I was going from Pasadena to the West Los Angeles Regional Branch library -- they were having an arts program. You have to cross most of Los Angeles to do this. And I don't have a car, so I took four buses and light rails, and needed all the connections to work just right so… Continue reading The Los Angeles metro was on time
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 think bus #84 is my favorite in Houston. It goes to many comforting places: two movie theatres, the Ikea, and the Houston Arboretum. To be fair, it doesn't exactly go past the Ikea. It goes instead to the Northwest Transit Center. The Northwest Transit Center always struck me as a lonely, ugly, heartless spot.… Continue reading Bus #84 in Houston
I wrote once about the first time I ever found bokmärken in the US. It was such a wonderful occasion. I went back to Payn's Stationary story when I visited San Francisco again in December 2019 for a conference. He was still selling bokmärken, and there were different varieties than the last time I'd been… Continue reading More bokmärken in the US
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 trains, 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; and… Continue reading Why you should definitely not fly from Houston to LA
I've wanted to walk along one of the canals in Houston to get to an event. The canals here are called "bayous." Whatever floats your boat. This was the route I approximately wanted to take: starting from around the Museum of Fine Arts, and ending up at the University of Houston stadium. Hey, you know… Continue reading Walking Brays Bayou in Houston
Everyone says public transportation in Houston is horrible. I've lived there now for a few months, without a car, and it's not as bad as everyone makes out. There's some real positives, in fact -- but there also are some real drawbacks. I'd say the biggest drawback is that you really cannot get out into… Continue reading Public transportation in Houston
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
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