It is unfair to talk of buses and forget the trains. The truth is that the most wonderful experience of the whole trip was an Amtrak experience. I left Princeton, and, as one would expect from american railroads, I found myself, together with another girl who boarded at Princeton, stranded in Trenton. Hour and a half in the Trenton train station. The girl said: "What are we going to do? You'll be very bored... I have an Ebony, do you want to see it?" (no she was not black - actually she was off-blonde). She had this issue of Ebony because it contained an article about Charlotte McCoo's diet. I have no idea who Charlotte McCoo is - she is a television personality. The article said she put great emphasis on regular bowel motion.
I read it and then I said to the girl "You must be bored, too. I just happen to have two Superman comics books with me, and a Classics Illustrated from 50's - is that something for you?" She said that that might be worth load of money; she had just received a comic books catalogue she had ordered in the mail, and did I know that some of the first issues can fetch a few thousands of dollars? For example, the first issue of Batman in mint condition is worth $6000. I had no idea, I had to admit. I thought six dollars for a Classics Illustrated was outrageous enough. One thing seemed clear - Princeton freshmen have gotten more brainless. Television stars, and comic book catalogues? Next thing you know, we were sitting in a train and I was confessing to my dislike of Wagner. How I went all the way from Oxford to London to the Covent Garden to sit through four hours of Sigfried for love of my Wagner freak friends Francois and UF. A long story - for another time.
