This semester I had to figure out how to get myself from UMass Amherst to Princeton, New Jersey in order to visit my dearest beau. I would normally take my own wheels, but alas, my anxious personality would likely max out somewhere over the George Washington Bridge and end up making the whole event far more trouble than it’s worth.
Buses alone would have taken too long, so I ventured to Amtrak. However, it didn’t seem like it would be that easy. I had to pick out what train station to leave from, how to get there, and where on earth I was going to keep my car.
After some help from my local AAA and personal research, I figured out most of my questions. I ended up purchasing a round trip ticket from Springfield to Trenton non-stop—coming back I would go from Trenton to New Haven, and then on an Amtrak Thruway Bus from New Haven to Springfield. All seemed well, until I realized that I had never been in a train station—let alone on a train—and now I would be doing it by myself. Not only that, but how was I going to find my way from the track to the buses in New Haven within eight minutes when trains are almost always running at least that many minutes late?
First, I found Ken’s Parking Lot in Springfield. Upon arrival at 5:10 in the morning, I entered an open lot with a sign that was on, but no one was there. After a minor panic attack, a car finally pulled in across from me, and out came an extremely large man. He started walking towards my car, and panic once again overcame me. He turned out to be very friendly and talked me through the process. But I was still hesitant—especially when he told me I had to give him my car keys for the weekend. I handed them over, cursing myself on the inside, and ran into the station to check with an attendant that I didn’t just make the biggest mistake of my life.
It turned out that Ken was legit—he provided me genuine help and assurance as I began my journey. Needless to say, I felt like a jerk for doubting him. Afterwards, I found the Amtrak attendants extremely helpful. It was easy to get on the train, and the announcements made it obvious when it was time to get off. I merely had to enjoy my seat next to the wonderful 75-year-old Rosemary, get off when they announced arrival to Trenton, and then wait for the boyfriend to pick me up outside the station.
The way back was a little bit more scary. On top of the sadness of saying “see you later” once again, I had to get myself off the train in New Haven and onto a bus when my train was already running more than 20 minutes late. I basically sat in my seat in an unending state of panic and constantly checked the status of the train, until one of the many kind Amtrak employees made an announcement to all passengers getting off and heading towards my particular bus. They gave me directions and landmarks in the station to guide me to the bus and reassured us all that despite the delay, it would be waiting for us when we got there.
I found the bus and we all headed to our respective destinations. It was actually quite easy. When I got back to Springfield, I headed across the street back to Ken’s Parking Lot and found my car, safe and sound, and paid a very respectable price. All in all, I could not possibly say anything negative about my experience. It challenged me to travel alone, but everyone that I encountered contributed to my positive experience.
Now get online, use your student discount, and plan an exciting adventure for yourself!
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Mass Amherst chapter.