Mathew Foxcroft has embarked on the journey of a lifetime, travelling across America by train. Here is his weekly report in the second week of the trip.

LEAVING New York we headed to the capital Washington D.C., a three hour trip. Our first impressions were that it seemed a very run-down and poor city with an abundance of homeless people. Trying not to let our first impressions cast a shadow over the city, we spent the day looking round the many sights.

After only one day, we had seen what there was to see in Washington -- the White House, Capitol Hill, The Washington Monument and the Pentagon, plus visits to the many free museums.

Staying once again in a hostel, the night felt threatening with hardly any people around. Our reservations about the city got the better of us and we decided to leave and head North to visit friends in Cleveland.

Unfortunately, as we were heading out of our hostel towards the train station, we were mugged. Not wanting to put our lives at risk, we handed over the money in our wallets. We headed straight into the station where we were both very shook up. As our train was leaving minutes later, we got straight on where we reflected on what had just happened.

With an 11-hour train journey ahead of us, it led us to think about the rest of the journey in front of us and the remaining 10 weeks' travelling.

Admittedly, when the incident happened, there was a temptation to jump on the next flight home. But that would mean that the mugger would have ruined our journey of a lifetime.

For those who have been a target of crime, you will know the fear that it puts in you.

We now hope that the remainder of our travels will be trouble-free, but the overriding fact is that this could happen again and it could happen anywhere.

On a brighter, more positive note, the 11-hour train journey on the Amtrak superliner was a very comfortable ride, with an abundance of leg room. The seating had plane-like pull-down tables and the staff came round with pillows for those who wanted to sleep. The train was equipped with sleeping cars, a dinner lounge, plus a film lounge which was surrounded in glass to give a perfect view of the surrounding areas during the day.

As it was Super Bowl Sunday, the train driver would give regular updates on the scores, which pleased the majority of our fellow American travellers.

We arrived in Cleveland to a blanket of snow and sub zero temperatures. We are staying with friends in Berea. The college there is spread out over the town and has 2,900 full-time students. It was good to see old friends, especially after the testing day we had been through.

Our break in Cleveland has given us time to re-group and understand a little more about the American way of life.

We now head to Niagara before heading into Toronto in Canada.