I'll probably just post pictures of my pets here.
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It'll get you to all the museums, sports stadiums, lots of other venues. But it's not super kid friendly. I admit I'm indulging in more train travel since my kid has grown - I have more money at this stage in my life & she's easier to travel with. (I travel more in general now, honestly.)
The lack of transit here in Detroit does suck. I'm going in reverse. Not having a car in Chicago is a feature, not having to deal with parking or traffic. If you stick to the central business district in Detroit, you can get away without a car & only stick to the pathetic light rail.
I'm in Detroit, which means luckily for me, I am on one of the best regional routes to Chicago (the Wolverine goes between Chicago & Detroit 6 times a day & gets up to 120 mph), for easy access to most long distance Amtrak routes. The downside is they are all long & thus expensive & time consuming.
Oh, if you are trying to get from Chicago to LA, SWC is a far better route for sure. I was trying to get to Tucson, so my choices were to SWC to LA & then go east on Sunset Limited to Tucson, or, City of New Orleans to NO & west on the Sunset to Tucson. Or this Texas Eagle hack.
The switch happens overnight, so you go to sleep attached to one train with one layout & wake up to another one. It's trippy.
Technically, the TE ends in SA, but you can book a ticket that continues west, and in SA, they drop the train cars continuing west from the TE locomotive & put you on the back of the Sunset Limited going from New Orleans to LA & you continue on with them.
One of my favorite Amtrak routes is the Texas Eagle from Chicago to LA via San Antonio. (I've only ever taken it as far as Tucson.)
(Whole package of Via from Windsor, Ontario to Toronto to Jasper, a few nights each in Jasper & Banff, and then RM to Vancouver came to just over US$20k for 2 people in 2022.)
I should also disclose that we were Premier class on Via, which was expensive, but we thought worth the money. RM was similarly priced, but we didn't feel was as worth that price for us.
But someday we're planning to take Via between Vancouver & Jasper to catch what we missed the first time, and we'd happily repeat the rest of that route on Via, but we have no interest in doing any other RM ever again.
We did Via from Toronto to Jasper & then took a tour down to Banff & the Rocky Mountaineer from Banff to Vancouver. I'm glad we tried the RM, because Via doesn't go to Banff & we'd never have gone that route otherwise.
But the experience of having to line up in the morning with a hundred other people to board the train & then unload at night to go to a mediocre hotel for a few hours just to repeat the line up the next morning was unpleasant. I much preferred sleeping on the train.
Meh. I've also done the Rocky Mountaineer, and honestly it felt more like a tour bus. The food was good, but not significantly better than Amtrak or Via offer their sleeper passengers.
I've done that exact trip, but Toronto to Vancouver, with a few days off the train in Jasper & Banff. One of my very favorite vacations ever.
It's complicated. Legally, Amtrak always has priority over freight in the US, but freight gets around this by running trains that are longer than the longest sidings, making it impossible for them to pull over to let Amtrak pass. De facto versus de jure.
I am a bit obsessed with trains.
I've also gotten meals in First Class on Acela (the DC to Philly portion of the epic trip). The upgrade was free because of the points I'd accumulated on the earlier legs. And last week I got a meal on a Via Rail trip across Ontario, but that required upgrading to business class (had a coupon).
The tickets are reasonably expensive, but are offset by not paying for a hotel or meals when I'm on the train. In fact we usually end up with a stash of extra desserts when we get home. Brownies for days. And usually the meals are fresh cooked and pretty good.
This spring's adventure from Detroit to Tucson to DC to Philly involved box meals on a bus bypassing track closures, once each way. And once I got the infamous Dinty Moore stew because our train was 9 hours late. But we never went hungry.
I am too old to travel overnight without a bed, so every long distance train I've taken across the US or Canada has been in a sleeper compartment, and in a sleeper, meals are included.
That's how I've always justified the train. When you realize that it's several extra days of all-inclusive meals & accommodations relaxing in a chill, unplugged environment, and not just a mode of transportation, you realize what a bargain it is.
But it's a really pretty route and the train is pretty comfortable. And I adore the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago's Union Station. (That said, I flew to WC this year because my travel plans were decided so late that the trains that would have worked for me sold out before I could book anything.)
Is it as ubiquitous as in Europe? Of course not. But I take the train between Detroit & Chicago very regularly and it's great. Comfortable, reasonably fast, very convenient, and pretty cheap. If we subsidized rails as much as we do roads, it would be even better.
I've wonder how the Urbanists would categorize me. I live in the most densely populated city in my state, which is not the major anchor city that everyone knows, but in fact is an enclave located competely within the limits of that anchor city. It could technically be defined as a suburb?
Even though I don't have any need to host a website, I bought my own domain 20 years ago when I realized how much of a pain it was to update my email address after my ISP was bought out & changed. Now I control the email address & where it points is invisible. If I want to dump google, I can.
This is why I always wear a tank top under my shirt when I'm going for a vaccination or blood test.
But now luggage storage is limited to people with sleeper or business class tickets. My most frequent route is on a regional that doesn't have a sleeper & I've never found the free cup of coffee worth upgrading to business, but maybe now I will.
Well, from when your train is scheduled to depart. Lots of people end up staying longer. 🤣
Unfortunately, I learned that while I can still access the lounge with my rewards passes, not only am I limited to 3 hours, but I can no longer use the luggage storage at the lounge. Very disappointing.
Looks like Chicago. I was just on a train out of Chicago yesterday.
Hippie. And the LP was a recent acquisition. We extras are not invited to premieres. Plus, I was living in Berlin, where the movie was filmed, at the time. But one of my partners found a copy on an auction site in Spain for me. One of his superpowers is vintage shopping.
I do not love that movie, but I have been the one to feel obligated to share it with all of my friends, because of my personal connection. My very first paid job was being an extra in the movie (along with my father & sister).
Like many in my generation I read Clan of the Cave Bear, Flowers in the Attic, & Heinlein (Cat Who Walks Through Walls) far too early. But my dad thought it was a good idea to suggest I read 1984 in 1984. I was 9.
Challenge: post your last photo taken in DC to show what a hell-hole it is:
And the only one willing to work in our neighborhood said we had to make the arrangements with the electric company & the electric company said they'd only talk to the contractor, so we gave up. (We're looking for a different house instead for mostly unrelated reasons.)
Two of my partners are electrical engineers & my brother got through an electrician apprenticeship before deciding to change careers, so we're comfortable doing a lot of our own internal wiring. But we needed to hire a professional to get our panel upgraded from 100 amp service to 200.
"The Apple" is a mediocre soundtrack for an extremely terrible movie. Even worse than Xanadu. But I'm so proud to own a copy of that soundtrack on vinyl. It's like a piece of history.
If you have any details to share, a speakeasy party sounds amazing.
I'm surprised at how much signal you're getting on that route. There were so many dead spots last time I did it.
Am on a much shorter train to Chicago right now, though (for another brief weekend trip for a family thing).
So sad that my plans to do Traincon to Worldcon didn't work out this year, but I took an even longer train trip from Detroit to Tucson on to Philly via Chicago & DC this spring, so that's my big trip for the year. I could only justify a brief weekend in Seattle via plane.
The real anti-theft measure is that it has a manual transmission. 20 years ago, with a previous car, we found it with a window broken out, but abandoned in place when the thief realized they couldn't drive it.
My spouse and I are in an eternal war over the vents in the car. He has them precisely tuned to dry his hair in the morning. But when I have the car, I often want the fan on, but never pointed at my face, which is exactly where his vent tuning points them. It is an never ending struggle.
... the countries that build public transit well, quickly, & cheaply all have something in common: most of the work is done by the government itself, using in-house expertise, rather than farming various parts out to private companies under the bullshit theory that private always = more efficient.
The biggest complication, to Nate Silver's annoyance, is that gambling loses are deductible, but only up to the amount of that year's gambling winnings. So o
Gambling winnings are taxed like any other income. If anything they are a bit unique in that they don't trigger self-employment taxes like any non-employee business income. Nor do they get special rates like capital gains/investment income can.
I thought this was a decent japchae recipe & much easier than what I used to do. aaronandclaire.com/15-minute-ea...
Welcome to the desert. I spent a week in Tucson last month & went through so much moisturizer in addition to drinking water & sunscreen.
Hey, I've shopped at that Bed, Bath, & Beyond. They offered curbside pickup in 2020 & 2021 when I was avoiding going inside stores.
Is that from Out of This World?
I hope you get to go home soon! I just did a two and a half week trip and was on fumes by the end. (The distance didn't help, my itinerary ended up being Detroit->Chicago->Tucson->Chicago->DC->Philadelphia->Detroit.)
Every one of these assholes should be forced to watch Steel Magnolias on repeat.
My vet did something similar today. Asked my permission to record our conversation so that she could chart it later & focus on the pets while she was in the exam room. We just had to pause briefly while she noted the change in which pet we were discussing in her recording.
I've also checked bags on Via Rail.
Is that one re-opened? Last time I was there they'd turned it off as unsafe. I used to ride it all the time as a kid.
The stuff we always wanted or was only for the trip out went into the small suitcase, collapsible duffle, and backpacks. We repacked for the trip home. Only way to survive three adults sharing one room on the train for three days each way. (Larger bedroom only helped a little.) 2/2
Just did a two week trip from Detroit to Tucson with three people on Amtrak. Lots of packing in small containers & packing cubes so we could segregate the only in Arizona or trip home stuff into the two large suitcases which never came into our our room on the train. 1/2
I had that happen once, but instead they had someone walk me back to the employee-only parking area. The fun is that I was in a sundress & strappy-heels & the lot was far away & gravel. It was a little exciting. They seemed a bit surprised that I was the one to pick up the car & not some car guy.
This would be why we took the train to Tucson for my brother's wedding last month. It was a bit of an expensive ordeal, but totally worth it.
November is very pretty, but she's more main character energy than sidekick.
You can go pretty far on the Great Lakes for that eventual Midwest tour. But I also like Amtrak here.
Congrats!
Needs alt text on that image.
I think I might be coming the furthest on Amtrak to see your show. Sitting outside El Paso right now on the SL/TE. Got on in Tucson this morning. I should be in Chicago Wed & on the Floridian to DC on Thursday/Friday.
I'm afraid there might be too many for that. A friend and I are tracking an ACLU lawsuit about trans passports, because it affects her, but it seems to mostly be under the radar for most people. I bet there are others like it that I'm completely unaware of.
wishbone
Certainly worth repeating in the times we are in..
Don't believe those who say that tax pros don't want positive change at the IRS. Folks who suggest that tax pros only benefit from a complex tax code and outdated/understaffed IRS don't understand the work. (1/5)
Lovely, but we need more chicken content.
We got a C64 SX in 1984 or 85, and originally tried to use the screen it came with, but quickly decided that it was too small to work with, so we hooked it up to an old TV we had. Man, that makes me feel old.
This sounds like us regularly talking about torturing our pets, mostly by stabbing or shooting the cat. (The diabetic cat gets insulin twice a day while the dog with glaucoma gets eye drops. They hate it. But the treats help.)
A reminder that if the government can send migrants to a prison camp without any due process, it can send U.S. citizens there, too. I know because this happened to me and my family in 1942.
Good. This is exactly the response I want to see. www.axios.com/2025/04/07/s...
If I was going to start a political movement against AI that glommed onto the current moment, I'd be hard pressed to find a better slogan than “ChatGPT tax.”
After nearly an hour on the phone I've booked my next cross-country trip. On my way to regaining status with Amtrak. (Also doing a quick train trip across the state tomorrow & one to the East Coast in May.)
This is why we plan to flee the city we've lived in & loved for over 25 years. www.freep.com/story/news/p...
Thank you so much. Sometimes I miss working with VITA. It was so rewarding.
Both, please!
These days I might use Sorkin instead, but I'm pretty sure that dates me as being An Old (and also A Liberal).
We also have silicone gaskets that fit inside our plastic Mason jar lids to make them more spill-proof. Combine that with the painters tape & sharpie ideas above & we have so much soup & sauces in our freezer this time of year.
My spouse owns a guitar like that. But he built it himself & put on custom pickups, so it's not exactly the same. It was based on the Fender Bass VI, though.
I don't want a video! I want a text writeup! I don't want a video! I want a text writeup! I don't want a video! I want a text writeup! I don't want a video! I want a text writeup! I don't want a video! I want a text writeup! I don't want a video! I want a text writeup! I don't want a video! I want a
I get this a lot in Detroit as well, but it's extra confusing for me because I live in a city that is legally distinct from Detroit, but completely surrounded by it. So I'm within the city, but am not a resident. Never sure how to describe where I live. "In Detroit" could go either way.
Traditional Meijer stores still exist, sure. I'm talking about their smaller format "Meijer Market" stores which are a completely different beast: www.michiganbusiness.org/reports-data...
Unsure if it's related to the death of their old "we sell everything from imported produce to clothing to tires & are open 24/7 model" during lockdown.
Dunno about ChicagoLand, but here in MI, Kroger's biggest competitor is Meijer & their newest thing is adding a bunch of small format stores in addition to their traditional monstrosities.
i’m gonna just watch this at least once a day and i recommend everyone do the same
Today, my mostly independent cat has decided that I am the space heater. He has spent all day attempting to lay on any part of my body he can reach. I really need to get off this couch & finish getting ready to go out this evening, though. Maybe he'll be satisfied with the heated cat bed.
Around this time every year, I share a list of ways to support Native people. From supporting Indigenous people seeking abortion care to defending Native voting rights and keeping Native families together, here are some causes worth supporting. 🧵
I've done Amtrak from Chicago to Seattle to Sacramento back to Chicago in a roomette, and Chicago to Tucson & back in a bedroom, and both were lovely, comfortable experiences. And both were blown away by a trip on Via Rail from Toronto to Jasper, Alberta in their Premier Class. True luxury.
That is clearly part of a cocktail recipe.
When he came back to the US he tossed it into a closet & forgot about it for awhile. Later had a bad breakup & his ex accused him of things. They searched his quarters & found CSAM on the laptop. He swears someone else who used it put it there, maybe even accidentally. My dad believed him.
My dad used to provide mental health treatment to sex offenders in prison. He said in all his years in that job there was one guy he was convinced was falsely convicted. The guy had been deployed with the military to a combat zone. Brought a personal laptop he shared with his whole unit.
If any assignment editors are reading -- I bet a full accounting of all the financial support Elon Musk and his companies received from the federal government would make for great reading when he inevitably tells all the poors they have to start making sacrifices.
The one true Bluesky etiquette is simply “use alt text”
I wish everyone who talked about how hard it is to make high speed rail profitable also talked about how hard it is to make interstate highways profitable.
What comes between fear & sex? Fűnf
Like, the same people who are complaining about having to have 3 jobs to share a shitty apartment with roommates are the ones ordering the burritos & creating a market for those shitty jobs. Not sure how to fix that.
For me, a lot of this is how unrealistically we've created certain expectations based on an unsustainable labor market.
Probably not. We have this whole government immunity thing. Plus, people make mistakes at their jobs all the time & we don't usually criminally prosecute for that. At best (but far from guaranteed) you might be about to prove you relied on the false info & get a pass on not following the rules.