Riding the Rails

When I was in high school, my father and I boarded a train in Maysville, KY, and headed to Washington, DC, by rail. If I remember right, the trip was supposed to take 12 hours one-way. It ended up taking double that: 24. BUT, I honestly have nothing but good memories about the train ride itself. It was a beautiful ride that took some routes that are only accessible by train. We also saw small towns that I don’t think I would have seen otherwise. The food was better than any airplane food that I had eaten and I loved the “entertainment” options: reading while periodically looking out of the window; walking about and stretching my legs; and taking a nap in my oversized chair. It was just my style.

In our era of rushed, uncomfortable travel, I was excited when I saw this piece in the Times about a writer who traveled across country by trying out Amtrak. It’s a good, objective article that explores rail travel from a bunch of different angles. And it will undoubtedly make you want to take 4 days off of work to tour the country the old-fashioned way. Just keep in mind, it may turn out to be 8 days.