Out and About -- In the World at Large

[skirtingtoday]

Well done, DenIM - the first step is always the hardest. Now that you have taken it, the only thought should be, "What was all the fuss about? Nothing happened and the world didn't stop turning." Hope you have many more excursions whilst skirted.

I have noted my own first time "out and about" in the "First time" section of this forum. In that I too chose a motorway service station as a neutral, anonymous starting point. I had arrived at the petrol (ie gas) station in the services area already skirted (14"long denim miniskirt) and filled up with petrol. Then I paid at the desk in the shop and - nobody bothered - despite waiting for the queue to die down. I did see a couple of policemen having a coffee there but though they were facing me, they didn't blink either. I also returned the same way and deliberately stopped to buy a coffee and choccy biscuit on the opposite side services - again nothing happened. Heart was going a bit each time though. But it does become easier each time you do it.

And as you say and have read many times here, "Be confident" and you did it! Look forward to hearing about future trips.

[skirtyscot]

Yesterday I took my son back to his university in Warrington, Cheshire, an approximate drive of three hours. He isn't yet at the stage where he will venture out in public with me when I'm wearing a skirt so I made my outward journey wearing trousers. On the return leg I stopped off at Knutsford Services to change into a skirt.

Kids, eh? I know teenagers are easily embarrassed and they are the most rigid followers of convention, but surely by the time they get to uni they should be lightening up a bit, opening their minds?

My confidence became so strong that instead of turning right to head for the exit, I turned left straight to the Costa coffee bar where I walked in direct sight of the female attendant and ordered a hot chocolate from her and paid for it with the now not so scrunched-up £5 note. She gave me the drink, my change and bid me a safe journey and with that I proudly walked through the services to my car. It felt great to be out and about unbifurcated and the driving experience homeward was enhanced by the comfort of the skirt. It was a great end to a thoroughly pleasant day and I most heartedly concur that confidence exudes confidence.

Sounds like you are taking to this skirting lark really quickly. Good for you!

[JRMILLER]

Last night, I visited our regular watering hole "Vito's Wine Bar". A cute young gal behind the counter took my order and as she scanned my card, she said "hey, aren't you the guy that wears kilts in here sometimes?". I said yes and offered that I was currently wearing a sarong. She looked, but couldn't see because the counter blocked the sarong. I backed up and she smiled and said "I like you even better now".

You just never know....

[skirtyscot]

Sounds very encouraging. Did you get her number?

[crfriend]

Sounds very encouraging. Did you get her number?

Mr. Miller is quite married, so I suspect he was just appreciative of the comment. It'd be the same thing if someone said something similar thing to me. Good relationships are hard to come by it seems, so it makes sense to hold onto them.

[JRMILLER]

Ya, she was about 25, 2 years younger than my daughter -- can't even imagine....

[skirtingtheissue]

Goal achieved: Crossing the USA skirted!

I just had a great cross-country train trip, California-Massachusetts, skirted at all times except sleeping in my roomette, and in February yet! Began day 1 wearing Elkommando kilt; day 2 in just-below-the-knee plain brown skirt, days 3 & 4 in just-above-the-ankle denim skirt. I got into brief conversations with three other passengers about skirting, trying to do my part to help spread the word; I seemed to make a favorable impression. One of them said "It's curious, just before I left San Francisco I happened to see another fellow in a skirt. Maybe it's catching on!" (Perhaps it was Skirted_in_SF?!) See "Do folks notice or not" thread for an amusing exchange. There were very few skirted women on board, maybe a handful.

My biggest achievement was tromping around Chicago for a few hours between trains and discovering that what you all have been saying about winter weather was actually true: you don't get as cold as you think, even without undies! It was my first time out and about in winter, in 30ºF weather, and the denim skirt and a half slip kept me very comfortable. Train trips are always great but the skirting made it even more fun. More trips are planned!

[skirted_in_SF]

Goal achieved: Crossing the USA skirted!

One of them said "It's curious, just before I left San Francisco I happened to see another fellow in a skirt. Maybe it's catching on!" (Perhaps it was Skirted_in_SF?!)

Sorry, it wasn't me. My skirted outings (outside of around my apartment building) have been confined to half block walks in a long black skirt to my local laundromat.
Since it is supposed to be sunny and in the low 60s (F) on Saturday, I'm thinking of wearing a just below the knee length brown tweed skirt to the Farmer's Market in the morning and maybe a bit more around the neighborhood. I'm still debating with myself about wearing to my haircut appointment in the afternoon. I'm not sure how my older (if a 60 year old can use that phrase) barber would deal with me in a skirt. He is, after all, holding a straight razor in the vicinity of my neck and ears.

My biggest achievement was tromping around Chicago for a few hours between trains and discovering that what you all have been saying about winter weather was actually true: you don't get as cold as you think, even without undies! It was my first time out and about in winter, in 30ºF weather, and the denim skirt and a half slip kept me very comfortable. Train trips are always great but the skirting made it even more fun. More trips are planned!

Ah, Chicago by train. I love it. I've done it twice in my pre-skirt days. Once round trip (California Zephyr/Empire Builder/Coast Starlight) and once CS to Portland, Cascade to Seattle and EB to Chicago. I flew home to allow extra time in Chicago. Going to have to do it again. Maybe using the Southwest Chief for one leg.

[Sarongman]

He is, after all, holding a straight razor in the vicinity of my neck and ears.

I don't know if you, in the Northern hemisphere, are familiar with A.B. (Banjo) Paterson and his poems from the late 19th century, apart from the "epic" poem, "The Man from Snowy River, which was made into a movie, so may be more widely known. In "The Man from Ironbark" there is a scene in a barber's shop where ---"he slashed the red hot razor back across the bushman's throat------You've done for me you dog, he said, one hit before I die, amd you'll remember all your life the man from ironbark. The rest is carnage as the bushman, while holding his throat, proceeds to trash the shop using the barbber to do the damage.

Now I'm not suggesting anything, mind

[Sinned]

I had opportunity to go into town yesterday on my bike and during the outward leg our local secondary school was chucking out. It's about a 10 minute walk down the road from me. I noticed that not one of the girls was wearing a skirt - they all had trousers on. Interesting but I thought not much more about it. In contrast later on the inward leg the pupils of a private school ( there are several public schools in York ) were crossing the road in front of me to go to the art gallery. ALL the girls were wearing skirts or kilts ( skirts medium blue background, dark blue bands with yellow thin bands in them ). The contrast was most striking - state school trousers, private school skirts.

[crfriend]

Ah, Chicago by train. I love it. I've done it twice in my pre-skirt days. Once round trip (California Zephyr/Empire Builder/Coast Starlight) and once CS to Portland, Cascade to Seattle and EB to Chicago.

I love rail travel, but haven't done any since about 2007 to and from Florida (and, yes, for that I was wearing a skirt). I've been on a couple of amazing trips, perhaps the most epic of which took Sapphire and I to the four corners (pretty much) of the 48 contiguous states. Boston -> Chicago -> Seattle -> Portland -> San Francisco -> Los Angeles -> New Orleans -> Jacksonville -> New York -> Boston. It took two weeks with day-or-two layovers in some of the cities along the way.

Another good one was from Washington, DC -> Chicago. That one was back when they were still running the domed cars in the East and I fondly recall sitting upstairs as we rolled though a snowstorm with everything looking like we were in a gian snow-globe. Later on that same trip we got to watch eagles along the Missouri River through the windows. Try that at 39,000 feet!

I need to do another run out to the west coast; there's all sorts of stuff I want to see again.

[Kirbstone]

Nice one, Carl. It is my ambition to avail ourselves of one of the many railroad tours through the US that are on offer. A trip through the Rockies aboard a domecar would be one of my dream holidays.
From 39,000 feet there is little better than a googlemaps-eye view available and certainly no wildlife!

T.

[crfriend]

A trip through the Rockies aboard a domecar would be one of my dream holidays.

Far more spectacular than the Rockies is the trip through the Sierra Nevada range. That is an absolutely breathtaking run where for parts of it you look to one side of the train and it's a sheer vertical wall of rock and looking out the other way there's nothing but open space looking out over valleys. I've done that twice, and it largely still follows the route of the original Transcontinental Railroad. Headed eastbound on that route is also very nice on the long sweeping descent into Denver where one gets to look out across the plains from a couple thousand feet above.

[rivegauche]

Interesting to see the report from York by Sinned. I went clothes hopping on a Saturday afternoon in York once, and I think I was the only person in the city centre that day wearing a skirt!

[r.m.anderson]

My passion and I am a life time member of the Friends of the 261.

LINK:

http://www.261.com/

In May riding in the SuperDome car from Minneapolis/St.Paul to Duluth.
Finally after four years will have our steam locomotive the former
Milwaukee Road #261 restored to its full glory and back in excursion service.

Take a look at the website and some of our rolling stock vintage cars from
the Milwaukee Road and US Army Medical Cars.

We frequently have charter trips like the upcoming Restaurant Show in
Chicago.

This is how the American public traveled in times past.
Amtrak does a fair job of trying to replicate this service but nothing this fancy.

And when wearing a kilt or skirt one has to be cautious about moving between
cars when the train is at track speed 78 MPH the drafts sometimes create the
Marylin Monroe classic - not so much for the kilt but a light weight 'A' line skirt
has to be restrained to prevent being caught in the door(s). Seems to be a much
greater flow of air when passing another moving train.

Comment -
If you wonder why the (Amtrak) diesel locomotive is in the mix - it is to provide
electrical power to the train consist and can be used to augment the power to
push/pull and brake the train as necessary.

Yes the view from ground level is much better than that of the airliner at 39K feet.
When the tracks were originally laid they went through the better part of towns;
cities and urban areas - now that is not so much true as these areas have suffered
because of neglect and freight cars don't need windows to view the countryside.

In closing it is blast to travel by charter train with magnificent meals and beverages
and most importantly to just walk about chat with friends clients and others interested
in train travel. You can do that on Amtrak but this is even more personal !

"Planes-Trains-Automobiles"
"Skirt-Kilt-ON"
rma