Train travel

After many years of travel around the country, and sometime world, by air, I have started riding the train. Actually, shorter trips, such as from Cary, NC to Washington, DC, are ideal for train travel. Typically the alternative would be to drive. I travel by train to Washington DC to visit family. It certainly beats driving.

I can board the train at the Cary train station and travel to Union Station in Washington, downtown and close to my family member’s office. Parking at the Cary station, like many stations, is free. The trip takes about seven hours, about the same as driving if you include a few stops. On the train I have a seat that has more leg room than first class on airplanes. I can put my lap top computer on the fold down tray and have room to open it, unlike the situation on many airline seats. Many of the seats have 110 volt outlets, so I don’t have to rely on my computer’s battery.

I am free to get up and walk at any time, very important for someone as restless as me.

Most of the time I can find an empty table (or side of a table) in the snack car, making it even more comfortable to use my computer. I can usually plug in my computer at the table.

Most importantly, I am saving fuel, reducing the amount of oil that is imported and reducing the amount of green house gas produced.