About 50 years ago, I traveled from Frostburg, MD in the mountains to DC Union
Station. Lots of trees at the beginning. Lots of govt buildings at the end. But
Union Station is quite beautiful as are some other parts of DC.
The passenger trains traveling east that go through FF end up in Chicago. They
are not reliable time-wise so if one has a plane to catch out of O'Hara, it's
better to take the bus. And at least the bus stops in FF. The closest train
stops are 30 minutes away, Ottumwa to the west and Mt. Pleasant to the east.
Friends have taken that train, the California Zephyr, to Denver, and then all
the way to the Pacific Northwest. I think it's an all night journey. I don't
think it's the Orient Express!
On Saturday, October 12, 2013 11:50 AM, Bhairitu <noozg...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
We have an Amtrak station here. I looked into traveling up to Seattle that way
but it was actually more expensive than taking a plane. When I was a kid I
traveled from here back up to Portland on a train. I would bet the route has
not changed much. I got to see a lot of fir trees.
On 10/12/2013 09:28 AM, Share Long wrote:
>I admit I've long wished the US had a coast to coast fast train and a car
>train at that, maybe making 3 or so stops along the way. I've traveled in
>train a few times and thoroughly enjoyed it.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>On Saturday, October 12, 2013 11:17 AM, Bhairitu <noozg...@sbcglobal.net>
>wrote:
>
>
>As I've posted before, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) ain't so rapid. Right
>now there is a possibility of another strike which will make things really
>worse. Much at issue aren't so much union wages but safety. Back in the day
>they probably thought they had the "state of the art" public transportation
>idea, except that it is too expensive to extend into the whole area. And
>train and trolley tracks got torn up and even now used as hiking trails. So
>we can't do the much cheaper "light rail."
>
>In the 1990s I lived across the street
from a BART station. Where I worked
was also across the street from a BART
station but I rarely took it. That
was because my job sometimes required
driving out to other businesses. And
gas was so cheap and my car so fuel
efficient it actually cost more to
ride BART. I would occasionally take
BART into "the city" (San Francisco)
because parking, like Paris, is shitty
there. But I would occasionally drive
there on weekends when downtown is
like a ghost town.
>
>America is carville. The car
manufacturers wanted it that way. It
is also spread out. And California
has a lot weird and winding roads
probably drawn up with it was part of
Mexico. Not too easy to do mass
transit with those.
>
>On 10/11/2013 11:19 PM, turquoiseb
wrote:
>
>
>>
>>So I'm sitting here in this cafe
that promised Wifi and didn't
deliver,
>>wondering what I can write
about, and I discover that my
mind is still
>>savoring my bus ride here to
Place d'Italie. It was FUN. I
got a seat,
>>which is nice, and then I just
kicked back watching the people
on the
>>bus with me. They were neat.
They made me smile.
>>
>>In the US, they would have
tended to be mostly lower class.
Cars and
>>car-dependent city designs have
ensured that most of the middle
class
>>have cars. And the upper crust
wouldn't be caught dead on a
city bus or
>>a subway.
>>
>>Here, it's not like that, except
at the very top of the upper
class.
>>I've seen well-dressed,
obviously well-to-do people on
the Metros and
>>buses. Heck, I've seen famous
people on the Metros and buses.
So you get
>>a wide range -- from poor to
lower class to middle class to
the
>>occasional upper class person,
all getting across Paris via
public
>>transportation.
>>
>>There's a lot of Paris to have
to get across. This is not a
small city.
>>And even if you have a car, on
most routes you can get there
faster on
>>public transportation. Also,
*when* you get there, you don't
have to
>>worry about finding a place to
park your car. Parking spaces in
Paris
>>are so rare as to be
increasingly considered
mythical.
>>
>>So it's a no-brainer here -- if
you have an important business
meeting
>>or a romantic date across town
and you want to get there on
time -- to
>>decide whether you should drive
your car or take public
transportation.
>>You just hop on the Metro.
They're very reliable, and
they'll get you
>>there on time.
>>
>>I've never had a car when living
in Paris, and don't see the need
of
>>having one now. Back home in the
Netherlands, I have a car but it
has
>>sat unused for months now.
Public transportation is just so
much more
>>convenient, and in the long run,
cheaper.
>>
>>But those are just the pragmatic
reasons for preferring public
>>transportation, at least in
Europe. The more important
reason for me is
>>that it's more FUN. I am
endlessly fascinated by people,
of every class,
>>so riding the buses and trains
and Metros that constitute
public
>>transportation in France and the
Netherlands provides me with a
>>never-ending canvas of great
people to watch.
>>
>>The buses and Metros of Paris
are like a genetic and cultural
frog in a
>>blender. Given the number of
immigrants in the past few
decades, Paris
>>today looks like Casablanca did
when I was growing up there. The
faces I
>>see are a mix of French and
North African, with growing
numbers of black
>>Africans, Muslims from places
other than North Africa, and
Asians. Paris
>>is a cultural zoo. Add to that
the cross-class nature of Paris
public
>>transit, and you've got a zoo
worth savoring. I sometimes feel
as if I
>>should be sitting there with a
container of popcorn in my lap,
it's so
>>much like a movie.
>>
>>You learn so much.
>>
>>There are still young people in
the world who get up and give
their
>>seats to an older person. There
are street toughs whose style is
to look
>>like they're ready to kill you,
but who leap across a Metro car
to block
>>the subway doors closing on a
hapless fellow commuter. There
are
>>remarkable acts of both kindness
(common) and rudeness (rare).
There are
>>occasional dramas, and even the
occasional cops-and-robbers
flick as
>>some pickpocket runs down the
Metro platform, pursued by the
gendarmes.
>>These are straight out of early
Truffaut movies, so much so that
I find
>>myself looking around to
discover where the cameras are
placed.
>>
>>And there are the *visuals* of
the Metro, ferchrissakes. Some
of the
>>Metro stops are nothing short of
stunning, architecturally, even
the
>>now-aging ones. For examples of
that, rent "Amelie" and watch it
again.
>>Jeunet's shots of the Metro
stations and train stations of
Paris are
>>jaw-droppingly beautiful. Yes,
they're color-enhanced, but IMO
that's
>>just him presenting the visuals
of Paris to others the way *he*
sees
>>them. All glow-y, full of light,
full of life.
>>
>>I see them the same way.
Although my Day Job may from
time to time get
>>boring, my commutes to and from
work never do. I've only seen a
couple
>>of movies in the theater since
I've been working here, and part
of the
>>reason is that I sit through two
movies every day on the way to
and from
>>work. I don't need to pay 10
Euros or more to see one in a
theater.
>>Although I do occasionally miss
the popcorn; there are
dismayingly few
>>popcorn vendors in the Paris
Metro system.
>>
>>Anyway, that's just what I felt
like rapping about this evening.
What
>>about the rest of you? We've got
posters here from all over the
world.
>>When you're "at home," wherever
that is, do you tend to drive or
take
>>advantage of public
transportation? If the latter,
are any of you weird
>>enough to appreciate it the way
I do?
>>
>>
>
>
>
