Friday 22 June 2012

The Quiet Carriage

Heading back home from NY recently, Hubby and I clambered aboard the Amtrak train at New Haven into the "quiet car". Great...it's one of those carriages that you know about and long to be in when you hear the chatter of some rowdy gang of teenagers or the businessman behind you bitching about the latest presentation that he had to deliver on time. Yet when you get there suddenly the need to speak rather loudly is overwhelming.

However, this time I was fine with it - I was knackered and needed to kip. As I sat there shifting trying to get comfortable, Hubby came back with lunch. I cringed as I tore apart the cellophane surrounding the sandwich cursing the makers as the crinkle and crunching seemed to reverberate around the carriage.

Lunch eaten I eventually drifted off to the lullaby of rumbling train-tracks. Only to be awoken by the rather loud announcement of the train arriving at a station. Shouldn't there be a volume for the quiet carriage? As I settled back into the seat chasing sleep again, the clickety-clack of knitting needles was heard behind me. Boy are knitting needles loud. At first I was impressed by the speed of this anonymous knitter but after a few moments thought - should they now put on the notice of quiet talking only and no cell phones also no knitting, just crochet after all that only requires one needle?

As we approached Boston South Station, the rustling and movement of the carriage became marginally louder as people gathered their belongings together, yet they still obeyed the rule of hushed tones. It wasn't until the train came to a complete halt at Boston that I spoke at a normal volume. By which time two women were discussing a lost phone which one of them had put on vibrate....good luck finding that one love...ah one the perils of sitting in the quiet zone!

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