My midweek, late-afternoon choices to get from NYC to Baltimore included planes, trains and automobiles. One of these virtually assured me comfort, quiet, relaxation, speed, productivity, convenience, beauty and value; the others were planes and automobiles. And so, on the recommendation of my colleagues and my common sense, I took Amtrak’s Acela Express.
Having made the schlep to and from JFK innumerable times and under every imaginable traffic condition (the only non-awful one was predawn on a Saturday), I was almost startled to settle into my seat a mere eight minutes after leaving my cab at the Penn Station curb. And, as we promptly pulled away, things quickly got better from there.
The “quiet car” was really, really quiet. The seats were spacious and comfy, reclining generously without invoking the backyard neighbor’s wrath. The WiFi was consistently strong and outlets were close at hand. The views ranged from conflicting (Philly) to calming and even inspiring (almost everywhere else), and the food was better than expected — an admittedly low bar. These and other advantages aside, the sheer practicality of traveling downtown to downtown in 2 hours and 45 minutes made me wonder why anyone would choose to fly this corridor.
And if all of that weren’t enough, two memorable moments awaited me at journey’s end. The first was to take in the unexpected handsomeness of Baltimore’s own Penn Station, which, thanks to more than a century of evident care, has maintained a great deal of its original Beaux-Arts beauty. The second was my exchange with the conductor upon disembarking:
Me: It’s such a pretty route, and you go straight from downtown to downtown.
Conductor: And you don’t need to get zapped at the airport.
Me: Although that’ll get you fixed for free. Usually you have to pay.
Conductor: Sure, but then you end up on the couch for a couple of weeks spooning a bag of ice.
QUESTIONS FOR READERS
- What are some of your favorite U.S. train stations?
- Where else in the States does it make more sense to go by train than to fly?
- Why don’t more of us use the train, where available?
WANDERLOOSED 