2006: Amtrak Crescent Out Of Post-Katrina New Orleans, Headed to NYC

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA (October 23, 2006): Amtrak's "Crescent," leaving New Orleans, passing considerable devastation from Hurricane Katrina and crossing Lake Ponchatrain.

The train continues through Mississippi and Alabama, where I turned off the camera for the night at Anniston.

The video picks up the next day in Washington, D.C. (District of Criminals). Station stops shown in the video are Picayune and Meridan in Mississippi, the aforementioned Washington, and Philadelphia. Apologies for the poor quality entering Philadelphia. There was debris on the window and I didn't realize the video camera was focusing on it, and not on the scenery outside.

There are a few shots of Washington's subway trains, the Metro Rail.

You will understand, this is 2006 we're talking about. I'm using an old-school RCA video camcorder. We didn't have I-phones and "smart" phones and high quality still and video cameras in our pockets at the time. Yes, that truly was a great time to be alive, not paying to have a government and corporate tracking device tagging along with us, documenting our every move.

The video ends north of Philadelphia (probably north of Trenton, but I stand to be corrected). After the train passes by what appears to be an ancient prison with a stone wall, that's where the tape and / or the batter gave out. Something else we didn't have in 2006, power outlets next to every seat in public transportation.

Some bonus cameos just after the beginning of the video are an edited version of Dogma's hilarious "No ticket!" scene, where Kevin Smith throws Matt Damon and Ben Afleck off the train, followed by a scene from the Pace Salsa commercial, where, after a character says, "This stuff's made in New York City," the cows, in unison say, "NEW YORK CITY!"

I was traveling in coach at the time (probably Amfleet 1), something I haven't had the stamina or the back to do in many years since.

On this journey, I had traveled from Toronto to San Francisco, then up to Vancouver, back down to San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Tijuana, back up to San Diego and Los Angeles and out to New Orleans, where I finished up my vacation and was making my way back to Toronto by way of New York City.