Thursday, July 07, 2005
Well, here I am.
Just so this blog doesn't rot with dormancy, I want to say hi while I'm at my work computer. The Vermont trip was excellent and I definitely see a visit up there again. So much to go over, but Amy and Erin on their blogs provide wonderful summary, though dissapointingly not from a Jonah-centered perspective. I recall the world revolving entirely around me when I was up there, but then I have a biased perspective.
The train ride going home ended up being 4 hours late which wasn't too fun. But if I wanted reliable schedules I could pay a little more dough and go on a plane. I poked around a regional airline called Independence which has fairly reasonable flights from Chicago to Burlington via Dulles airport in DC. It is still not as cheap as a train though.
PROS to train riding:
1. Cost -- less than plane tickets directly to Burlington, but it probably is possible with some poking around to find equal priced tickets to Albany or Manchester
2. Comfort -- It depends on how you value 15 hours in a spacious train you can walk around and have meals on opposed to 4 hours in a sardine can in the sky. If you spend a good portion of those hours trying to to get to sleep on a overnight ride it comes out about even. No standing in line for security checks, either.
3. Scenery -- For the patient traveler, trains give you the opportunity to see the changing landscape and get a glimpse of the many towns and cities that lead up to your final destination. Pop in a pretty album on your CD player and you've got a very soothing setting that can prepare you for a vacation mode. Compare that to the roar of a plane and the straining of your neck to see indiscriminate objects thousands of feet below.
4. Air Conditioning -- This only applies to those who do not have air conditioning at your home. I brought a blanket with me on the plane and bundled my body with my head exposed, my perfect napping condition that cannot be replicated in a top floor Chicago apartment in the summer without AC
CONS to trains
1. Not much of a cost difference... much more time travelling. If you are not in a hurry this isn't a problem, but I think if I travelled further than Albany a train ticket would cost the same or more than many flights out of Chicago. Flying to Burlington would have taken me 5 hours tops.
2. Discomfort. Unless you are completely exhausted, or if you want to put up more cash for a sleeper car, it is difficult to get to sleeping state on an overnight train. I dozed off a few times, only to be shaken up by the passenger next to me, a bump in the tracks or just to move my back to a new place where it wouldn't be strained by my sitting angle.
3. No showers. Waking up with no options for bathing until you end your trip can make you cranky, especially if you haven't slept well. This makes a morning after an overnight train trip similar to a 15 hour plane flight, only your reward for a plane trip that long is some exotic new world and culture, while on a train ride you are in the same old U.S.A. only a different time zone maybe.
4. DELAYS - Planes of course have delays, but if the delay is 2 hours or more, you can usually find some other way to get to where you want to go. The delays in train travel take many varieties, and occur as you are travelling. This is very frustrating if you have any plans for before or after your arrival time.
So I guess since my reasons for a train trip were both practical and impratical I had to weigh it out here to see if I'll do it again. I still don't know.
When I got back to my apartment, my power was out and all my groceries were ruined. That really annoyed me. All that needed to be done was flip a circuit switch, and I was stupid and left a light on when I left, so maybe than created the problem.
I spent the rest of my birthday throwing my melting food away (okay that took like 10 minutes). I then saw Batman Begins, followed my another satisfying meal with dessert at California Pizza Kitchen. It was my first birthday celebrating alone, but my visit with all you fun guys up in Vermont more than made up for it.
Well, I'm at work way past my stopping time. People might think I'm actually productive. Time to go home, talk to you later.
The train ride going home ended up being 4 hours late which wasn't too fun. But if I wanted reliable schedules I could pay a little more dough and go on a plane. I poked around a regional airline called Independence which has fairly reasonable flights from Chicago to Burlington via Dulles airport in DC. It is still not as cheap as a train though.
PROS to train riding:
1. Cost -- less than plane tickets directly to Burlington, but it probably is possible with some poking around to find equal priced tickets to Albany or Manchester
2. Comfort -- It depends on how you value 15 hours in a spacious train you can walk around and have meals on opposed to 4 hours in a sardine can in the sky. If you spend a good portion of those hours trying to to get to sleep on a overnight ride it comes out about even. No standing in line for security checks, either.
3. Scenery -- For the patient traveler, trains give you the opportunity to see the changing landscape and get a glimpse of the many towns and cities that lead up to your final destination. Pop in a pretty album on your CD player and you've got a very soothing setting that can prepare you for a vacation mode. Compare that to the roar of a plane and the straining of your neck to see indiscriminate objects thousands of feet below.
4. Air Conditioning -- This only applies to those who do not have air conditioning at your home. I brought a blanket with me on the plane and bundled my body with my head exposed, my perfect napping condition that cannot be replicated in a top floor Chicago apartment in the summer without AC
CONS to trains
1. Not much of a cost difference... much more time travelling. If you are not in a hurry this isn't a problem, but I think if I travelled further than Albany a train ticket would cost the same or more than many flights out of Chicago. Flying to Burlington would have taken me 5 hours tops.
2. Discomfort. Unless you are completely exhausted, or if you want to put up more cash for a sleeper car, it is difficult to get to sleeping state on an overnight train. I dozed off a few times, only to be shaken up by the passenger next to me, a bump in the tracks or just to move my back to a new place where it wouldn't be strained by my sitting angle.
3. No showers. Waking up with no options for bathing until you end your trip can make you cranky, especially if you haven't slept well. This makes a morning after an overnight train trip similar to a 15 hour plane flight, only your reward for a plane trip that long is some exotic new world and culture, while on a train ride you are in the same old U.S.A. only a different time zone maybe.
4. DELAYS - Planes of course have delays, but if the delay is 2 hours or more, you can usually find some other way to get to where you want to go. The delays in train travel take many varieties, and occur as you are travelling. This is very frustrating if you have any plans for before or after your arrival time.
So I guess since my reasons for a train trip were both practical and impratical I had to weigh it out here to see if I'll do it again. I still don't know.
When I got back to my apartment, my power was out and all my groceries were ruined. That really annoyed me. All that needed to be done was flip a circuit switch, and I was stupid and left a light on when I left, so maybe than created the problem.
I spent the rest of my birthday throwing my melting food away (okay that took like 10 minutes). I then saw Batman Begins, followed my another satisfying meal with dessert at California Pizza Kitchen. It was my first birthday celebrating alone, but my visit with all you fun guys up in Vermont more than made up for it.
Well, I'm at work way past my stopping time. People might think I'm actually productive. Time to go home, talk to you later.
