Night Water - Late Night Vibes: Acela Edition
Thank you for subscribing to Night Water: late night posts that hit different. It was light when we went down into the subway, but by the time we re-emerge on the Acela in Queens, it may as well be midnight. Moynihan Train Hall, the new addition to Penn Station in Manhattan, is as bright and colorless as a shopping mall in a mid-tier city. And like a shopping mall, it seems to exist outside the flow of normal time; the combinations of numbers on the plethora of screens exist only to communicate how close you are to leaving. Around 20 minutes before departure, the ceiling lights shift from off-white to a light purple, the only indication that it might be nighttime somewhere outside. A pure white Verizon ad spread across multiple giant screens negates the effect. This is my first time on the Acela, the fastest train in America with a paltry top speed of 150 mph, only marginally faster than the cheaper Northeast Regional running on the same tracks. It’s also my first time in business class, my first time with an assigned seat on an Amtrak train. It’s less hectic than my usual trip, the Ethan Allen Express to Rutland, VT, a once-daily train that is typically sold out, with passengers angling for their preferred seat lining up in a corner of Penn Station over an hour before departure. In front of us, a boarding woman greets her seatmate and says “My boyfriend booked the wrong seat, do you mind—“ and before she can finish he has gathered his bag and vacated the seat. “He’s also in the wrong car,” she adds apologetically. She calls her boyfriend on the phone to get his seat number but the man disappears before she can tell him. When her boyfriend arrives and they settle in, they play online chess against each other on separate laptops. One could imagine them doing this from separate cars as well, though I suppose that ruins the thrill. Passing through the Bronx, the Manhattan skyline lights up our windows. Out of the city, light is harder to come by, until eventually it is pitch black except for the occasional oasis of light around a power transmitter, a Geico billboard, a Sunoco, the Half-Time Bar and Grill, a store called “buybuyBaby,” and a parking lot where FedEx trucks go to sleep. The boyfriend in front of us seductively eats a strawberry. The passenger across the aisle cracks open a fresh hardcover copy of Jonathan Franzen’s latest, and makes it to page 80 by 10 o’clock. A woman a few rows ahead watches most of the second season of Ted Lasso. I listen to all of Lana Del Rey’s second album of 2021, Blue Bannisters—great travel music but it almost feels like a betrayal to listen on the train and not in a classic car rolling down an empty highway at a leisurely pace in the middle of nowhere. The cafe car is open and serving, and the train becomes a moving ballpark with passengers walking down the aisle clutching flimsy paper boxes of snacks and sodas. Out the windows, flanked by unused curtains: an empty road, an empty office building, an empty Hot Rod Cafe, long rows of empty school buses. Like Moynihan, the light on the train erases time. It could be 9 o’clock, it could be midnight, it could be tomorrow. The numbers on our phones don’t mean much except for telling us how close we are to arriving. The Acela is set to be replaced by the end of next year with a brand new model, the Avelia Liberty, but for now the train keeps rambling through the night. If you liked this post from Night Water, share it with a friend. If you hated this post, share it with an enemy. If you want to infuse your workplace with some chaotic energy, post it in a random Slack channel with the message “thoughts?” |
Key phrases
Older messages
The Night Water 50th Subscriber Special
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
A Q&A with our 50th subscriber, Sami Boghos
Why does water taste better at night?
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Thank you for signing up for Night Water
A few questions for Cole Sprouse about his trip to Babyland General Hospital
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Cole: in the unlikely event that you or your publicist or your social media manager or your brother ever see this, I have some questions for you.
You Might Also Like
Behind the billionaire climate tax
Thursday, April 25, 2024
One economist explains why taxing the rich and paying the poor isn't as far-fetched as you'd think. actually has a chance of becoming a reality ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Your gift to poetry matched!
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Today only. Dear Friend, I have some exciting news: an Academy board member has pledged to match any gifts made TODAY only, up to $20000. Your special gift in support of all the Academy's programs
Preserving Process
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Sometimes someone else says it best ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
India's Sign-Wallas: On the Brush on the Subcontinent
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Meena Kadri takes us to India to appreciate the flamboyant work of the country's 'sign-wallas'. BLAG Magazine: Adventures in Sign Painting Craft, Community & Culture bl.ag online weekly
I’m Fine
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Is your story hindering or helping you? ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
No Pain, All Gain
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Physical activity can protect you from chronic pain, a GPS wearable lets you train like the pros and your weekly recommendations. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
DO Manifesto: A new, live, online course.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
100 places only. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Falling into your ocean eyes
Thursday, April 25, 2024
But first: save $ — and earn rewards — on your prescriptions — Check out what we Skimm'd for you today April 25, 2024 Subscribe Read in browser Together with goodrx But first: save $ — and earn
"Epistle" by Ellen Hinsey
Thursday, April 25, 2024
When the sky darkens with alabaster and mahogany— Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day April 25, 2024 Epistle Ellen Hinsey When the sky darkens with alabaster and mahogany —— Storm and
Kourtney Kardashian Wore The Ultimate 45th Birthday Bikini & WOW
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Vintage Dior, of course.