Vickie, Alice, Lisa, Debbie, Barbara, Chris, Clair and Cootz boarded the Los Angeles-bound Sunset Limited in Schriever, La., and immediately took residence in the glass-sheathed Sightseer Lounge car. The eight women squeezed into two booths on either side of the aisle and began to scream with laughter.
With a quiet, pneumatic exhalation, the Sunset Limited left the station; it was 90 minutes into its journey, with 45 hours and 5 minutes to go. After leaving New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal, its point of departure, the seven-car train had rumbled first alongside the New Orleans Arena, where the Hornets play basketball, and then alongside the empty open-air courts, separated from the tracks by chain-link fence and concertina wire, where inmates at Orleans Parish Prison play basketball. It climbed steadily for two miles before passing over the dizzyingly narrow span of the Huey P. Long Bridge. From up there, 145 feet above the Mississippi River, the river’s full double turn, like a lowercase m written in a lazy cursive, was visible; you could see why they called New Orleans the Crescent City.
Wheezing out of Schriever, the train rattled and jerked, and when I entered the lounge car, I had to grab onto the back of a booth to prevent myself from falling facedown in Clair’s lap
From this Fair Use Brief Passage, it would appear that this journey is going to be depicted as an adventure with many a pleasurable vignette, as distinct from a useful means of publicly funded transportation.
For private reasons, I have cut off my Times (and Journal) until next week (even though they still seem to be showing up). If I'm able, I may have to resort to reading this material on the web.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Haven't read the article, and don't intend to. From what I've gathered at other sites (and your excerpt), it's a "people" story, not a "trains" story.
Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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Well, I read it and I'm a bit disappointed in the way it characterizes Amtrak riders. Apparently only goofballs and misfits take Amtrak. The author didn't seem to find any regular Joes using the train to travel from point A to point B for perfectly normal reasons.
I hope the author used fake names for some of the people profiled in the article. I'm not sure that people who are trying to avoid abusive living situations or people with serious health problems should have their true identities and life stories published in a national newspaper.
Also, The Brookings Institute has just released an assessment of Amtrak's operation. The rather superficial report notes that ridership has grown over the last 15 years and that Amtrak's short distance trains can make money, but long distance trains lose money.... Posts: 831 | From: Seattle | Registered: Jan 2011
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I rather enjoyed the piece. To me, train travel is all about humanity, not rivet-counting—and eccentrics such as those the author met are part of the joy. That was the compelling reason for writing "Zephyr."
Regular Joes are all very well, and God bless 'em, but they're rarely worth writing about just for their regular Joeness. The unusual is what entertains and edifies.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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Henry, I agree with you to a point, but there's unusual and then there's "unusual." If you want the latter, just spend a day riding on the trains of the NYCTA, especially the #7 line.
When it comes to people I want on a long train trip with me, I'm with Gil: the best surprise is no surprise!
Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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Since it appears my one week suspension of both Times and Journal has taken hold, I printed the article from the web, and I will have a go at it.
But from what I can gather, a Paul Theroux travel piece simply is not what publicly funded Amtrak is all about. It is simply about providing short distance travel through densely populated areas where it can be "value" competitive with other means and where having rail passenger service can impact the need for other more costly ($$$$ and environment) alternative facilities and infrastructure, namely air and auto.
This article depicts how the misfits and the otherwise "hey somebody done me wrong song" crowd uses Amtrak. Likely so for the LD's, but they are simply an appendage of the funding process we have here in place today.
All told; a disservice to laying out in a nationally circulated "high end" publication what rail passenger service is really about.
My McMansionite neighbors know their way to KORD for their personal travel (business; what else; you ought to see the number of houses around here at 6AM Monday that a limo is backed into a drive with the trunk open); I guarantee you articles like this will make them glad they do so.
I am honestly surprised that Amtrak Media Relations simply did not "squash" this.
It's not tripe; it is just not in Amtrak's best interests.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Literary travel writing does not intend to inform the public about railroad schedules, amenities and the like. It is not guidebook fare. It intends to entertain and to engage the intellect about the wonders and pitfalls of travel, and those include the bizarre and eccentric. Media Relations understands this and would never attempt to squash such reportage. It knows that this kind of article appeals to a good part of the traveling public and just rolls with the punches.
There is a much bigger audience for Paul Theroux than there is for Trains magazine. . Later: I found a quotation from Maya Angelou that to me perfectly encapsulates that Times Sunday Magazine article:
"Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.”
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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Interesting article, Gil -- thanks for posting it! I agree that the article tends to emphasize the "misfits" and "somebody done me wrong" crowd, but as we all know (but not necessarily the author of the story or the NYT), most AMTRAK passengers do NOT fit into that group. I would guess that the same "misfits" also ride planes, but in an airplane, people rarely talk to each other on a 2-hour flight, like they do on a 2-day LD train trip, in the diner or lounge car or wherever. Therefore, one would not really know if the person sitting across from you in the 747 is a "misfit" or a "normal" person.
I too have met many people on my various train trips, and, even though some are "misfits" (I don't like that term, but I am using it only in reference to GBN's most recent post), most of them are average run-of-the-mill people (and of course, some railfans) -- families going on vacation, people traveling to attend weddings, funerals, etc., or just to visit people or travel, sightseeing tour groups, etc., plus business people on shorter segments of LD trains. Many years ago, whenever the Democratic (? -- maybe it was the Republican) National Convention was in San Francisco, I was on the CZ, plus a whole group of people (including author Studs Terkel) traveling from CHI to SF, also on the CZ, to the Convention.
Now and then I'll meet one of these "misfits," or some otherwise obnoxious person on the train, but those instances are rare.
P.S. Note that the specific people this article mentioned (the "misfits") were mostly coach travelers. I believe only one of the people the article mentioned was in a sleeper. I believe most passengers in sleepers are likely "different" than the people specifically mentioned in the NYT article.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman: This article depicts how the misfits and the otherwise "hey somebody done me wrong song" crowd uses Amtrak.
Misfits? Sorry Mr. Norman, I strongly disagree. Everyone depicted in the article sounds as if they're just trying to live their life as best as they can, and deal with the hand they've been given.
On my cross-country trips, many of the true misfits I've encountered have actually been sleeper passengers.
Typically, they're upscale retirees who drink too much, snap at their spouses, grumble about the service, treat the staff like slaves, and attempt to use their dining or lounge car audience (in other words, yours truly) as a captive sounding board for their cranky, thinly-veiled contempt toward anyone within eyeshot who's "different" and hails from a less privileged class.
Do true criminals, bottom feeders, and lowlife ride the rails? Absolutely. But many of them also fly, drive late model cars, have high-paying careers, eat in nice restaurants, drink expensive wine, and have been known to purchase McMansions.
There are plenty of misfits out there, yes. But they're not in this article. All I see are people.
quote:Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman: I am honestly surprised that Amtrak Media Relations simply did not "squash" this.
Why? It's nothing to do with Amtrak. I doubt if the author even considered informing Amtrak as he would certainly not have any need to do so - not even a courtesy call.
-------------------- Geoff M. Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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Mr. Dilly, let's just leave it at I respect your views.
But I really think that if The Times wanted to convey to their national circulation (Sunday is almost double that of weekdays) and higher end demographic what rail travel is all about, they should have dispatched reporters from their bureaus that they maintain Coast to Coast - and Overseas, and ask them to interview passengers aboard Corridor trains. And guess what; someone on an Acela just might have looked up from their laptop (or I from my Times) to respond to the inquiries.
Long Distance trains are simply an anachronism that exist because of how our political process works (I do concur with Ben Franklin that we have have the most perfect of an imperfect system of government). I am certain if we had a central government (China, hey?) that granted (or withdrew) power to local jurisdictions at its pleasure, Long Distance trains would have gone within the time-frame that it was my strong understanding was given to the industry after A-Day - and that was five years.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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I had a somewhat different take on the article. It seemed to me that all these people, with perhaps the exception of the railfan , had completely different backrounds but were on the train for the same purpose of getting from A to B. Sure, some of them wanted to see the country in the process, but I think it makes a case for those who argue that LD train provide a useful transportation function. Whether or not the economics justify that expense in our economy is a whole different argument. Likewise so is a discussion on the merits of short haul corridor trains.
So, I was glad to see the article make that case. Yes, us retirees on a land cruise in our cozy sleepers weren't well represented, but that would probably detract from the argument of Amtrak LD actually being useful if not necessary.
As to Mr. Dilly's view, Fortunately, we have taken many Amtrak trips and never seen the type of sleeping car passenger misfits that he mentions. Sure, we have seen loud ones (of all economic means), confused (young and old), and even angry at Amtrak, with apparent good reason.
We had friends (with absolutely no interest in Amtrak but who have traveled widely) who sent us the link to article. Their opinion is probably representative, at least for those comfortably retired that may be considering a train trip:
"This article is extremely well done. I'm not sure it makes me want to run out and jump on a long distance train, but it sure does a great job of describing the miscellaneous players on board and the scenery outside the window"
But then, if LD trains are to survive, it probably won't be because of the 'fat cats' but rather because of those described in the article.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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For what it's worth, I'm now aboard No. 4 (2), having just passed through Lamy, N.M. At Albuquerque two passengers debarked from the train and walked about a little.
Both are fiftyish, burly in egg-shaped fashion and are heavily bearded, are scruffily dressed in slacks and dark T-shirts, carry purses, have prominent breasts and wear bras. Transsexuals in transition, presumably. They seem not to want to talk to anyone and indeed have not appeared in the diner or lounge car. Hard to blame them; most everyone who sees them gapes, points and whispers.
Coach trade? Nope. They are occupying a full bedroom in Car 0430, the sleeper next to ours.
Misfits? Outcasts, rather.
I wouldn't mind hearing their stories.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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Henry, I think Amtrak has a "don't ask, don't tell" policy in place for situations like this. Presumably, they're on their way to their "operation" on No.4. Keep us posted on their "status" if you find out anything (or put it in your next book)!
Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Henry Kisor: Both are fiftyish, burly in egg-shaped fashion and are heavily bearded, are scruffily dressed in slacks and dark T-shirts, carry purses, have prominent breasts and wear bras. . . . I wouldn't mind hearing their stories.
Me too. It's a shame that so many people -- Americans especially -- live such limited lives that anyone who lives a different life is viewed with suspicion, mocking derision, or hostility.
In my previous incarnation, for many years, I lived the kind of rock 'n roll life (personally and professionally) that's virtually every teenager's fantasy and every ultra-conservative's nightmare.
Still, I treasure my memories of the people I've met on trains -- people who were almost always radically different from me.
The excited 97 year-old farmer on the Texas Eagle, for example, who was leaving Arkansas for the first time in his life, en route to Washington to register his patent for a car engine that runs on water.
Or the sad little family -- who had just lost their farm -- traveling east on the Lake Shore Limited to live with relatives.
Or the shy young Mennonite women -- in prairie dresses and bonnets -- who sang a hymn for me as the Empire Builder rolled across Montana.
Or the tattooed lady on the Sunset Limited (from a circus family!) who asked me to dance with her along the platform at El Paso.
Or the thoughtful old rancher, wearing a Stetson, who was headed west on the Southwest Chief to bury the friend who had saved his life on Omaha beach.
Were they traveling in coach? Sleeper? Who cares? Over the years, I've met these and many, many more. Evangelical preachers and yoga teachers. Jazz musicians and astronomers. Runaway wives and struggling actors dreaming of Hollywood glory. Not to mention residents of Beverly Hills, Mongolia, and Chicago's South Side.
Mainly, I take Amtrak to look out the window at America. But it's the people I meet who make the view even more worthwhile.
posted
It was suggested by another passenger that the pair referenced above might be genuine hermaphrodites. I will have to educate myself on that.
One of them came off the train at La Junta for a smoke, alone and without talking to anybody.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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If these folks that Henry saw on the train are indeed "in transition", I guess I'm a bit confused as to which direction they are going. If male to female, why have beards? Wouldn't they want to look feminine? And if female to male, why carry a purse? Wouldn't they want to look masculine? I feel sorry for people who can't even figure out what s e x they are. How do they make other decisions in life if they can't get the basics? But then again, I'm talking about a subject that I know literally nothing about.
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Wally World.....3 to 4 times a year (toiletries, coffee...all about half of Jewel's price for same).
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Now, if only someone would make a "People of Amtrak" youtube video. This discussion has made me long for the days when I preferred to ride in coach and encountered more interesting people.
Just as you see snapshots of people's lives out the window of a train, you get the same opportunity inside, but in a more interactive way.
Come to think of it, the only time I set foot in Walmart is train related. When I make the 400 mile drive to La Plata every winter for my train trip to Arizona, I always arrive an hour or two early and need to stretch my legs. The only place warm and big enough to walk around in is the Walmart in Kirksville.
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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When my bride trusts me enough to do the grocery shopping "solo," I have to admit that I head for Wal-Mart for most of it. My strategy is to start out at Publix, and scope out the sale items and "buy one, get one free" items, then head for Wally World for the rest.
Believe me, for the stuff we buy, the savings at Wal-Mart are substantial, so I suck it up and deal with it.
Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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Did some reading on hermaphroditism. They are rare, but they exist. Sometimes parents make surgical choices early, sometimes the kids grow up with both sets of organs intact. Most choose which gender to live as, a few don't or can't. In some cases they are utterly shunned. I suspect those two guys/gals have lived difficult lives, notwithstanding jokes about doubling your chances for a date on Saturday nights.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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That Hinsdale market could be called "Willard World."
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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Excerpt from an e-mail to a fellow I know who attempted to do some advertising work for Standard Market, but was unsuccessful:
OK; when Meg got here on Tuesday, I wanted to have her check out the local "eats".telling her "you know I'm not cheap, but I'm not promising much in the way of company". I had her drive by the various CH eats. She decided on Talley's and that's where we went. But as part of the "tour" I had her drive up to Standard Market's front door saying they had the Standard Grill there and allowing her a peek inside from the driver's seat of her Taurus X-over. So after my surgery on Wednesday when she was just "zonked" at about 7PM; and other caring neighbors were with me., she left for her hotel.
But Meg stopped at Standard Market for some "takie outie" Wed eve. And now what you don't like to hear, and I had no knowledge of until a phone call Sun, when she left on Thu I first asked her to stop by the florist to pick up a gift from me; she did, but then she "doubled back" to Standard Market - and bought "over $100" of their goodies to take back to Indianapolis and also eat while en route (do you think anyone eats in Red Lex?????)!!!!
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Henry Kisor: Did some reading on hermaphroditism. They are rare, but they exist. Sometimes parents make surgical choices early, sometimes the kids grow up with both sets of organs intact. Most choose which gender to live as, a few don't or can't. In some cases they are utterly shunned. I suspect those two guys/gals have lived difficult lives, notwithstanding jokes about doubling your chances for a date on Saturday nights.
Agree, Henry. Biology has played a cruel joke on these people. Don't know of any culture that has a place for them.
-------------------- Ocala Mike Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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I think there might be a place in the LGBT community, a culture much more accepting of human differences than most, for these folks.
I said they "choose" which gender to live as. Upon reflection I realize that's most likely not true. The assignment is made for them by nature, if they're lucky.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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The comments after the NYT Mag article are fascinating. All over the map, too, some of them masterpieces of non sequitur.
My favorite comment is the one from a Mary Sojourner in Arizona who says (paraphrased) that Amtrak detractors should get their noses out of privilege and meet the rest of us.
Amen to that.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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We do seem to be coming around in a complete circle on this topic. I do hope that the group here can afford to be generous in our thinking and judgment toward others. I've always found interesting conversations with fellow AMTRAK travellers; I never fail to learn something.
BTW, as regards Walmart, POTUS #41 shops there regularly.
Tom
Posts: 518 | From: Maynard, MA, USA | Registered: Sep 2000
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The romance has always been connected to the long distance rail travel but it the commuter lines that where allowed to fall into disrepair and where never looked as a major mass transportation option. If riders where not comfortable on a trip from Stamford CT to NYC then why would they think of sitting on a train to Florida.
Posts: 516 | From: New Haven, CT USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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Wal-Mart - There are a handful of products there which we use in quantities large enough to produce substantial savings. Toilet paper and diet soft drinks spring most readily to mind. I find it best to go early in the morning before the crowds descend, load the buggy up, and not return until the following month.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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The "Wheesing rattling and jerking" line seems to be a standard line that is required insertion into any article involving passenger trains in the NYT and many other publications.
GET REAL, PEOPLE!!!!!
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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I can't of course speak to the wheezing, but I don't believe I've ever ridden an Amtrak LD train that DIDN'T rattle and jolt, often alarmingly. Goes with the territory.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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