Sometimes you are just in the right place at the right time...
Riding on the City of New Orleans,
Illinois Central Monday morning rail
Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders,
Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail.
All along the southbound odyssey
The train pulls out at Kankakee
Rolls along past houses, farms and fields.
Passin' trains that have no names,
Freight yards full of old black men
And the graveyards of the rusted automobiles.
This familiar song was written by Steve Goodman. But it is familiar to most of us as a song recorded in 1972 by folk singer Arlo Guthrie. It plays through my head often, since I love trains. On Tuesday night, I was in Chicago. I had to travel to Kankakee, Illinois. No better way to go than by train. So I killed a couple of hours by going to the original Pizzeria Uno. If you have never had real Chicago deep dish pizza, you have not lived. No better place to get it than the original Pizzeria Uno. After dinner, I took a taxi to Union Station. The bank thermometer read 12F at the time. There I boarded The City of New Orleans, Amtrak train number 59.
The conductor came on over the PA system and made the announcements shortly after we pulled out of Chicago. He welcomed the famous Arlo Guthrie on board the train. I learned from other passengers that Arlo and his group had an entire car. I also learned that he was getting off at Kankakee, which was where I was going.
When I detrained in Kankakee, Mr. Guthrie was being greeted by a group of well wishers. I got to go up and shake his hand. It was quite an honor. He was on a fund raising tour on the famous train, raising money for the musicians of New Orleans, who have suffered mightily at the wrath of Hurricane Katrina.
More about the fundraising effort in tomorrow’s Weather Talk.
Riding on the City of New Orleans,
Illinois Central Monday morning rail
Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders,
Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail.
All along the southbound odyssey
The train pulls out at Kankakee
Rolls along past houses, farms and fields.
Passin' trains that have no names,
Freight yards full of old black men
And the graveyards of the rusted automobiles.
This familiar song was written by Steve Goodman. But it is familiar to most of us as a song recorded in 1972 by folk singer Arlo Guthrie. It plays through my head often, since I love trains. On Tuesday night, I was in Chicago. I had to travel to Kankakee, Illinois. No better way to go than by train. So I killed a couple of hours by going to the original Pizzeria Uno. If you have never had real Chicago deep dish pizza, you have not lived. No better place to get it than the original Pizzeria Uno. After dinner, I took a taxi to Union Station. The bank thermometer read 12F at the time. There I boarded The City of New Orleans, Amtrak train number 59.
The conductor came on over the PA system and made the announcements shortly after we pulled out of Chicago. He welcomed the famous Arlo Guthrie on board the train. I learned from other passengers that Arlo and his group had an entire car. I also learned that he was getting off at Kankakee, which was where I was going.
When I detrained in Kankakee, Mr. Guthrie was being greeted by a group of well wishers. I got to go up and shake his hand. It was quite an honor. He was on a fund raising tour on the famous train, raising money for the musicians of New Orleans, who have suffered mightily at the wrath of Hurricane Katrina.
More about the fundraising effort in tomorrow’s Weather Talk.
on December 9, 2005, 9:54 pm
An incredible song, Arlo's rendition of it also incredible.
The musicians of New Orleans... I hear some are finding a new start in Portland. I hope many/most come back to New Orleans when they can.
New Orleans, music, what else can you say...
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on December 10, 2005, 7:01 am
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