When I was a (British) kid in the 10970s, we visited my auntie's family in Pennsylvania. One time we went to see one of my cousins, and they proposed a visit to their new house (being built from the money from oil being found on their land). As instructed, we all piled into their car, only to be driven a scant 200 yards down the road to the site. Another time we went to their nearby town, which was pleasant and walkable, but they drove to and from everywhere, and when my mum said she was happy to walk to something two blocks from where the car was parked while my aunt was in a shop, everyone was surprised and impressed. Yet they were quite physically active and moved around a lot in and around their home, growing their food, doing yard work etc, went hunting in the season, etc.
Here in France where I live now, the high speed trains are comfortable and efficient, but you don't see a great deal from them and feel rather isolated from your surroundings. They recently repainted and upcycled some older local trains, and have scheduled them on various longer routes in and out of Paris, stopping at many more smaller stations and taking, for example, 6 hours on the Rennes route rather than the 1½ the TGV takes. The tickets cost from €10 - €20 rather than maybe €50 (can be a lot more or sometimes less) on the faster trains.There's no wi-fi but the seats are wider and more comfortable, and people move around and talk to each other, read books and doze. It's incredibly popular and generally booked up way in advance.
Thanks for sharing! I'd love to check out those trains in France. I'm going to Poland next week, so I'm excited to see how their trains compare to those in the U.S. I totally relate to your Pennsylvania story — I just went down to the rural North Carolinas for work, and we drove everywhere, even those short distances (~10 min walks) across historic downtowns.
Totally agree! Took the Coast Starlight in two hops this year (LAX - SLO - OAK) and thoroughly enjoyed the scenery, conversation and dining. Far nicer than the alternatives.
Thanks for reading, Jeff! It's a long trip, but having only really flown in and out of SF or LA, it was a great way to see a lot of non-urban California.
When I was a (British) kid in the 10970s, we visited my auntie's family in Pennsylvania. One time we went to see one of my cousins, and they proposed a visit to their new house (being built from the money from oil being found on their land). As instructed, we all piled into their car, only to be driven a scant 200 yards down the road to the site. Another time we went to their nearby town, which was pleasant and walkable, but they drove to and from everywhere, and when my mum said she was happy to walk to something two blocks from where the car was parked while my aunt was in a shop, everyone was surprised and impressed. Yet they were quite physically active and moved around a lot in and around their home, growing their food, doing yard work etc, went hunting in the season, etc.
Here in France where I live now, the high speed trains are comfortable and efficient, but you don't see a great deal from them and feel rather isolated from your surroundings. They recently repainted and upcycled some older local trains, and have scheduled them on various longer routes in and out of Paris, stopping at many more smaller stations and taking, for example, 6 hours on the Rennes route rather than the 1½ the TGV takes. The tickets cost from €10 - €20 rather than maybe €50 (can be a lot more or sometimes less) on the faster trains.There's no wi-fi but the seats are wider and more comfortable, and people move around and talk to each other, read books and doze. It's incredibly popular and generally booked up way in advance.
Thanks for sharing! I'd love to check out those trains in France. I'm going to Poland next week, so I'm excited to see how their trains compare to those in the U.S. I totally relate to your Pennsylvania story — I just went down to the rural North Carolinas for work, and we drove everywhere, even those short distances (~10 min walks) across historic downtowns.
Totally agree! Took the Coast Starlight in two hops this year (LAX - SLO - OAK) and thoroughly enjoyed the scenery, conversation and dining. Far nicer than the alternatives.
Thanks for reading, Jeff! It's a long trip, but having only really flown in and out of SF or LA, it was a great way to see a lot of non-urban California.