The All-American Train Ride?

Travel Blog  •  Eva Holland  •  07.08.08 | 10:45 AM ET

amtrakPhoto by reivax via Flickr (Creative Commons)

Doesn’t have the same ring to it as “the all-American road trip,” does it? With the possible exception of the (nearly lost) art of freight train hopping, riding the rails in America has never been mythologized the way some other modes of travel have. Guardian writer Ruth Fowler recently rode the train from New York to Los Angeles, and in this essay she argues that we’ve got it all wrong: Amtrak really is the way to go, and not just because of the high price of gas.

 

Tags: Train Travel, News and Briefs

Eva Holland is co-editor of World Hum. She is a former associate editor at Up Here and Up Here Business magazines, and a contributor to Vela. She's based in Canada's Yukon territory.


3 Comments for The All-American Train Ride?

Dave 07.08.08 | 7:19 PM ET

Well, people don’t really see mass transit though trains as efficient as airplanes when traveling.  I think for the average American, traveling mean only the destination point and not the experience of getting there.

pam 07.09.08 | 11:48 AM ET

I’ve tried twice in the past few months to choose rail over air for trips and unfortunately, the cost is just too prohibitive. If I was a springy 22 year old, I could go without the sleeper, but since I don’t have the resilience to do that anymore, I’m priced out. I get that it’s apples and oranges - a five day journey with overnights and meals is not the same as a five hour flight, but given that I can find a way to spare the time, I’d be willing… if I could afford it.

Dave 07.09.08 | 3:48 PM ET

@ Pam

Hey, what is the usual price difference of the trains and airplane that you saw?  Train rides deal with more stops so I thought that they might be cheaper sometimes.

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