http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...081702064.html
Here's a good article of the pain and suffering people go through just to go on vacation. I don't know how these people do it spending 4 hours or more on a highway. Being carfree, I'm done with those type of vacations that require spending all morning in a car just to lay on a beach. Not fun at all.
This article made reminded me of the past.
When I was growing up, my father used to take the whole family to Coney Island using the subway. It wasn't so bad because there was little or no stress and the train had air conditioning. Those days at the beach I will remember forever. Even though Coney Island was not a first class resort, the trip there by train didn't leave us haggard or exhausted at all.
Once my father purchased a new car, we spent 4 - 6 HOURS on the Parkway heading for the Jersey Shore. This was back in the late 1970's so I can just imagine how the situation is today. We were frequently lost and stuck in traffic for what seemed like an eternity. The constant arguing between familiy members left everyone in a bad disposition after leaving the car. The journey back home in the evening wasn't any better and full of stress as we argued all the time. After a while, I stopped going altogether on these trips because they just stopped being enjoyable.
About 3 years ago, I took a train to the Jersey Shore and could not believe how fast and pleasant the experience was. Folks. Taking a vacation by train instead of car is like night and day. I never could have imagined the same distance that took 4 hours by car took two hours by train. The train was cool with A/C and maybe even a little too cold!
I know your expereince or non-expereince with trains is totally different than mine because your state does not subsidize the these systems. I want you to know that a train vacation in parts of this country and world are incredibly effective and clearly superior to one involving motor transport.
It's unfortunate those mentioned in the article or on this forum will never have such expereince. Driving to a vacation has to be one of the most unpleasant experiences I've ever encountered in my life. If you could just imagine how easy and enjoyable a train vacation could be, you'll never go back to using a car. I don't know if we're ever going back to the "Iron Horse" as a means of transportation but we sure gave up a LOT going from this to the "Horse Less Carriage" system we use today.