Part 37: Carbondale

I got off work early, rushed to Union Station, and boarded the southbound Illini at 4pm. It took about five and a half hours to get to my destination at the end of the line: Carbondale, Illinois. Upon arrival, I deboarded and humped it about a block or so to Home2 Suites, an extended stay type of hotel owned by Hilton. The Amtrak worker that worked the cafe car narrowly beat me to the check-in desk.

I showered and then went out to explore downtown Carbondale. The plan was to hit a bar and check out the Saluki coeds. The downtown was pretty dead. I would later find out that winter break was still going on and classes would not restart until Monday. I found a bar called Traxx a few blocks from my hotel that had a decent college crowd. The young females stuck to mixed groups of friends mostly, so sarging was difficult. After a couple of Budweisers, I decided to call it a night. I had started work at 4am in the morning and now had been awake for over twenty hours!

On the way back to the hotel, I stopped at Jimmy John's and had a Big John with extra onions. I then retired to my room and quickly passed out.

Home2 Suites as seen from the Carbondale Amtrak station.