Frrp. Frrp. Frrp. Frrp.

That sound is coming back soon. Mark my words.

The train is such a <b>civilized</b> way to travel. Even in coach. None of that rush, rush, rush, body cavity search, boarding pass please, your ticket cost $1500 and doesn't include lunch or booze nonsense. Just relax and get there when you get there.

(If a duplicate post should appear, blame the laptop. Anyway...) I'm flying to Newark on Friday. There and back same day. Should be great fun going through customs. Never mind possibly missing Friday chat.

I've only ever been on a go train.. and only once.

I took the Eurostar to Paris and back. I admit the bit in the Channel Tunnel was a bit disappointing and the truly fast bit of the journey through northern France is flat and boring. By far the best bit was returning to Kent and England, home and beauty.

I would quite like to take the TGV through the Italian Alps. Definitely on my to-do list.

Also, The Pride of Africa.

The train civilized because not many people do it! And this is speaking as a lover of train travel, model trains, walking on tracks, etc... The TGV is awesome; I took it from Paris-Lyon-Grenoble (and back).

But if Trudeau was really forward looking, he would have proposed a _monorail_.

(more immature mutterings from the lower 48)
HA! cm is out of the running for getting to Friday chat first!

Is there a chance the track could bend?

I think that transporter beams would have been more in line with Trudeau's shade of forward thinking. That or maybe telekenetic time travel.

I don't think US diplomatic protocol (let alone foreign policy), is about to undergo a dramatic about-face in 2007, requiring the shunning of former buddies. Maybe in 2008, depending on how things turn out, but certainly not next year.

What I do think will happen is that the Congress will be a mite more protectionist than its predecessor, with some negative implications for certain primary-industry sectors of Canadian business. While things may get shaken up domestically, I don't see the Congress kicking major economic and defense partners in the crotch because they had the temerity to accept a handshake from George Bush.

I'd be happy with Bolton being yanked from the UN. For a start.

Because...?

Duh DJ!!! The BIG MUSTACHE! Everybody knows that.

Sorry, I thought he was talking about the mulleted yodeller.

Trains have their place. But it's difficult in some instances. Try getting across Canada or the US in a day on a train. Or how about across a province or state that's not on the Atlantic side of the continent? Or from Chicago to LA in less than 4 days(I've driven that in a day and a half).

When I was an undergrad at UCD I used to take the train home to OC at the end of every quarter(bus from Davis to Stockton, Train from Stockton to Bakersfield, bus from Bakersfield to LA, train or bus from LA to Anaheim or Santa Ana stations). Took me an entire day to go 400 miles. That's just inefficient, and really expensive foul tasting food. It was great for going from Davis to SanFran, but not SAnFran or Davis to LA.
Flying from Sacto to LA took a grand total of 35 minutes in the air. I'll put up with a little uncivility for that much of a drop in travel time.

And, it is only civilized to declare a thread jacking before you do it. When did we become so informal around here? ;)

How my head felt in the line up for the three hours back:<p><center><img src="images/2006g/union.JPG" vspace="15"></center><p>Civilized? Rush hour for folk travelling Toronto to Ottawa as far as I could see. Give me a car any day.

Advantage trains: you can sit there the whole trip drinking and eating corn chips, and nobody should bother you. Can't drive that way. Easier to move around than a plane, too.

If you're in business class ... you're billing this, aren't you? ... you get to skip the lineup.

GR nailed it: Last time I was on the train (to Montreal), we spent the trip drinking ... and eating corn chips!

Not in private practice anymore, David. I have paid for the return upgrade myself as it is good value if you pay ahead - maybe 40-50 bucks with dinner and more space. While I do care for corn chips the hundred bucks they wanted for an on the day upgrade was not what I wanted to pay.

Also, David, they get snippy on planes if you are carrying your own flask of whisky, even more so now, so you're stuck with way overpriced Scotch (or whatever), while on trains, your pint bottle or flask comes out of your pocket, is freely shared and poured. i love trains. Me and the missus are thinking of taking the train from Syracuse to Toronto to carouse with all of our friends.