Blogging on a train

I have never written on a train before, so this is a first. We got a seat with a table, which helps since having a laptop in your lap isn’t exactly ideal. Caught the Amtrak bus on Market Street in San Francisco, crossed the Bay Bridge and then left Emeryville on a backward train. Amtrak has stopped turning trains around at the ends of the line, so heading north we get to ride a proper train, with the engine in front. Going south we are being pushed by the engine with the engineer sitting in the tail end of the lounge car which is equipped with lights and horn, and, I assume, a steering wheel (at least I hope it has a steering wheel!).

We survived another Gift Show at Moscone Center in the City. This year the exhibit space was considerably smaller than in the past, occupying only the South Hall. Normally it takes both South and North Halls, and sometimes spills over to another building farther west, the Concourse. With the shrinking economy, the show has followed suit. It may stay that way as time passes since it was so much easier to tour just one building. The exhibitors were in smaller spaces and seem to have been able to exhibit just as much merchandise, just fewer sizes and colors. We arrived and toured the entire show early Saturday afternoon, then went to our hotel. Sunday morning we returned to the show to make our selections at the places we were interested in, then took off to tour the shop at the modern art museum a block away where we bought some really nice stuff and had lunch. It was a relief from all the glittering bling at the gift show.