I have been to San Antonio twice now, so you might assume that I saw the Alamo. Yes, the Alamo of "Remember the Alamo" fame. However, both of my visits lasted only about an hour, and took place in the middle of the night, because my visits to the city have actually been train stops… Continue reading Sneaking off to see the Alamo while at the San Antonio train stop
A few years ago, I took the Sunset Limited train from New Orleans all the way to Loserville, that is, Los Angeles, that is, Trashyville. Such a romantic way to travel. It took two days and two nights. This is the train's route. And as I rocked gently and peacefully to the train's railtrack lullaby,… Continue reading A mass-shooting tour of the USA, mostly by train
AGU is a conference held in December each year, about a week before Christmas. AGU stands for American Geophysical Union. It's more interesting than it sounds, promise! Usually it's held in San Francisco. I've been a couple of time. This past December, I had three talks at AGU. Two were invited. I felt very special.… Continue reading My 2019 AGU talks
I've been on the two-day California Zephyr between Chicago and San Francisco; the two-night/one-day Sunset Limited between Houston and Los Angeles; and the two-day Southwest Chief between Los Angeles and Chicago. So, in terms of your basic needs (sleep, food, using the bathroom, and, if you like, prayer), how will you survive?? Train lay-out First,… Continue reading How to survive your 2-day Amtrak trip
To get from Houston to Los Angeles by train, there is no need to ever switch trains or any hassle like that: all you do is take one single train, the Sunset Limited. And I think you should almost definitely take the train, and not fly, because it's a cute train; and it's nice scenery;… Continue reading The train is better than the plane from Houston to LA
We did an Amtrak trip from central NC to Orlando. Let me first say - the train (trains) weren't all that late! Wow, Amtrak! I know that's a rare thing for you, so I thought I'd give credit where credit was due. First, we took the Piedmont train out from central North Carolina. This is… Continue reading The overnight train from North Carolina to Florida
Did you hear that, Amtrak? Okay, it's not always faster, but just lookie here: The train in Pakistan goes from Rahim Yar Khan to Karachi in 10 hours. That is 386 miles, or 621 kilometers. Meanwhile, I have been on the "Carolinian" between Charlotte, North Carolina and Washington D.C. about 50 times. The route, which does… Continue reading The train in Pakistan is faster than Amtrak
Let us first examine the map, so we know what we're talking about: See that, Houston to Chicago, a straight shot north across the United States. Here's Amtrak's proposal: Step 1: take the Sunset Limited train from Houston to Los Angeles. Step 2: take the Coastal Starlight from Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon. Step 3:… Continue reading Amtrak’s clever plan for getting from Houston to Chicago
I was supposed to have a simple 4-hour trip by public transportation from Chapel Hill to Concord: Step 1, bus from Chapel Hill to Durham. Step 2, train from Durham to Kannapolis. Step 3, bus from Kannapolis to Concord. First, I showed up to the bus stop in front of Carolina Coffee Shop in Chapel… Continue reading Nothing to eat by the station
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