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BoulderCO

BoulderCO

Service Attendant
Joined
Jan 26, 2015
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196
Location
Boulder Colorado
Very nice article on the NY Times site today that will probably be published in the Sunday Magazine section. Titled "There is no reason to cross the US by train. But I did it anyway".

Long article by a very good travel writer. Describes trip From NYC to LA on Lakeshore Limited and Southwest Chief. Emphasizes that Amtrak is much more expensive and time consuming than flying. And also more memorable.


Here's the link, but it may be behind a paywall: train-across-america-amtrak.html
 
I was able to read all of it. Interesting but it didn't sound like the writer will be riding Amtrak again too soon.
 
I like the way the first-class sleeper train fare is compared to the difficult-to-find discount coach airfare.

Generally speaking, the author is more than a little snarky and sarcastic, much like today's sitcoms.
 
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I thought she needed a new set of friends. Anyone I tell that I will be or have taken cross-country trips thinks it's really neat and several have asked for details so that they might do it in the future. No one has ever suggested the train is full of weirdos, either.
 
Mystic River Dragon said:
The link opened up for me, so I was able to read the article.

Snarky, annoying author. She says her favorite topic of conversation is herself, and I'm not surprised.
Click to expand...

Yeah. I did not have the patience to last through all that long winded snark [emoji51]
 
jis said:
Yeah. I did not have the patience to last through all that long winded snark [emoji51]
Click to expand...

I agree, I didn’t have the patience for it either. I just scanned through it, shrugged my shoulders and know the truth about the times on the rails really is. I too, wonder what she meant about the Amtrak food being equal to the fourth best airline food. Currently don’t you get peanuts and a small soft drink on a domestic flight? Yep, snark indeed.
 
The article was an enjoyable read. I hold it was realistic with whom you find yourself seated with during meals in the Diner (Cary Grant conveniently seated with Eva Marie Saint only happens in the.movies) as well as who you will find in the Lounge. The "fourth best airline meal" simply means to me "edible but nothing to write home about".

The author was indeed positive about the scenery around Kanorado, and acknowledged she saw the phenomenon of nature that would not have been seen from 18E at FL350.

But to close, if you want to read an article from an auto magazine that is really negative, feast your eyes upon this:

https://jalopnik.com/i-took-amtrak-instead-of-flying-and-it-made-me-want-to-1833533707

I pass any comment on this material, and will omit a Fair Use quotation from such.
 
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I liked the article, even though the author may appear to be a bit snarky. I also really want to know about the "fourth best airline meal" award.
 
If you dismiss it as all snark you miss out on the nuance woven in where you eventually appreciate that the writer, although not predisposed to enjoy train travel, had a great time.
 
I read the article, thinking as I read that she (the author) is a "glass half empty" type of person with her pessimistic comments, and that her boyfriend would probably break up with her by the time they arrived in California ;). Her attitude improved though as they made their way west (and the good experience she had aboard). I wonder if her boyfriend did indeed break up with her anyways, :D .
 
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