One Stop Market

Let’s be honest: by the time you prepare, get a ride from your mom, stand in line, go through security, lose your favorite bottle of honey mustard that you forgot you couldn’t bring on the flight, sit at the gate while your flight is ceremoniously delayed at least a few times by about a half and hour, get on the plane, try to fall asleep, land, wait at the gate again…to I have to keep going this is making me frustrated just typing.  Anyway, by the time you do all the things you need to do in order to fly somewhere it’s a signficantly longer amount of time than just your flight time.  I go to Washington DC all the time and that’s probably an 8 hour ordeal each way and a total of around $400 (my wife comes too) for the flight itself.  With rising oil prices (well not right now but in general) I am checking out Amtrak and it is looking more and more plausible especially when Bush decided not too long ago to pursue efforts to privatize Amtrak and throw it up on the ol’ stock market table for everyone to see. 

Absolute genius.  The trains are going anyway, have a ridiculously lower delay/cancel rate, are a lot more pleasant, and are competitive financially and will become more competitive as time goes on and public transportation is valued more and more by the big guys in our nation’s capital.  I’d say hop on tomorrow, but really you should wait until Bush’s plan develops a bit more like maybe never or next year — just keep your eye out for it.  And keep your eye out for me because I’ll be ridin’ as well.  Me and my maverick wife.

Amtrak has benefit membership just like all the airlines, preferred seating, food & drinks on board, you can walk around, you can see the countryside instead of just clouds.  By the way, I’ve never riden Amtrak and they’re definitely not paying me to say all this and I’m not sure why I’m getting THIS pumped.  Anyway, just check it out.

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