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I want to Be…
January 21, 2007
I’ve been reading his monthly column in Trains Magazine since the summer of 1995 - almost twelve years now. I’ve even responded to a column and had it printed in the Railway Post Office (the Letters to the Editor) section.
If you click the link above, you’ll end up on a biography created for a speaking engagement at the World Air Transport Summit. Unfortunately, it’s about the only biography I could find online.
You may ask, why do I want to be Don Phillips? Because he investigates and writes about nearly every form of transportation available, and he has traveled across the world to do this reporting.
If there’s one thing that I’m always interested in, it’s transportation. I’ve subscribed to Flying, Trains, Car & Driver, Roads & Bridges, Lakeland Boater, and more. Anything and everything transportation, I love it. Further, I’m all for any type of travel… so, combine the two, transport and travel, and I am fulfilled.
Could I spend my life reading and writing? I’m sure. Would it be smart… maybe, maybe not. Who knows how financially responsible it would be, but it’s a thought.
Maybe, in a few years, after I’m published in Civil Engineering (the magazine of ASCE) or the APWA Reporter, I can make the transition to a career in transportation writing.
I wouldn’t mind writing a book some day either… who knows. Life has so many possibilities.
Posted by paul at 10:10 AM | Comments (0)
Pere Marquette
January 15, 2007
On Saturday, December 29, 2006, Brian, Jenn, Christa and I took the Pere Marquette to and from Chicago. It was good to be back on the rails - for the most part. Christa had never been on Amtrak, so I was hoping for a wonderful experience.
Normally, the Pere Marquette runs with three Amfleet cars (to my knowledge, at least). However, this wonderful day, they were running four Superliner cars. Now, knowing that the whole train is reserved, but not reserved seating, I would have figured that we’d be able to find seats together, if not four near each other, at least two by two. Nope.
By the time we boarded - we were about the 10th-14th people to board our car - there was not one group of seats available. None. Nearly ever pair of seats was occupied by one person. Not people traveling together, but people using two seats for one person. How rude. We walked up and down the car once or twice, and Christa and I decided to sit across from one another in the front row. In other words, the two single girls sitting up front sat there while Christa and I had to sit across from each other. I was fuming by this point. Just ask Christa.
Brian and Jenn had better luck. A girl in a Calvin sweatshirt offered to move to another seat so they could be together.
Let’s break this down. People were too selfish to move seats to give a couple (obviously) traveling together, but, in the end, that meant that the selfish person was sitting next to a person without their loved one. Doesn’t make sense, does it?
About halfway through the trip, the girl next to Christa finally turned to us and asked if we’d like to sit next to each other. “YES”. Thanks. At least she had half a heart.
Thanks to the seating mishap, the trip started off on a bad note for me. The Conductor even noted that we were together… when I told him we were looking for some seats together, he said “Good Luck.” Thanks. It would have been nice if the Conductor, pre-Holland, had made an announcement asking people to pair up if they were traveling alone, but I doubt that happened.
What ever happened to common courtesy?
Next to the seating problem, the trip was a fantastic introduction for Christa. We only stopped once on the way into Chicago, and that was not even for one minute. On the return trip, we stopped once for about five, maybe ten, minutes outside the Horseshoe Casino in Indiana.
It was my first time in a Superliner car. The seats are roomy, the footrests convenient, and there are power hook-ups for those traveling with computers, DVD players, etc. Being higher up gives an even better view of the passing scenery. The only slight problem was that a few of the doors seemed to stick once in a while - some people had a problem getting from car to car. Another amazing thing, to me, was the size of the bathrooms. They were huge!
This most recent trip affirmed my belief in Amtrak. Next up, a trip on the Heartland Flyer! We don’t know exactly when we’ll do it, but hopefully it will be soon. We certainly have enough Amtrak Guest Rewards points to travel free in the near future.
Posted by paul at 09:05 AM | Comments (2)
Time
January 11, 2007
I sometimes find it hard to find time…
I’d like to write in here more. We’ve been home 8 days, and I’ve yet to re-count our Michigan trip - especially the Amtrak ride, of which I have many opinions.
If the power isn’t out all weekend, I’ll definitely make time to write a post.
Until then.
Posted by paul at 09:33 PM | Comments (0)