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Reflections: September Amtrak Trip with Mom
Last September, I took an Amtrak trip with my mom to seven different cities in New York. I want to kind of gush about my mom and the things I love about her because we need more people in the world who have her excitement for life.

I remember one rainy afternoon when I was a kid, we were driving in the car and we saw a rainbow and my mom decided to just spend the afternoon chasing that rainbow to try to get to the end of it. Of course we never did, but my mom’s childlike pursuit of things that don’t really matter does matter, and it stuck with me, and it never wore off — she’s still like that, and her enthusiasm for things other people take for granted was something I really got to see on our train journey.

We live in different states and this Amtrak adventure was not only our first mother-daughter trip but it was her first time on a train or in New York, and she was constantly in awe. As she opened the doors between train cars she said she felt like she was Hercule Poirot. She gasped and pointed as we looked out the window. She helped me use the magazine New York By Rail, to plan our adventures.

A travel magazine titled new york by rail rests on a table beside a train window, where sunlight streams in and trees blur past outside—capturing the essence of a Mother Daughter Amtrak Train Trip.
A woman in a striped shirt smiles while sitting on an Amtrak train by a window, with a scenic view of a lake and mountains outside under a sunny sky—enjoying a memorable mother daughter train trip.

On the train I was reading a book by Jane Jacobs so my mom started reading about her too and joined in my excitement about this woman who shaped New York — and city planning at large — for the better. Every city that we visited was rife with observations and “Jane would love this!”

I told my mom that we’d be carrying all our belongings on our backs and she’d have to pack light, and she was. We never felt the need to take an Uber or rent a car. We admired the stoops and historic homes in Schenectady, took the bus to Troy and admired the murals, gasped constantly at all the cool architecture in Albany’s Capitol, strolled the pristine streets of Hudson, walked the world’s longest elevated pedestrian bridge in Poughkeepsie, browsed the gorgeous shops in Beacon, and gallivanted all over New York City.

On our last train ride, after we had already visited four of those cities in one day, I told her we were going to go straight to our hostel and not do anything fun that night. But when she looked out her train window and saw New York City lit up at night for the first time ever, she said, “I think we’re catching a second wind.” So we did go out and explore the city for all the magic that it is, just like the movies. We kept sending my dad videos of us talking in New York accents as we catfished ourselves with “second winds” and didn’t realize until the last day how tired we were.

Two women, perhaps on a mother daughter Amtrak train trip, smile and pose together on a city sidewalk. One wears a blue striped shirt and yellow checkered backpack, the other a floral jacket with a black crossbody bag. People and vehicles are in the background.
Two slices of pizza on paper plates rest on a red counter by a window, with a blurred city street and brick buildings visible outside in the background—a perfect pit stop for a Mother Daughter Amtrak Train Trip through the city.
A person sits alone at a table on an Amtrak train, writing or drawing on paper. Outside the window, blurred green scenery passes by—echoes of a mother-daughter train trip unfolding within the quiet car. Overhead, luggage rests on a rack as sunlight fills the space, adding warmth to the contemplative journey.
A long steel bridge spans across a wide river under a sky filled with large, fluffy clouds. Trees line the distant shore, sunlight brightens the scene, and an Amtrak train glides across the bridge—perhaps carrying families on a memorable mother-daughter train trip.
A row of white townhouses with green shutters faces a sunny sidewalk lined with potted plants, trees, parked cars, and a blue sky overhead—the perfect picturesque scene to greet a mother and daughter returning from their Amtrak train trip.
A small white brick house with blue shutters stands in front of leafy trees, evoking memories of a cozy stop on a Mother Daughter Amtrak Train Trip. Two chimneys lean outward, and two cars are parked on either side. The house has visible peeling paint near its foundation.
A hand holds a partially eaten cinnamon roll in focus, capturing a sweet moment from a Mother Daughter Amtrak Train Trip, with a blurred urban street scene and brick buildings in the background under a blue sky.
A large historic building with red-roofed towers stands under a blue sky—a perfect landmark for a memorable Mother Daughter Amtrak Train Trip. In front, a sign reads I ♥ NY in white and red letters on a brick plaza.
Two women, possibly a mother and daughter, smile while sitting next to each other on what appears to be an Amtrak train trip. One holds a colorful pamphlet and wears glasses, while the other wears a teal shirt. Both look happy and relaxed.
A mother and daughter sit by an Amtrak train window with their legs visible; a patterned bag rests below, a water bottle is tucked in the seat pocket, and a phone charges from a nearby outlet during their train trip.

I think I appreciate that Amtrak trip more now than I did even when I was on it. My mom’s excitement for whatever interests me is a rare gift to have as someone’s daughter, and I got to see it on our Amtrak adventure. I think of her every time I think of any of these cities. We made so many inside jokes and we both grew in confidence.

I’m sharing all this because I recommend taking a train trip with your mom, and I want to celebrate mine because she’s awesome and I love her and we need more people like her in the world.

I’m sending hugs.

A mother and daughter sit closely together, smiling on a brown sofa. The girl holds a towel and wears a colorful dress, while her mother holds a remote and wears a gray shirt and blue shorts. Their joyful expressions capture the warmth of their bond, reminiscent of fond memories from their recent Amtrak train trip.