in a small town with about 2,200 people in it, and everyone knows each other and says "hello." When people did this in New Orleans, it made me never want to leave.

This trip taught me so much about myself. It definitely confirmed that I am in introvert. During Saturday and Sunday, when a lot of tourists were clogging the streets, it was exhausting trying to get through everyone and making sure my friends were still right behind me. I also learned that I love to travel. My grandparents owned a fishing resort in Arkansas my whole childhood, so my family would always spend vacations and holidays down there. Because of this, we didn't really travel new places. Now that I'm old enough to make the decision to travel on my own, I've proved to myself that I love it.

Farewell New Orleans: Outer Journey

Our trip has come to a close and it was a bittersweet feeling packing my suitcase to head home. The whole trip was filled with seeing amazing places around the French Quarter, tasting the most delicious food, and meeting the kindest people, but my all time favorite place I visited was Muriel's The first time Muriel's was brought us was on out food tour. We didn't eat their, but our tour guide mentioned that Muriel's had an amazing gallery to sit on and look out over Jackson Square. Kendra, Marcy, and I immediately looked at each other and decided that Muriel's was a mandatory stop on our free day. When our free day arrived we walked into Muriel's and the woman who greeted us was so kind. She made sure we knew exactly where we were going. We headed to get a drink from the bar, and the bartender treated us with the same kindness. We headed up the stairs to the gallery and as we found a table to sit at, we were amazed by the beauty of the city. It was a Monday so there wasn't a lot of tourists crowding the sidewalks and the weather was warm, so we comfortable sitting outside. Another reason why Muriel's was my favorite is because of the story we learned about on our haunted history tour. Yes, Muriel's is haunted. According to our tour guide, slaves were kept before they were auctioned off and where servants were kept each night, This means that many troubled souls could have died there, Down the line, Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan, came into ownership of the building, but had to rebuild half of it after the huge fire of 1788. He didn't have much money afterwords, so he gambled the building off. He lost, and committed suicide because of it. Muriel's is known to be haunted by Mr. Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan. I love Muriel's because of it's beauty and history, as well as how much it made me feel like I was at home. I would definitely recommend sitting on Muriel's gallery for a drink to anyone, and I hope I get the chance to come back some day.

Muriel's

January 7th: Inner Journey

While Kendra, Marcy, and I got ready for the day, I thought about how excited I was to have a free day and not have to follow any schedule for class. I learned that I am way less stressed when there is no schedule and it is a lot of fun wandering around the city on my own. I loved being able to spend as much or as little time at a certain location as I wanted. My favorite part of the day was sitting on Muriel's Gallery to enjoy the evening. This made me realize that I like traveling more when the weather is nice than when it is colder. The first few days of the trip were cooler, whereas today was warmer. It made me sad thinking about how we would all be returning to 20 degree weather in Illinois. New Orleans spoke to me in a way of making me feel like a local. As Kendra, Marcy, and I walked into Muriel's, the hostess was so kind to us. I couldn't help but think she was someone I had known for years. When we ordered a drink from the bar, the bartender was just as nice. It made me feel like I was at home. In the small town that I live in, you walk into a public place and everyone greets you with a smile. These individuals at Murial's made me feel like I had lived in the The Big Easy for years. It was also so peaceful looking over Jackson Square. Because there were way less people there than over the weekend, it made it feel less like a tourist city and more like I actually lived there.

Sitting Outside on Muriel's Gallery

January 7th: Outer Journey

Kendra, Marcy, and I started our free day with a little extra sleep than what we had gotten the past couple days. We slept in an extra hour than usual and took our time with breakfast and getting ourselves ready to leave the hotel. We treated the day More like a Saturday morning than a Monday morning. We left hotel at about 1pm and headed to Jackson Square. We initially planned to go to the Aquarium near by, but since the weather was going to be in the low 70's, we decided we wanted to spend the rest of the day outside. We wanted to start off the day by visiting the 1850 House, a museum with the some of the original furniture from when Micaela Pontalba had build the apartment buildings on either side of Jackson Square. Unfortunately the museum is closed on Monday's so we had to make other plans. Since the museum was closed, we stopped a few doors down at Creole Delicacies, one of our stops on the cuisine tour we took yesterday, We looked at sweets and souvenirs to bring back to out families and talked to the owner a little bit more. When we were done, we headed to the open-air French Market to look around. We didn't find much we liked, so after about 20 minutes we headed back toward Jackson Square for a drink on top of Muriel's gallery. This was my favorite part of the day and such a nice way to end the evening. The weather was beautiful, and the square wasn't packed with people like it was on the weekend. Kendra, Marcy, and I relaxed and talked about the museums that we has been in yesterday. We talked about out favorite exhibits and how different New Orleans is than anything we had ever seen. It was a bittersweet way to end our time in this amazing City. 

View from Muriel's Gallery

Muriel's Courtyard

January 6th: Inner Journey

The thing I loved most about the Mardi Gras exhibit was how different it is. When I walked into the exhibit where all of the grown and scepters were for the past Mardi Gras kings and queens, I had to remind myself that I'm not in a foreign country. I couldn't believe that I was only a few states away from home. When looking through the Mardi Gras exhibit, I couldn't help but think of how the parades are different from the ones that we have back home in Illinois. Back home, we usually have parades for homecoming and our annual festivals, but they are nothing like the parades put together for Mardi Gras. The costumes are a huge difference. I couldn't help but think how uncomfortable and heavy he Mardi Gras costumes are. All of the heavy beading and huge head pieces. It made me think about what I would want my Mardi Gras gown to look like if I were a Mardi Gras queen. I would probably choose something very edgy. Maybe something black with a leather jacket over it to stand out from all of the glitz and glam that I saw in the museum. Something new that I learned about Mardi Gras was the maskers. These maskers were part of the Cajun courirs de Mardi Gras which is popular in many Cajun communities in southern Louisiana. I feel like if the city that I live in back home celebrated Mardi Gras, this is what it would be like. These maskers would ride their horses, dance, and beg for food to make Mardi Gras dinner. It is so fun to learn about the Mardi Gras side of New Orleans.

Courirs de Mardi Gra Masks

Maskers

January 6th: Outer Journey

While visiting the two museums in Jackson Square, my favorite part was the Mardi Gras exhibit. As soon as you walk up the stairs to the exhibit, the first thing you see is a case filled with small trinkets that are thrown out during parades. I've learned over the past couple days that each float has its own theme, so each float throws trinkets that go along with their theme into the crowd. I also enjoyed looking at all of the costumes and crowns that the people in the parade would wear. These dresses and head pieces have to be very expensive because they are completely covered in jewels and feathers. They are so colorful and unlike anything I've ever seen. They are so big and beautiful. We also got to see all of the crowns and scepters from the past queens and kings of Mardi Gras. I loved how each crown was different shaped with different colored jewels. I tried to pick my favorite, but it was impossible. Kendra, Marcy, and I also got to experience what is like to ride on a float in a Mardi Gras parade. The museum had a parade simulator where you could board a float and see what it would look like if it were actually moving through the streets of New Orleans. It was also really fun to look at the old Mardi Gras posters. I'm a sucker for antique posters, so this was right up my alley. The museum was very fun to look through and I thoroughly enjoyed every part. It made me even more excited for the upcoming parades that my class and I would be seeing since it is the first day of the season for Mardi Gras today.

Click HERE for more information on the Presbytere Mardi Gras exhibit.

King of Mardi Gras Outfit

Queen of Mardi Gras Gown

Queens of Mardi Gras Gown

Queens of Mardi Gras Gueen 

Corwns and Sceptors of Past Queens and Kings

Antigue Mardi Gras Posters

January 5th: Inner Journey

One thing that I found most interesting today was the story behind each family restaurant and the why food were served why they were served. For example, red beans and rice was served during chore days. These were the days that families would clean up shop, bath animals, and do laundry. They needed a dish that they could leave unattended for house and not worry about it overcooking. This reminded me of home. Usually on the weekends when we all have different schedules, my dad will cook up a bog pot of chili and we can feast off of that all weekend long so we dint have to worry about making any meals. It's enlightening to learn about the stories and reasons behind each food like this.

I also really enjoyed the turtle soup and how wild animals like turtles, rabbit, and other small animals were popular to eat among people because they were easy to kill and bring back to the family. I also have really loved all of the seafood. Eating the shrimp and fish have reminded me of my childhood. My grandparents owned a fishing resort in Arkansas my entire childhood, so my family and I would spend many school breaks their catching fish and other river creatures. We would take out catch from the day, and my grandpa and dad would cook it up each night and that was our dinner. There are fewer things more comforting to me than eating sea food. I can tell New Orleans is so proud of these dishes because you can't get them anywhere else the way they are made. The seasoning and spices are so different from what I eat back home in Illinois, so it's been such a delight trying these new things.

Learning about popular ingredients
used in Cajun nd Creole foods. 

January 5th: Outer Journey

My favorite part of the day was definitely the cuisine tour. I'm very much a foodie, so I was excited to try a little bit of each of foods that New Orleans was famous for. It was also great to learn about the ingredients in each of the famous dishes as well. We started off by eating a brisket po boy sandwich with horseradish sauce on it from Tujaque's. I'm not a huge fan of horse radish, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I liked it on this sandwich. It was more of a clear, watery horse radish sauce instead of a thicker white horse radish sauce like they serve in Illinois. It was also cool that, at the next stop, the tour guide gave us the recipe for it. At the second stop, Creole Delicacies, we tasted beans and rice. It was probably the least flavorful thing I tasted on the tour, but still really good. We then made our way to Antoine's for shrimp gumbo. I was excited for this because I love sea food, and it definitely did not let me down. It was so good, and I could have stayed and eaten all evening. Next on the list was a praline shop called Leah's Pralines. I have a huge sweet tooth, so I thought pralines would be right up my alley, but they were too sweet for me and the texture wasn't my favorite. Lastly, we stopped at one of the fanciest restaurants in New Orleans called Arnaud's to try turtle soup. This was by far my favorite dish on the cuisine tour. It was so rich and no one could even tell it has turtle in it. The shrimp that they served on the side was dripping in a really spicy sauce, but it was also very good. I could definitely see how the city spoke through its food. It amazing how these families would buy half a block worth of buildings that had private dining rooms. The food is like nothing you can get in Illinois. It's so unique, and I keep having to remind myself that I'm not in a foreign country. 

Arnaud's

Antoine's

January 4th: Inner Jouney

While my class and I were looking at the architecture and history of Jackson square, I couldn't help but think about the history of feminism during the time Michaela was building and perfecting the two apartment buildings on either side of Jackson Square. Even though the tour guide made it seem like she was a spoiled brat who got whatever she wanted, I felt proud to know that a woman was behind it all. I also couldn't help but go crazy over the architecture in Jackson square and surrounding area, especially the wrought iron fences and balconies. My dad is very handy and has made many things out of iron, like trellises and mailbox holders, similar in in design to the balconies of Michaela's apartment buildings. My dad has shown me how much work is put into something like that, and it made me more appreciative of it. I also felt delighted that not much has changed in the Jackson square. I love how Michaela's apartment buildings are still standing. I've always had a weakness for older houses, so seeing the character and small little detail of the building was fun and it was nice to learn that the city of New Orleans appreciates it just as much as I do, keeping the buildings nice.

During the cemetery tour, I couldn't help but think about how different the burial traditions are than they are in New Orleans. I get the people in New Orleans cannot bury underground, but my grandparents would not like the idea of being buried with each other and then adding the bodies of every member of the family after that. I liked thinking about how there were probably just as many bodies in the 500 square foot cemetery as their was in my hometowns 3 acre cemetery. It was fun to learn about these traditions and how much different these traditions are from ours in Illinois.

Here is a fun video of a tour of Jackson Square:

January 4th: Outer Journey

To start the day, my class went on a tour around the city to learn about history, architecture, and death in New Orleans. One part that was really interesting was the history and architecture of Jackson square. I love the story of how Micaela Leonarda Antonia Almonester prevailed from three gunshot wounds and took her and her dead father's money to build the beautiful square just how she wanted it. The St. Louis Cathedral was one of my favorite parts as well. I love the bright white color and the way it looks with the Andrew Jackson statue standing in the front of it. It is one of the prettiest pairs I've ever seen.

Another one of my favorite parts of the tour was the cemetery. I find it really interesting how the bodies have to be "buried" above water because the sea level is so high in New Orleans. I've never heard of people being buried this way, so I had a great time hearing about it. It was also great seeing how each grave reflected the house that that family would have lived in. Some graves were one story, some were three story, and some even had balconies on them. We also got to see Nicholas Cage's grave for when he passes away. His grave was the most obnoxious grave there, shaped into a pyramid. The story that out tour guide told us about Nicolas Cage's story was interesting because his career started going down the drain once he moved away from New Orleans.

St. Louis Cathedral and Andre Jackson Statue

Tomb in the Cemetary

Tombs with Statue on Top

Arrival: Inner Journey

Arriving at the train station in New Orleans was such a relief. It reminded me that good things take time, and I truly felt that the trip was worth the log train ride. Although I felt excited about the trip, reality set in, and got nervous about my bag possibly getting lost and ordering our Uber at the correct time. I would have been mortified if my luggage had been lost because I felt so gross from traveling and didn't pack any clothes or toiletries in my carry on bag, No one in my group had ever ordered an Uber before so it was nerve racking. I'm from a small town where Uber isn't really a things, so it was only something I had seen on the Internet and television. 

When we arrived at The Original Pierre Maspero’s, I got nervous when we told the water waiting at the door about our reservation, but he acted like he had no idea what we were talking about. A waitress walked our and acted a little rude, which also made me a little nervous. One of my biggest pet peeves is bad service, so I started off with a bad impression. I was relieved when our waitress was the sweetest women. She gave us so many recommendation and help with the menu. It reminded me to never judge a book by its cover. After dinner, we were supposed to go on a haunted history tour, but it had to be rescheduled because it was raining. I was relieved that we wouldn't have to do the tour in the rain though. 

At Cafe Du Monde, I was so excited to try the beignets, but felt a little bit iffy about the coffee with chicory in it. I'm  a coffee addict and very picky about what is out into my coffee. It has to be perfect or I won't drink it. I stood out on a limb and tried the coffee with chicory, and was surprised at how much I liked it! It reminded me that New Orleans is going to have so many different foods and drinks that I've never tried, and that I need to be adventurous when choosing what to eat or else I will regret it later. 

Arrival: Outer Journey

When we arrived at the train station, I was completely relieved that we had made it to New Orleans. It was nice to finally walk on still ground again. I was expecting the train station to be way more busier than it was, which was nice, since my group and I were nervous about using Uber for the first time. After getting our checked bags from the train station workers, we ordered an Uber and headed outside to the pick up area. Our Uber driver, Nathaniel, was so nice. He said that he was born and raised in New Orleans, so we used that to our advantage. He told us what we had to eat here while we were in town, places to visit, and his review of the zoo near by. This made us even more excited for out trip to start.

When we got to the hotel, we were more than ready to freshen up after our 17 hour train ride. Kendra, Marcy, and I patiently waited for our room keys. When we got a hold of our keys, we were so excited to see our room because the pictures online were so much nicer than we expected. When we entered our room, it was so nice to change our clothes and lay down for a little bit. Who knew 17 hours of doing nothing on a train could make you feel so gross and tires?

After we freshened up for an hour or so, we met with the rest of our classmates in the lobby to leave for dinner. I was super excited, and quite hangry after not having a real meal for a day and a half. Kendra and I both ate way too many Pop-Tarts and fruit snack on the train ride. The walk was so nice. One of my favorite parts was the brick side walks and all of the neon signs. When we arrived at the street car pick up, I was really nervous because I obviously don't know my way around. It was nice having our teacher there to help us out for the first time. It was so cool seeing Jackson Square for the first time in person, since I only saw it during class presentations.

Next, we made out way to the restaurant, The Original Pierre Maspero’s. This was an amazing experience! It was so fun getting to know other classmates as well as try new food. I got the Crab Cake Maspero. The crap cakes were amazing and better than I expected. Everyone got different things and shared with everyone, so it was nice getting to taste a little bit of everything the restaurant had to offer. I loved how different the food is from the "Cajun" food that I have had back home in Illinois. The food at The Original Pierre Maspero’s was so well spiced and so flavorful. After we ate, we split up from most of the class and headed to Cafe Du Monde for dessert. Kendra, Marcy, and I shared a plate of beignets and I ordered a coffee with chicory. Everything was so much better than we thought it was going to be. I think we've already convinced ourselves that we need more beignets before we go back home.

Street Car

Crab Cake Maspero

Beignets and Coffee with Chicory

Departure: Inner Journey

When I left class on Wednesday to get my luggage from home, I started feeling really nervous. When I got home, I felt like I was forgetting everything, but I also realized that I didn’t have much time to spend with my family and dog before I left. This made me even more nervous because I am such a homebody. I’ve lived in the same town, in the same house, for the past 21 years. I finally gathered everything that needed and hauled it all down my stairs. I made sure to love on my dog a little bit more because I know I’ll miss her. I usually spend my lunch break everyday playing with her, so I have a feeling she will miss me too. Every time I travel away from home, it always makes me realize how much my family means to me, and how thankful I am for them letting me have these experiences.

I was dreading the hour and 45 minute drive to the train station in Champaign. When I was in high school, I was on the dance team, and we would drive hours away for competitions every weekend. The drive to the train station reminded me how important patience is. I learned that I’m still capable of driving long distances without getting bored. I also learned how thankful I am for good friends. I wouldn’t be going on this amazing trip if it weren’t for Kendra and Marcy telling me about it. I realized how important things like this are in building friendships. We were all really nervous to go because we didn't know what to expect, but we decided that we were all in it together. It has been non-stop storytelling and laughter between the three of us.

While on the train, I liked to imagine I’m on my way to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry just to make things more exciting. I haven’t taken a trip like this in a while, and I’m proud to have learned that I can still sleep just about anywhere. Neck pillows and cozy blankets are a life-saver. I’m very excited to see what else I’ll learn when we reach the city.

Kendra, Marcy, and Me

Departure: Outer Journey

It was a very strange feeling traveling to get on a train at 6pm, knowing I would be boarding a train at later that evening. I’ve only taken a train one other time, and we left early in the morning, so I was a little nervous about sleeping on a train through the night. I was lucky enough to carpool with my friends to the train station, and we all got each other excited for the trip. We talked about what we wanted to do on our free day and all the places and things we wanted to see. When Kendra, Marcy, and I arrived at the train station, I felt a little better seeing all of my other classmates there. I texted my mom that we had made it, and that’s when it hit me that we would be in New Orleans in less than 24 hours.

When we boarded the train, we got settled. We put our bags above us and got our blankets and pillows ready to sleep. My classmates and I discovered that the train seats provided us more room than we imagined. We discovered different foot rests and mechanisms that would help us sleep better. The only problem was, none of us were tired. We sat and talked for an hour or so, and then I moved to listening to music. Nothing could make me tired, so I was starting to feel like I would never sleep. If you are traveling on an Amtrak train, here are 10 tips for sleeping on a train.

Around 6 in the morning I was woken up by the train crew announcing a stop over the intercom. Kendra, Marcy, and I headed to the bathroom for the first time since getting on the train. My first experience in a train bathroom was not the most glamorous, but I was thankful to get out of my seat and stretch my legs. We headed back to our seats and instantly fell asleep. I ended up sleeping until 8 AM. I’m very thankful that I got some more sleep. Overall, I’ve enjoyed the train ride, but I miss my bed and dog back home.

Inside of the Train