Hurray trains

CC photo by Flickr User John H Gray

Ta-Nehisi Coates waxes damned eloquent on trains:

The train, in all aspects, was a superior experience. The first thing was the feeling of everything melting away, of someone else taking control. When flying there are generally so many rules to be obeyed, and times when specific things can happen that I generally feel like, as a passenger, I’m actually a co-pilot. Lights tell you when you can and can’t move. Announcements indicate (because I use a lap-top and iPad) when it’s safe to read, write or listen to your music. Food and drink are administered at precise times. All of this within a confined space.

But there was a freedom on the train that you may need to be taller than six feet to really understand. You could walk as you needed to. You could sit in the cafe car and watch the scenery. You could fall into your book. Or you could just sleep, something I can’t really do on airplanes.

I absolutely agree. Trains really are the best conveyance. Which is why I feel violent when people blather “wehhhh boondoggle.” Tell that to your sprawling airline security apparatus.

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