Yesterday an email popped up from a couple planning a cross-country train ride. They want to know which of the western trains out of Chicago I would recommend. I had to laugh because I go through that same quandary myself once or twice every year. I’ve done it every possible way, too—the Texas Eagle,…
How is it that you can sit next to someone on a plane and barely exchange more than a few words through the entire flight? And from here to the mainland, that’s at least five hours. I suppose some of the reticence is simply because you’re physically uncomfortable. The seats are small; there’s no leg…
People are surprised to hear that most of my travel on the mainland is by train—whether it’s a three-hour ride up the East Coast or clear across the county. When they find out that’s my preferred mode of travel, that’s when I have conversations like this one: I hear you’re going to Chicago. It’s…
I really hate it when people casually throw ridership numbers around: this train is up 2 percent; that train is off a half percent. We all do it and, most of the time, it’s all (just for fun) kapakahi and a lot of ho’omalimali. (Very free translation: ass-backwards and bullshit). Here’s what I mean,…