Train Ride

We took the train to Boston, and flew back.  Amtrak on the east coast is a real delight.  The seats are big and comfy, the train was never really crowded, the snack bar is a couple of cars away and the train lumbers slowly but steadily along.  It was early November - the peak of leaf season.  In the 8-hour train ride from DC to Boston, I spent at least 6-hours watching the countryside glide by.  Someplace north of New York City, we were wandering along the coast and went through a coastal fog in the middle of the afternoon.  Granted the flight home took half the time, but the plane was packed, the seat uncomfortable and tiny. For the train I picked up my boarding pass from the automated machine, showed my ticket and ID to get on board and that was it.  With the plane I had to check in the machine, wait in line at the counter to check a bag, only to be told I needed to go to another counter to check my bag, then take off my shoes, belt, glasses, jacket, empty EVERYTHING out of my pockets and go through the automated strip search machine to get on the plane. If you are on east coast and you can spare the extra couple of hours, take the train.