I've Been Workin' On the Railroad...

By eight yesterday morning I was on a train for a quick day trip to New York. By evening I was back...and though I talked to several people, made appointments, did some negotiating, and read and sent emails, most people never knew I'd left.

Dawn was just breaking when we got to Penn Station in Baltimore, and I couldn't resist snapping some photos of the classic façade. Later I did some research and learned the building is Beaux Arts style and dates from 1911. Though almost a century old, it had a face-lift in the 1990's when the interior was brightened considerably. Isn't that skylight magnificent? It reminds me of a grand hotel from the turn of the 20^th century.

Out front of the station is a massive sculpture that has caused loads of controversy. People seem to love it or hate it, and every so often there's a letter to the editor calling for it to be removed as an eyesore. Called Male/Female, it was created in 2004 by artist Jonathan Borofsky. His website describes it as a "...somewhat Jungian archetype of a male/female figure commissioned by the Municipal Art Society and placed in front of Pennsylvania Station. The brushed aluminum sculpture stands 51 feet tall. A pulsating LED sits where the two figures intersect; the light emitted over a 60-second cycle ranges from cobalt blue to fuchsia, denoting spiritual energy.(note:I captured both colors)  'The whole idea of this piece is two energies becoming one,' Borofsky says, 'two energies coming together to create a greater force.' "Whatever else it is, the sculpture makes for interesting photos!

With camera stowed we boarded the train and I settled in. My tablet PC plugged into the seat outlet, and with my cell phone handy, I made all my appointments and then scheduled one settlement for Thursday and another one for Friday afternoon. After that, it was negotiation for a home inspection, and then I downloaded the photos I took of the station and sculpture. 

When we rolled into New York's Penn Station we found a charming porter to help us. This helpful man is named Saint, and he absolutely lived up to his name. They really do make it easy to get to and from the Big Apple by train.                                                                                                                             

Our day's errands done, we came back home with the same ease. All the way I was keeping up with phone calls and emails. With the right technology it didn't matter where I was - it was business as usual.

Sing it with me...I've been workin' on the railroad!

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Baltimore,Md