Monday, April 12, 2010

On The Train

As I write this, I am speeding along the Northeast Amtrak corridor (well, speeding is a relative term) from Wilmington, DE to Stamford CT where I have some "bidness" to transact tomorrow. Tonight I'll be staying with friends of the Kitten who are now my friends, yet another benefit of coupled living.

Have I mentioned how much I like taking the train? Anywhere? I have plenty of leg-room (not a trick when you are as modestly sized as I, but none of the big fellas look too cramped either), my cell-card is giving me access to the interwebs, I can get up and stroll about as I see fit and can simply stare in a daze out the window as I watch the various suburban and urban settlements of the Northeast reveal themselves to me--but only for an instant.

I could do this regularly--certainly more regularly than flying. Flying is such a bother--the train is simply a better way to travel--at least in this part of the country. We've had plenty of running gun-battles here about government financing for highspeed rail, but when I think about the stuff I want the feds involved in--and there isn't much--moving people and stuff around this great land of ours seems right in their sweet spot.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Be careful with trains. An Army buddy and meself picked up a couple of German babes at the Oktoberfest and I decided to go back for seconds. I jumped on a train in Verona prepared for a very boring journey through the Alps at night (took a magnum of vino). Well I got drunk. I vaguely remember getting robbed, the kindly thief left
my ticket and ID card. I arrived in Munchen with a raging hangover, pennyless. I immediately boarded a return train, and drank "non-potable" water out of the taps in the toilets all the way home. My Army buddies could not have been more amused. Lesson learned.

Dan said...

We took the car train from Lorton to Orlando a couple of years ago -- it was great! Had a full family sleeper coach. It was a great way to go.

Doc Milnamo said...

I once took Amtrak from Raleigh, NC to the 30th Street Station in Philly. Comfy seats (recliner type), bar car and a stop in DC (short) to change head-end motive power from diesel to electric. Smooth, uneventful...just the way I like to travel.

Many other shorter trips, Raleigh to Charlotte and back and Philly to Penn Station, NY and back. Smooth and uneventful.

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