5.23.2012

In Praise of Trains...

Over the past dozen or so years, I have made a lot of trips between various combinations of Boston, Providence, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. Due to the fact that some of these trips were connected to moves and trips to and from school, I have utilized everything from the cheapest buses to U-hauls in addition to the more typical planes, trains and automobiles in doing so. In short, I consider myself a banner member of the great I-95 traversing fraternity. 

Though I blow hot and cold on the various means of transportation up and down the east coast, changing my mind almost as often as I make one of these journeys, at this very moment I would like to take some time to sing the praises of the train system.

With traffic being a consistent issue and airports being less than pleasurable experiences, the leg room and amenities of train travel can be much more pleasurable than driving, taking cramped buses or flying. Now, Amtrak hasn't always managed to get pricing right for what it offers in my opinion, particularly when compared to European counterparts. However, if you can manage to book in advance and save a few bucks off of a comparable plane trip, the train can be a very nice experience. That I have a double seat to myself as I type this probably doesn't hurt...

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