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Heading to Netroots Nation via Amtrak



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Although I have to fly often enough, I really prefer taking the train whenever I can. I'm spoiled with the fantastic train system in France but even when I'm in the US - the northeast, at least - I prefer taking the train over flying. When I lived in Baltimore I used the Amtrak service often enough and enjoyed it even before the TSA made flying a miserable experience.

Last night I flew into Philly where I spent the night with family before jumping on Amtrak (in Trenton, NJ) for the journey up to Providence for Netroots Nation. Flying was pretty much the same price but I wasn't keen to be stressed out with the normal airport routine that makes flying so miserable.

The new station in Trenton was modernized in the last few years and it's so much faster and easier than flying. Instead of being cramped into a small seat that has no leg room, I'm sitting comfortably in a seat that has a nice view, including the phone photo above of Manhattan. Free wifi to boot makes it a no-brainer.

Travel time is still on the slow side (4:30 hours) but when you add in the trip to the airport and the circus that a traveler has to experience there it's not that much different. On top of that the station in Providence is a 10 minute walk to the event.

Despite all of the Republican bashing of Amtrak, it's a nice service in the northeast. I'm not willing to pay the premium for the Acela train, but I'm more than happy to ride Amtrak. Sure it could stand more modernization and faster speeds but it would be silly to trash this system and privatize it the way the UK did. Keep on developing it and making it better.


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