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Chicagocon '09 - The Internet Invades the Midwest

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Barmymoo:
You are all missing out, that is all I can say, and if you ever come to the UK then I advise you to get an open return ticket from somewhere to somewhere else and get out of the train as often as possible to look at the little villages and then catch the next train on from where you are (make sure there actually is a next train, it is possible to be come stranded in Little Higginsworth-on-the-Wyne for five days and there are no shops and no pub and basically nothing at all except three churches and an inexplicable barber's shop).

Trains are the best thing.

Lines:
Barmy, I've been on subways before, just not an actual train above ground.

Will:
I believe that one of Obama's ideas for "stimulus" in America involves a renewed interest in rail infrastructure. I can remember as a kid that there were multiple routes daily running through the Pittsburgh Amtrak stop; now, your choices are limited to the Capitol Ltd (Chicago->DC) and the Pennsylvanian (Pitt->Philly) and those trains only run once each per day.

It's a shame that passenger rail traffic has gone the way of the buffalo...it's a wonderful way to travel, and I'm insanely jealous of you fine folks in Europe, Australia, and other countries who were smart enough to invest in and maintain their rail system. I wish I could hop on a train and ride about the country.

Liz:
I'm pretty sure they're planning on running a rail system from Minneapolis to Chicago, which will be fantastic. From what I've seen of Chicago (been there three times for just a short time period) I really like it, so now I will be able to get there more easily! Too bad it won't be open before Chicagocon...

Barmymoo:
From my relatively limited knowledge of European rail systems, ours is pretty shocking. There's always one major section of the line closed for no particularly good reason, you're almost certain to end up on a rail replacement bus at one point during your journey if it happens during a holiday or the weekend, and particularly if you're travelling anywhere near Chester you will miss your connection, you will end up stranded at a station for several hours with no idea what's going on, and you will be late. But the upside of travelling by train here, and it's a big upside, is that train lines have a special knack for travelling through the most beautiful part of any area and letting you see all the different parts of countryside. My favourite section of train line is the one that goes through Middlesborough (I was trying to find the name of the line but interestingly a Google search for the word "Middlesborough" elicits a content filter rating of 2375 [for reference, a search for "kitten porn" only gets a score of 2845]). Not only are the trains fairly punctual and the scenery nice, but the tables have built-in chess boards and Monopoly sets.

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