Terminalcoffee discussion

What mode of transportation do you prefer? Where are you going? What else about travel?

1. I have always been a long car ride/road trip person, but that's changing...I don't have as much time so I can deal with planes. I'm not afraid to fly, but I usually hate planes. I have the best plane luck ever, though...I hardly ever get delayed. Maybe it's because I fly out of Milwaukee.

2. I'm really tempted to go to the southwest over Christmas. I heard plane fares are plummeting due to lower fuel costs and the airline companies shitting their pants over lower revenue. I've never been to Arizona or New Mexico, and my wife's mom is visiting for a couple days over Christmas, so I'm so tempted to just pick somewhere and go.

What else? You?

I love traveling by train. They go at a pace that I'm comfortable with and I don't have to do anything more than sit and wait. No worrying about driving, no having to deal with airport security. I wish American trains were better than they are.

My dad was a captain, so I grew up traveling on airplanes. There is nothing that makes me more happy than settling in, fastening my seatbelt, and watching the people. I love the sensation of flying, the takeoff, turbulence, landing, all of it. I go really early now to deal with the security bullshit, and then just settle in with my ipod and journal and watch the parade on the concourse. I often have dreams about being in airports or airplanes.

I hate to drive long distances. I'm terrified of car crashes, especially in the snow, this is hampering my snowboarding enthusiasm. There is one ski train from Denver to Winter Park, but its a slow, touristy train. If I could have one wish (and you all know this already) it would be for a high speed train to be put in on the I70 corridor from Denver to the ski resorts.

From my experiences in Europe and Japan high speed train travel is the way to go. Fast, reliable, clean, and connecting so many more cities than just the major "hubs" as we do in the US.

Once I visited my sister in Boston and was going to take a bus down to New York, but she dropped me off at the train station by mistake. She'd left before I realized it, so I took the train instead. I liked traveling by train even though it was very crowded. Also, I saw Rachel Dratch on the train.

I've been wanting to take the train from St. Louis up to Chicago just for the experience of riding a train for quite a while now. And if it happens there's a murder mystery to solve along the way, so be it.

Plane travel is great except for the other travellers.

I'd like to take the train from Chicago down to New Orleans. Sometime I read a book about the "jazz route" and think that would be a fun cultural experience.

I've always wanted to take a train trip somewhere. I just looked up Austin to Chicago and it's a 29 hour trip! WTF? Are you stuck on the train the whole time, or does it make stops? Do you have to sleep in your chair? Does it recline? I'm thinking a train trip isn't as romantic as I had imagined.

I'm not afraid of flying but I hate it. I hate airports. I hate sitting in one spot for so long. I hate getting stuck in the middle seat. I hate how long it takes for the luggage to come out at baggage claim. I'm just too impatient. But, until someone invents that teleportation machine, flying seems to be the quickest way to travel.

I hate traveling, period. Plane, train, car, bus, ship, unicycle, Segway, whatever. Hate it. I just want to be there.

Shelly, on Amtrak you have to sleep in your chair, unless you get a small compartment -- which is two chairs in a separate "room" (miniscule) that fold out into bunk beds (kinda like traveling in coffins with windows) -- or a large compartment which is like a tiny room with a little sofa and a separate bathroom. (In the small compartment the toilet's kinda just out in the open -- so hopefully you know the other person in your compartment well or you may have to wake up in the middle of the night and go out into the hall so some stranger can take a steaming dump right in your bedroom.) But keep in mind that you'll pay a helluva lot more for the compartments, so you might as well just fly.

Do you get the idea I'm not a fan of long-distance train travel. No? You should. The experience makes me wanna vomit until I'm dehydrated like beef jerky.

I am afraid of flying -- but I do it. I just got back from LaGuardia a few weeks ago... If you stop -- and I mean really stop and think about the flying process, it's one of the most surreal experiences on earth -- and yet we're immune to it, as we're watching a stewardess point to the exit rows and we're trying to get an extra beverage out of the surly man with ramshackle drink cart.

LaGuardia is awful. JFK is a much nicer airport. Flying is a lot like getting shot out of a cannon if you think about it.

While we're on the subject, I'm always afraid the stewardess is going to catch me not paying attention/rolling my eyes when she's doing her emergency exit song and dance and start the whole thing over. "Sorry folks, the flight will be departing a little late because the passenger in 27A thinks he's too good to listen to me telling you about the emergency exits and how to put your seatbelt on."

I always pay special attention when the flight attendants give their pre-flight presentation. I pretend that I've never flown before and I find it fascinating. It makes me feel like a good person when I do that.

I don't pay attention.

We've talked about trains before, right? The national ones SUCK...they're always late, as far as I'm concerned. I've done the Chicago/New Orleans, route, though, Sally, about twenty years ago. I got reallllly drunk.

Last year I had to travel for work...they were trying to save money so they:

1. Drove from from Milwaukee to Chicago,
2. Flew us from Chicago to Zurich,
3. Flew us from Zurich to Rome,
4. Put us on a bus from Rome to a town up in Tuscany.

Twenty hours. I was exhausted.

I've also driven from Orlando to Milwaukee straight through, about 18, 19 hours, if I remember correctly. That wasn't bad, believe it or not.

I also have the habit of wanting to go home as soon as I arrive somewhere. I start counting the hours.

I'm not a big fan of airplanes, but it's the quickest way to get places, so I fly.

I used to take the train home from college on holidays. It was a 6 hour trip, and better than having my parents drive down to get me.

It was nice being able to walk around, and go to the lounge car for snacks. I'd watch the adults get drunk and smoke in the "observation car". That was fun.

Statistically, it's still the safest way to travel.





20 points to anyone who knows where that's from.

I love airplanes, boats, trains. LOVE. Motorhomes, campers. LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!! I love traveling, unless I'm driving. I love road trips if I get to sit in the front and read aloud to a captive audience.

Silver Streak?

Huh?

Sarah's quote about "statistically, it's still the safest way to travel". I'm guessing it's from Silver Streak, starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor.

I WANT those 20 points! ;)

Ah. I'm rooting for you!

Thanks! I knew I could count on you to support me, Sarah M.
There sure are a lot of Sarahs out there, by the way...

Tell me about it.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles? I love that movie.

Double Indemnity?

I like RVs too, Montambo, at least when they're not mine. Our honeymoon was six weeks in an RV through America. That rocked. We borrowed the RV from my wife's parents, though...I wouldn't buy one myself.

But I don't know if I'd want someone reading to me on long car rides, honestly.

And no one but the driver should ever touch the radio without permission. That, ladies and gentlemen, should be law (unless a previously agreed upon system is in place, e.g. everyone takes turns picking music).

The quote's from Superman

Its not from Rain Man?

I think he says it right after he saves a plane full of people.

I think Dan may be right, but from the context of Sarah's post I thought the quote was about trains, which reminded me of Double Indemnity.

Dan's right! He says it after he saves Lois from the helicopter, and then he says it again in the new movie with Brandon Routh after he saves the plane full of people.

I just saw this on CNN. Has anyone ever tried this?

http://www.megabus.com/us

Fares as low as a buck! I'm keeping them in mind for the next St. Louis to Chicago run.

That's big around here, Dan...a lot of people use it for Milwaukee/Minneapolis or Chicago/Milwaukee. Apparently you have to plan ahead and order online to get the good rates, right?

That's way I understand it. I usually plan concert trips to Chicago months in advance anyway so it'll work well for me. Now I just need a reason to take a bus trip.

Maybe I'll try it to Minneapolis sometime. Hm. I hadn't thought of it. Good tip.

Sweeter and I once talked with my cousin and her husband about renting an RV and taking a road trip. that'd be fun.

i am in dublin, VA right now in a comfort inn. not as nice as a hampton but not bad.

I'm in a Hampton Inn in Salt Lake. One of the nicer ones. I stay here a lot.

Yeah, Comfort Inns are franchised and that can be good, if the owner keeps it up, or a bit ragged if they don't. I spent a good bit of time in a Days Inn recently. The owner lived on site. Nice folks, and they really tried, but they should spend a couple of nights at the Hampton and then at their place to compare. Then they could charge what Hampton does, and I'd be out my cheap accomodations.

I just tried to book a 5-week stay in Paris for work and, after three reservations, got all but one night. Oddly enough, I will be homeless in Paris on Cinco de Mayo. It's a Wednesday - what's going on in Paris on a Wednesday that booked my hotel solid??

*seethes with jealousy*

RA - small world - I travel out of Milwaukee or O'Hare, depending on flights. Relatively speaking, we could be neighbors!

Larry - I'll be sure to post the frustrations of long hours/lack of sleep/inability to take time to see anything when I'm there to curb the jealousy.

Then again, it's Paris, it can't be that bad, right?

Works for me.

Doesn't the Milwaukee airport rule, Paula? Mitchell is so easy to navigate...

We usually fly out of Milwaukee also. It is usually $75 - $100 per ticket cheaper than Madison. Very easy terminal to navigate.

I'd like to do a train trip. Airports and flying make me angry these days, and I have this idea that going by train will be so much more pleasant. Of course, the reality is that I've probably dreamt up all that pleasantness - which means it would be even better for me to take that train trip, because then I would feel better about airports and flying. See how that logic works?

My mother and I were talking about doing the train from Chicago to Seattle with my nephews. Not sure that is going to come together, but it sounded like an interesting idea. Perhaps a shorter trip might be smarter, though.

RandomAnthony wrote: "Doesn't the Milwaukee airport rule, Paula? Mitchell is so easy to navigate..."

And you can actually park your car, or pick up people easily. Brilliant, really.

the LYH airport is about the size of a cracker barrel. nice though.

Sweeter and Leah are taking a trip to KY in September for ten days without me. My heart is breaking already.

Ten days! Yikes. I bet that will be so hard for you.

I know. It is a wedding we'd all wanted to go to for a long time, but it became apparent when I started realizing that school will have just begun that I can't get away, even for a weekend.
I suggested he go and take her to visit her KY kin without me, but I guess I didn't really believe he'd go. It will be good, I'm sure, in the end.