Dual Domestication: On Public Transportation

This post has nothing to do with cooking or sewing but instead was inspired by our holiday travels. LJ and I visited each of our family's this holiday season and made the trip over the mountains by train. We have been fans and supporters of public and alternative forms of transportation for a number of years. Shortly after we got married we went down to one vehicle between the two of us (I traded my brother my van so he could live in it and he built me a new computer). When we moved to Spokane a few years later the main requirement when apartment hunting was that our apartment was within walking distance of a bus line. When LJ finished graduate school and landed her first full time job she bought a bus pass instead of a new car.

We moved to western Washington this summer and one of my biggest concerns was that we would have to travel over the mountain passes for the holidays. I have a strong aversion to driving in the snow so we decided we would use Amtrak to get between Olympia and Wenatchee for our holiday travels. We even took a practice trip in August for LJ's class reunion to make sure we knew how the system worked.

I realize train travel isn't for everyone (since Amtrak doesn't have a station in every town) but I truly believe people would enjoy it more than any other form of transportation if they tried it. LJ and I were able to read a book, watch a TV show, get in an hour nap, and enjoy Louis CK's excellent new comedy special all while making our way to our destination. In that way the trip was very similar to flying on an airplane. The main difference from flying though was that we only needed to arrive at the train station about ten minutes before we boarded the train. We could also leave our car at the train station for free for the entire length of our trip.

Now train travel isn't all flowers and sausages. There are a few draw backs. We were reliant on family and friends to pick us up from the station when we arrived and drop us off for our return trip. Speaking of the return trip, the only westbound train is scheduled to leave Wenatchee every morning at 5:35 AM, which meant we had to get up around 4 to make it to the station (special thanks to LJ's parents for getting up early to drive us in). The inconvenience of the Amtrak schedule is the only reason we hadn't taken the train previously when we lived in Spokane. The train only travels through Spokane (the second largest city in Washington mind you) between midnight and 2 AM. This is because the route is defined by its end point cities (Chicago and Seattle) so whatever time it ends up at in between stations doesn't mater as much. Sure seems like a good reason to improve the rail system in some parts of the country.

This blog is mostly about building skills and trying new things and I believe as more people try traveling by rail more people will enjoy it. The ability to multitask while getting to your destination seems like it would have mass appeal as we become more and more dependent and interconnected with our personal electronic devices. I know the counter argument is always that train travel has been tried in the United States and that it doesn't make money but I would argue that it is no less profitable than the heavily subsidized airline industry (of course I have no facts to back this up). Roads don't make money either, or pay for themselves (even toll roads and bridges) but you don't often hear people arguing against new freeways or interstates (unless you live in Portland). I'd encourage you to give a train a chance the next time you can.