We planned out the details and I bought my train ticket and the next morning I was on my way. The train ride was so beautiful. Pennsylvania countryside is breathtaking. Amish farms and buggies and people everywhere. I loved it. I think I could be Amish.
Due to unforeseen circumstances my friend ended up not being able to come which left me in Pennsylvania for the day. We chose what I thought was a hoppin' little town (Harrisburg) to meet. It was a lie. Harrisburg is so NOT hoppin'. Maybe with a couple people it is fun, but one person wandering without a car is maybe not my best idea.
I got off the train and wandered down to the visitor's center. I passed it three times before I finally found it. It was on the second floor of a law firm (where else would you put a visitor center?). I entered the building which appeared to have been abandoned. I thought nothing of it and took the elevator up to the second floor. I got off the elevator and all the lights were off. In the middle of a weekday. Yup. Abandoned.
I found a light switch, flipped it, and then wandered around the floor until I found the door to the visitor's center. I grabbed the door handle and pulled and it was locked, so that was a major bust.
I wandered back outside and Googled things to do in Harrisburg. It said there was a little island in the river that was easy to walk to and had fun things like mini golf, boat rides, horse-drawn carriages, baseball, everything!
And....
I walked across the bridge and it was just another ghost town. No people, no golf, no horses, nothing. I wandered around there for a bit and walked down to the river bank. But then I was hungry so I Googled yummy places to eat and I found like a million! I was so excited!
And then I took myself on a walking tour of every closed restaurant in Harrisburg. Seriously, guys. I went to 7 or 8 places and every single one was closed. And then I was hangry. But somewhere in my depressing tour I found a vintage jewelry store and bought the cutest earrings in the world.
So I walked into the first place I could find that sold food and bought a sandwich. The nice gentleman asked if I wanted a half or a whole. After I distinctly told him half he gave me a sandwich the length of my arm. Come to find out a "whole" sandwich is the length of an extra long baguette.
I took my sandwich and walked to the state capitol building. I sat on the stairs and ate my sandwich and drank in the lovely weather.
Then I wandered over to the Strawberry Square which is supposed to be some kind of mall. But it was Dress Barn and fast food. And they closed at 6 whatever that is about.
So right as I was being kicked out of the "mall" I decided to just head back to the train station. The train ride back was great because I stole a seat in the quiet car.
Overall it was a day with great weather, beautiful scenery, and the weirdest experience of my life.
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| There were churches on almost every corner. I walked past 20 or so churches. |
2 comments:
Look at all that wheat just growing in the middle of the street! Seems like that wheat is the liveliest part of this city.
This will always be a fun story to tell. It will get better with age. Glad you can laugh at stuff.
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