sitting on a train

That's nice. Will you be voting for McCain or Obama? One of them wants to take away your rights to travel on public transportation. Or guns. Or something.

Well, if you have to compare living in Nebraska to sitting in a train next to the bathrooms....

yeah, when i was on a segway tour of DC yesturday, i might have had a different opinion.

by the way, states are small here! why is that? been in 6 of 'em already

You see, that's what I liked when living in NYC. In just one weekend you
could cover so much territory, especially when driving up north towards CN, MA
and RI.
Out here, you drive an entire day and you're still in bloody CA.

First time I've seen a Californian call it "bloody." LOL

We love it here in Northern California, because it's only about an hours drive to the ocean, to San Francisco, and to the wine country of Napa/Sonoma. It's also about a four hour drive to Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I call it "Ideal." Our climate is almost perfect year around.

Don't get me wrong, cicerone, I love it here as well. I never would move from
here, it's just perfect, but it's so darn big too. Sure, I'm in Mexico in 20 minutes, but it's not an option to visit since they had 79 killings in
the past 2 months alone...

You express perfectly one of the major differences between living in the largely rural West and the megalopolis which is the Boston-Providence-NYC-Philadelphia-Baltimore-Washington, DC corridor. For example, in NYC owning a car is not a necessity. It isn't even a luxury. It's a liability. Why anyone living in an apartment or condo in Manhattan would want to assume the headache of car ownership is beyond me. On the other hand, in most western states to be without a car is to be effectively immobile. And it's not just an East/West thing. You get north or west of that megalopolis and, once again, personal transportation becomes essential. You can't live in Maine or New Hampshire or Vermont without wheels. For all practical purposes, there is no such thing as public transportation. But it works wonderfully in many cities with a high population count. Trains, trolleys, buses -- I love 'em. When I'm in a strange city, I make it a point of learning how the locals get around. I've ridden the CRT from O'Hare Airport to my hotel in Chiacgo, use the Metro regularly whenever I'm in Washington, DC, and as for NYC, there's no other sensible way of getting around except by subway.

Thank you for expressing so well the way I feel! I don't own a car and don't want one. I've lived in Seattle for almost 20 years now (time flies!) without a car and there isn't anyplace I've been prevented from going because I didn't have a car. Yes, it takes longer. But the cost of owning a car compared to a bus pass is ridiculous. I have a couple of friends with cars who will give me a ride in an emergency (i.e., home from the hospital). On the other hand, I know many people who will never give up their cars, even to commute to work. Commuting by car to downtown costs gas, upkeep, and at least $15 per day parking. The bus is #1.50 each way... Why won't more people get out of their cars???

You can get to a whole different COUNTRY....(Canada)!

For me, living in a city that requires a car to travel means flexibility. if i have an appointment, but am running a little late, i show up a little late, or make up time by speeding. miss a train, and you show up an hour late. today we had to pay a taxi to get us to the orphium on time because the subway station we wanted was closed for some reason. we made it, but it was a huge stressful hassle. i guess you get used to it if you live here. don't get me wrong with all this complaining though, im having a great trip. just nothing else to do on a train, when you can't sit with your friends whom your visiting.

PS - stomp was amazing

Well, there's always standing.

Or do like we did on our last Amtrak trip (RP and I were almost separated). I made the puppy eyes at the guy I was sitting with, he asked me if RP and I were together, I sighed and said yes as if we'd just met (reality: we've been married for 16 years) and lo and behold the dude traded with RP so we got to sit together and the verra nice dude got to sit with a cougar.

Everybody won!

I have to agree with public tranportation s*cking big time. Living in the Boston area and working in Boston, I had taken public transportation for over 15 years, now I drive. I still work in Boston, but I work pays for at least half of my monthly parking so it ends up being cheaper to drive and park than taking the subway and parking at the subway station.

Also even dealing with all the traffic it is so much more pleasant. No more drunk bum (who cares if I'm not politically correct), nearly passing out and throwing up on me at 7:00 am. No more homeless women having babies on the subway and not allowing anyone to help them. No more hacking, sneezing idiots that do not know they are supposed to use a tissue, but use cough, sneeze, etc in your face. No more overcrowding, just one more breathe in to squeeze another individual into the cramped space.

Instead, I put my radio on, pollute the air and enjoy the only time I get to be alone. And by the way I rarely catch a cold and other crap as I used to when I took public tranportation.

My god, you are allowing your immune system to atrophy for the sake of a little convenience? Get out there and catch that cold!

well don't worry I am not completely germ free with two kids in school. However during cold season, they are not allowed within 3 feet of me.