Manifest Destiny: America from the Bottom Up - Day 18 - Stamford, CT to Havertown, PA - The Train to Philly and Frantic Francis

I slept for a couple of hours, but sleeping in the hallway of a train station sucks. I got up and made my way back up the stairs and into the lobby, where I bought a coffee and waited. For some reason the coffee just made me tired and I nodded to sleep over and over again. 

Finally, it was a half hour before the train was due to arrive. I pulled on all my stuff and went outside to wait. The cold air helped me stay awake...  

Waiting for the train.

When the train pulled in I wasn't really very tired anymore. I climbed on enthusiastically and settled into my seat. It wasn't overly busy, so I had both seats to myself. This was a comfortable train ride. I'd been walking for many days and the chance to ride was welcome indeed. I uploaded some pictures from the last few days and simply relaxed.

Poster in New York City Station

Freedom Tower and New York City on the Way Out

Speeding Toward Philadelphia

When we arrived at our first stop in New York City, some guy came rushing on the train and begged for $15 saying he lost his ticket and needed to buy another. The lady next to me looked over at me and raised her eyebrows. No one gave him anything.

It seemed like a quick ride to Philly. I was hoping it might be a little longer so I could rest up. But soon enough we were approaching the Amtrak Station in the City of Brotherly Love. I got that same feeling I did with each new state...reservations. And, combined with this was the prospect of navigating through another big city, probably at night.

I got off the train and entered the immense hall that is located right down town. After studying Google Maps for a while I decided that Route 3 west was the best way out of the city and towards my next goals in Pennsylvania...

Outside the station.

I began my long walk through the city. The sun was going down by the time I reached the most western edge of town, near Millbourne. I had gotten lost on a road that I thought was Route 3. It should have been a cinch to stay on Route 3, but sometimes the road splits into one way drives and then joins other streets before becoming its original route number again. Such was the case on this night. And, not having glasses really showed in my poor navigating. I had to walk right up to signs to read them.

So add another city walk-through. I walked all the way from the city center of Philadelphia, all the way through the west side, on a Saturday Night--only white guy again. No problem.

I am becoming a good actor. I can look like a scrappy, lumbering guy, a disabled guy, a hiker guy, a confident guy, a tough guy...

This time I collapsed and tucked my hiking stick up into the straps of the backpack. I could easily reach behind and pull it out. Having it out of sight was much more effective for letting me just blend in.

With these moderately large cities it is simply finding the most direct route out, then it is only a matter of time and (much) physical effort. They are never more than about 10 miles in diameter or 5 miles in radius. New York would have been a stretch and a half--way too big, same with Chicago or Los Angeles. Maybe when I was young they would have been possibilities, but at my age I would not even try to do those.

I think I could walk completely out of just about any other city in the U.S. Blending in is also a matter of simply feeling like you are part of everything going on.

I'll tell you this: I already like Pennsylvania. The people - so far - are genuinely courteous. They try not to turn what should be smooth interactions into wrinkles. It is a never-ending source of fascination for me to see such densely packed populations, just going about doing their thing, in relative harmony.

My love for this country is growing with each new day. I have admittedly been a jaded and critical observer at times in the past (maybe you've noticed). But I was not an experienced observer. I extrapolated, presumed, assumed... I am going to try not to do that any more. I want to only make commentary or evaluations on things that I have personally experienced. This journey has taught me that lesson unequivocally.

Now that I am reaching the larger states, I'm going to adjust my plans a bit. I'd like to be able to get a motel room (or stay with a friend) at least every 15 days (or twice a month). It is all about the limits of my ability to live like a human animal. I am truly having the homeless experience.

I may be intentionally at the bottom; except, that if I was truly without your support and had to live without a home, I would never want to do what I see these other unfortunate souls doing. Some are literally sleeping on the street (not in shelter), mixed with spending every night going from place to place in an attempt to keep warm and safe all night without much rest or sleep and without becoming a problem for security and other authorities who have to deal with their presence.

No. If I had to, I would sleep in the woods. And, I would travel - though much more slowly than I do now - so that I wouldn't wear out my welcome or become a nuisance. How do I know it would work? Because that is exactly what I'm doing now.

Also, I have got to be extraordinarily frugal with my spending now. As usually happens "donor fatigue" is setting in. This wouldn't be such an issue if I could get this story to be more widely known somehow. But I simply can't do all that I am doing and market my project. I can't even begin to do that; let alone set up merchandising like a T-shirt idea.

It would be extremely helpful if you folks who appreciate this effort would share the blog and ask people to friend me on Facebook. If these new friends could give a few bucks that would help. But I am phobic about asking my friends alone to financially support me in this.

Maybe as a team we can get other people who have not heard of this to become interested? I will do my best--count on it. If I meet more folks (and PA will likely be a rich source of them) they may become Facebook friends and then get their friends to take an interest. There is no mathematical way that that can't grow exponentially.

I promise that if this can become a 'pheenom' I will direct toward helping the homeless, the hungry and the under-served. I want to make enough to live in my simple way, and to save enough to buy my little piece of land and build my small self sustaining cottage, then perpetually work in a non-profit way to continue helping others, but I don't need a lot of money.

I don't want to be rich--not at all. I want to have resources to do what is necessary in what I have already mentioned, but that's it. You will never see me with a four car garage, jet ski, power boat, a big house, taking flashy vacations or anything else that I consider ostentatious (which would include owning anyTHING I don't need). I have cured myself of the human temptation to accumulate STUFF or shop for no reason. I won't need lots of storage areas in my little cottage.

I was at a Dunkin Donuts outside of Philadelphia County, just past the intersection of Route 3 and Route 1. It's cold here tonight and I am almost all dried off from sweating. Soon I will go make my nest for the night and then continue on down Route 3, going westward tomorrow.

I just met “Frantic Francis” (my name for him).

My god!, what a character. His PA accent was so thick I could not understand some of what he said. 

The "a" in "after" and all similar words is pronounced "ee-a" so "ee-after. Accents are so interesting! I've heard my mom do this. She was a little girl in Philadelphia for awhile. Also the word, terrible is pronounced "turble."

I gathered though that he was a disabled guy who was being sued by his house nurse (he called her a "babysitter"). He was denied his pension from the PA Transportation Department after 33 years of service.

He hates all politicians, especially the ones in his county of Delaware (which he pronounced "Delare"). He believes that "gays and farners [foreigners]" (anyone who isn't straight and white) have stolen "our" rights. Ronald Reagan was "the best president in US history."

Francis can't read or write, so "everyone is taking advantage" of him (though, he asked for my mailing address). He said the internet is ruining the country. He calls Obama, "Obam" (doesn't pronounce the "a" at the end).

I asked to take a picture of him, and then asking him for his last name. But he refused, believing the people he was "fighting in court on Monday" would find out and take away his car. It went on like this, until he began to repeat himself, that was my cue to pack up.

Also, there a funny thing some people use when speaking here: "Huh?" After every "important" point made they will say "Huh?" But it isn't because they don't hear you, nor that they want your opinion. It is simply to be an explanation mark.

After resting up and drying off at Dunkin Donuts, I continued on my way, looking for a nesting spot for the night.

Just on the edge of Havertown I spotted a climbable hill over to my left, overlooking a children's hospital. It would be perfect for the night. I waited until no traffic was around and then slipped down the roadside, through a dry ditch and up into the woods. A few cars went by and I questioned my decision, but I had gone this far, why not give it the ole' college try?

So, I climbed up the hill and when I got to the top it was nice and flat, with a dry spot to lay my sleeping bag down. There was a very large oak tree there to shield me from the street below. I had my only little place...

I rested and simply sat there thinking for a while and then turned in for the night. I slept really well, probably because I'd only had a couple of hours the night before, and had walked so far.

Havertown Sleeping Place.