A Journey by Train

Instead of flying home for winter break, I decided to take the train and do a cross-country rail journey of two full days. I was primarily motivated by the insane carbon footprint of air travel and feeling guilty about my last trip via plane (to Iowa back in October), so I looked up the emissions difference between planes and trains and - well, my mind was pretty much blown. According to carbonfootprint.com, a one-way plane trip from Burlington to Albuquerque (with a layover in New York) emits 0.47 metric tons of carbon dioxide, while a 2211-mile train trip (an approximate distance calculated from Google Maps) emits 0.02 metric tons of carbon dioxide. (Granted, I ended up taking a bus to get from Middlebury to New York, which added 0.05 metric tons of CO2 to my footprint, but there is still a significant difference.) For me, the choice was obvious, although the fact that one would be spending two whole days in transit as opposed to six hours - excluding layovers at airports/train stations - would without a doubt dissuade most people from choosing Amtrak over American Airlines. Time is money, after all. I realize that I am in an incredibly privileged position to be able to make this decision and to proclaim that "it's about the journey and not the destination," and for that reason I am all the more thankful for having had this experience. I absolutely loved it, but I am not here to preach at or shame anyone (I myself have a college-sponsored plane trip coming up soon) - we all have to do what we have to do. However, if you've ever considered taking the train instead of flying and have the means to make that choice, hopefully this post adds to your "pros" list.


Sunday, December 15

arriving in NYC

Monday, December 16

view from my friend Deanna's grandma's apartment in the Bronx (where I was kindly allowed to crash for a night)

 

at a vegan diner in Brooklyn

the "mac attack" bowl

me and Deanna

w/ bub and boop

stop in Albany, NY

looks like an airplane but feels very different

 Tuesday, December 17

waking up in Indiana

transfer in Chicago

inclusive holiday display

the observation lounge / deck

cafe car eating area

I mean, this is true - one single site on the internet confirms

stop in Kansas City

pano 1 (view in fullscreen)

pano 2 (view in fullscreen)

part of the observation lounge + cafe car

another Union Station

Wednesday, December 18

waking up in Colorado

stop in La Junta, CO

the observation lounge in the daytime

Trinidad, CO

crossing into NM

stop in Raton, NM

my love for New Mexico in a photo

the Sandias from afar (I would recognize them anywhere)

Alvarado Station, ABQ

Yes, this trip was long - much longer than a plane trip would have been. However, the atmosphere of the train made the traveling something to be enjoyed in itself, rather than (as with planes) something to be tolerated until you get to where you're going. The train felt weirdly timeless, modern and yet a piece of history, like stepping into an older way of doing and being. The pace was slower, the seats comfier, passengers could get off to stretch their legs and blow vapor clouds in the wintry air (or blow cigarette smoke), and even when the train was in motion we were pretty free to move around: the cafe car was nice (even though I packed more than enough snacks, personally), but the observation deck was my favorite. At night, it felt like I was in a space ship, staring out into the void of darkness beyond. During the day, it was a pretty popular spot, and even though I didn't really talk to anyone else there, I enjoyed the feeling of social communion. That's something you don't get on a plane: you might think I'm being overly biased after this experience, but I have disliked airplanes and airports for quite some time now, and traveling via train made me realize just how unconscionable air travel is. (Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating the badness a bit.) The train just felt (perhaps paradoxically) so freeing to me: I was liberated from the fear-mongering and Big Brother-y attitude, liberated from the oppressive urgency, liberated from the possibility of a plane crash (though I did think often about train derailment, and when the car got especially wobbly a bit of worry did flash in the back of my mind, but not for long), liberated from the discomfort and sterility - I mean, the sterility might have been a nice touch, because I've been sick since the moment I got off the train, but, hey, who doesn't love germs?

Anyway. TL; DR: I thought the train was super cool, and I want to try to make it my exclusive mode of long-distance travel. (Excluding the upcoming college-sponsored plane trip I mentioned at the beginning... Hopefully that will be my last flight for a good long while.) Happy holidays, and I'll post again about the rest of winter break (including Kwanzaa!) soon.