"In 2014, the National Rail Passenger Corporation, best known as Amtrak, pulled off one of the epic marketing coups of U.S. railroad history—granted, there haven’t been many of late—when they announced the Amtrak Residency for Writers, where they would send 24 writers on cross-country trips, meals and beds gratis, to write the Great American Novel. The announcement of this perfect marriage of two beloved dinosaurs—trains and publishing!—set Twitter aflame, like hearing Panasonic and Oldsmobile had teamed up to launch a new line of gas-powered fax machines."With an opening paragraph like this, you know you're in for a good read.
While he didn't get the residency he wanted, the author and his childhood bestie did wind up taking a trip on the fabled City of New Orleans from end to end, Chicago to the Big Easy. Along the way they discovered train food, delays, and that Amtrack may be slower than Delta, but Delta won't let you bring a case of beer on board to consume at your leisure.
