I love Red Caps

Only In America

Philadelphia city hall

Delightful Deco

Red Cap waiting area at Philly Station

Arrived in Washington DC (the DC being the most important bit apparently – not even sure what it means) and am now trapped in my room because my door won’t close.  If I go out as I thought I would, then my room is left entirely unlocked which is suspect is unwise.  So I wait for the person from “engineering” which is probably a handy man who has to travel in from some far flung suburb with a tool kit and mess about with the door for an hour or so … probably in an hour or so when it’s too dark for me to go out.  Ah the myriad of minor irritations of travel.  Now there’s a cacophony of church bells going off which is quite full on and makes me for a moment think I might be in Paris or somewhere more exotic – sadly that was last weekend.

So I left Philadelphia today and Philly was a very handsome city – lots of lovely art deco buildings and a broadly laid out city of great proportions.  It looked to me like it might be quite a nice place to live and the little streets around where my hotel was were charming and had nice interesting shops.  This morning there was also a rather swish square with a farmers market selling the usual farmers market offerings.

Yesterday was a big one.  Started off at 8am at Liberty Resources which is a large building that houses a Centre for Independent Living that provides independent living resources for disabled people as well as the offices of ADAPT which organises actions or protests for disability rights – their main concern currently is getting people out of nursing homes, where about 1.5 million disabled people still live – many against their will.  At Liberty I recorded an interview with Nancy Solandra and she talked about a group of disabled people who marched in 2005 I think from Philadelphia to Washington (about 400 miles).  It took 2 weeks and an enormous amount of work to organise and I’m not sure how successful it was in reaching their objectives but it sounds like it was a memorable event.  I’m actually surprised how much they are still using direct action as a form of protest as I feel that these days in Australia these kinds of protests are not as likely to be the first line of attack.  Maybe I’m wrong or maybe we just don’t have the organisers that they do here.

In the afternoon I took a train about 40 minutes out of Philly to see Johnny Crescendo who was a leader in the UK movement and a singer, songwriter and poet before moving to Philadelphia.  He’s still all of the above but just here now instead of there if you follow me.  Johnny was great and gave me lots of his time and I think actually enjoyed being interviewed about what he’s done over the past few decades.  I also managed an interview with his wife Cassie who’s a leader as well but she wasn’t feeling well so the interview was quite short and certainly not as upbeat as Johnny’s.

Johnny wants to tour Australia so I’d like to try and help him make that happen If I can. 

Later ….

So the engineer finally arrived after a second request and indeed was a man with one tool who fixed the door in a flash and got me outside before dark.  The local area is quite good for all the essentials one needs so I got myself set up for a few days in the same place and came back weary and watched a movie.

There’s a raucous couple in the room next door and intermittently there’s yelping, loud doof, doof music and then it goes quieter again for a while except for the TV which I can hear quite clearly.

This hotel is quite trashy – claims to be a luxury boutique hotel but actually is a tired old dump with a bit of bling thrown about for decoration.  Not cheap either but apparently nothing is in DC.

Right now I don’t really have the energy for a new city – new map, new rail system, new hotel, etc.  I wish I was more excited about being here but at present I’m about as excited as I would be if I were in Canberra – actually maybe less so.

Oh dear – I think the couple in the next room are having sex – and the TV is still on.  Maybe the sex is on the TV – but I don’t think so.  Probably time for me to turn the TV on – loud.

So where was I ….I have loads of material to go through.  Tapes to log, DVD’s from Johnny to copy and post back to him, other DVD’s that people have given me to watch, plus a funding application to write before about Wednesday.  So I’m thinking that a day at the hotel this week might not be a bad thing. 

Two of the people I was hoping to meet in DC are actually overseas – Judy Heumann and Andy Impararto so I’m not sure how things will unfold but last week I feel was really good and I’m also now confirmed to meet with Bob Kafka in Austin (phew – I’m glad I’m not going all that way for nothing) next Friday and I’m also feeling good about San Francisco – my final week in the US.  So if DC is the flat point so be it – I just have to get through 5 nights in this dodgey hotel.  It feels like what the Chelsea Hotel in New York might have been like had I stayed there – but obviously without the legendary cred as far as I know.

Tomorrow is Sunday and the weather should be sunny and nice.  My plan is to get out and bond with DC so hopefully next time I’ll be feeling more positive about the place. 

The last thing I want to say apropos of nothing really is that I LOVE the red cap service.  Red caps are the super friendly guys who work for Amtrack (the railways) who help people like me with too much luggage and disabled and elderly people on and off the trains.  Today in Philly I met Tony who speaks Philadelphian and Italian.  Tony was across everyone’s travel movements and was a born organiser I think.  He even rang ahead to Washington to make sure another Red Cap came to meet me at the train – sadly Tony himself couldn’t do both ends as he was a star.  I’m sure if I went back to Philly in a year he’d remember me by name – not because I’m dazzlingly memorable but just because he’s that kinda guy.  Seriously today the Red Caps made my day because any day that I have to move is an issue (3 heavy items of luggage plus heavy handbag into 2 hands is a tricky one).  Whose idea was it to bring a lighting kit anyhow?