Damn the Train!
So instead of flying home, I took the train. A flight would've cost roughly the same amount, and taken about 8% of the time. I can't imagine going ACROSS the country on one of those things. It was late both times as well. Not like, a little late, we're talking full on two hours late. Plus the workers are all sassy as hell.
If the government is going to massively subsidize inefficient companies (ahem, Amtrak), I don't think it's too much to ask to get the damn trains there on time. The airlines (supposedly) had to clean up their acts to get Uncle Sugar's federal bailout money, Amtrak should be forced to run the trains on time and improve customer service; otherwise, we should stop funding them and let them get crushed in the marketplace... (actually the problem with this is that there really is no free marketplace... all of the parties who could crush them are just as dependent on the government for sweet sweet sustenance as Amtrak is)
Other than the transportation, the trip was ok. It was UNGODLY HOT, so I didn't get much fishing done. I DID however, get a wicked sunburn during the short time I was able to fish. Seeing my girlfriend was great as well. I'm going to move in less than two weeks, and this nonsense where I only see her once every six months will stop. Thank God.
I got two new (used) pairs of pants. Which is LONG overdue. I also got to wander around Chicago. Apparently, it's somewhat expensive to live there. Who would've thought? I'll have to figure out some way to get a studio for less than $900 per month... cause man... that's ridiculous.
If the government is going to massively subsidize inefficient companies (ahem, Amtrak), I don't think it's too much to ask to get the damn trains there on time. The airlines (supposedly) had to clean up their acts to get Uncle Sugar's federal bailout money, Amtrak should be forced to run the trains on time and improve customer service; otherwise, we should stop funding them and let them get crushed in the marketplace... (actually the problem with this is that there really is no free marketplace... all of the parties who could crush them are just as dependent on the government for sweet sweet sustenance as Amtrak is)
Other than the transportation, the trip was ok. It was UNGODLY HOT, so I didn't get much fishing done. I DID however, get a wicked sunburn during the short time I was able to fish. Seeing my girlfriend was great as well. I'm going to move in less than two weeks, and this nonsense where I only see her once every six months will stop. Thank God.
I got two new (used) pairs of pants. Which is LONG overdue. I also got to wander around Chicago. Apparently, it's somewhat expensive to live there. Who would've thought? I'll have to figure out some way to get a studio for less than $900 per month... cause man... that's ridiculous.
posted by Snubligent at 10:47 AM
4 Comments:
The train?? You actually took those ancient things? What motivated you to do so?
How many hours did it take to get back? Is it cheaper than airplane tix?
Yeah..everything in Chicago is expensive, not limited to studios. Sometimes I wonder how people live here. But what do I know? I am a spoiled Californian (coming from a land of plenty-cheap produce).
The train?? You actually took those ancient things? What motivated you to do so?
How many hours did it take to get back? Is it cheaper than airplane tix?
Yeah..everything in Chicago is expensive, not limited to studios. Sometimes I wonder how people live here. But what do I know? I am a spoiled Californian (coming from a land of plenty-cheap produce).
The train was actually slightly slower than driving. If it had gone according to plan, the trainride would have been about an hour slower than driving... however with delays and such, it was about 3 hours slower.
It wasn't really that much cheaper either. I probably could've bought a plane ticket for less.
I took the train because 1) I will NOT take the bus, and 2) I didn't have enough time to get plane tickets. The really good part about the train is that you can show up 10 minutes before it leaves and buy a ticket. I also kind of wanted to take the train, since I've never done it before. There are some advantages... no homeland security guy is going to grope you, and you can walk around on the train pretty freely... there's more space, and there is a snack car where you can buy food and such. But overall, travel via aircraft is the way to go.
Snubs..I have loved trains since I was little and thought it would be fun to take Amtrack for spring break 2 years ago! Big flippin mistake! It was a horrible experience and we ended up being 6 hours late. I agree that the government should fix Amtrak's customer service!
Anyways, good luck finding a nice apartment. 900 bucks for a studio seems pretty spendy!
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