When YOU’re the one stopping traffic

Ok, well a continuation of the bus story below is actually more on the positive side. I ended up getting to Chicago on an Amtrak train a few hours later than planned.

For those of you ignorant, like me for the first 24 years of my life, and might never have taken a train, or any form of public transportation for that matter if your from the ‘burbs or a smaller town, allow me to enlighten you. After probably close to 100 train rides during my 1 year in China I want to share with you some differences to see how behind, or in some ways just different, the trains are in the US compared with China. I was initially only going to state the negatives in America’s train system, but after looking around I realized there were some things to be proud of as well.

It can’t compete with China because it…
• Putters along on the rickety train, not possibly going more than 25 maybe 30 mph. Doesn’t have much on the 260 km/h train in a few place in China!
• One train the whole day with a total of 4 cars, compared with many cities in China that have dozens going to the same destination each train holding approximately 1500 passengers

• Not able to buy tickets in the station and have to reserve them by calling ahead or going online

• Doesn’t have to slow down in towns and stop for 45 on end when there is “congested on the tracks” (build some more track for crying out loud!)

• No postings as to when the train leaves/arrives (although the old man on the cell phone with the conductor of the coming train was pretty cool)

• There’s no ultra-convenient “Air Sickness bags” (No joke) with the seat in front of you, fully to the task as trash bin, notepaper, or oh yeah, if you can get yourself “air sick” on a train it catches those blowing cookies like no other

But it does have…
• Conductors that see me as a person, not just another number, or job to be completed who won’t even look at you (like it is in China). On my trip to Chicago the conductor actually told me I had to have a reservation or I’d have to pay more money. To which he responded, not getting mad or asking me for the full price, but rather initially telling me a number to call and then just calling it himself, making a reservation, and charging the reservation price that is $13. Now that’s American customer service!

• Pillow for each and every seat

• Emergency and Handicap accessibility, something unheard of in China

• Luggage racks above the seats that were easily twice as tall as those in China

• More space than I knew what to do with! One guy on the train layed across the two seats (see picture). Only half the car filled, if that (much different than my experiences in China during Chinese New Year: See picture!)

• Power outlets (120 V!) for my laptop so I can type this blog and still be charging my battery!

• More diversity of passengers than I’ve ever seen on any train in China (easy to notice since everyone wasn’t staring at me)

• Views of the forest and farmland of Indiana at a comfortable pace, the first time in my 24 years of life in the US - priceless!

So before you travel to a destination within a few hours, before mindlessly jumping in your gas-guzzling SUV where you’ll probably spend $100 at the pump this weekend, why not consider a ride with Amtrak! Cheaper than a ride in your car, reliability that even though its not flawless trumps Greyhound every day of the week, and I’ll guarantee right now, they will be plenty of space for you!

And the best part of all: Going through towns where you’re not the one stopping when the railroad gates go down over the road, but you’re the one stopping traffic!

Greyhound gets another strike

I rolled out of bed a few minutes before 5, groggy and not happy to be getting up so early when I didn’t really need to be Chicago so early in the morning. But I was flexible with my schedule in order to catch the 5:45 AM bus. I arrived a half hour early because I knew I had to buy a ticket and when I had been at a Chicago station the month before there was a line. As I walked up to the lobby of the station it didn’t look very promising, no cars in the parking light and absolute silence. I pulled on the handle, wet as it was damp from the morning dew. Nothing happened. I said goodbye to my friend and told him that I’d call if there were any problems. After 15 minutes of waiting, another guy pulled up in his car and waited along with me. It was 5:45, 5:55, 6:05. He went and checked another street where he found a city bus. He asked that driver about a Greyhound bus and he said “Oh yeah, that pulled out about 20 minutes ago up there on 3rd street!”

3rd street! For some reason due to the bus not being able to turn around very easily, the bus decided to stop a couple blocks totally out of view of the current station. There was no sign about lobby hours, change of location, even a number to call if there were any problems. I even tried calling the Greyhound station in Chicago and what was I told? Nothing because they never picked up the phone. Frustrated I told my friend to come back and pick me up because I had “missed” or rather, never seen, the bus. The only saving grace about that experience was that knowledgeable of Greyhound's less then stellar track record, I didn’t book the ticket online, so I wasn’t out any money, just a few hours of sleep and inconveniencing my friend.

It wasn’t until an hour later when I returned to the same station, (shared by Amtrak, there was a train up to Chicago) that I found out that day was the first day that Greyhound was stopping their lobby service in Lafayette. “Oh, why that’s convenient to know”, I thought. Sure enough as I entered the station I saw a sign inside the building about 4 x 6 inches saying “Greyhound buses are boarding on Third Street until further notice”. Next time. Well maybe there won’t be a next time. I’ve now lost all confidence in Greyhound to deliver service, punctuality or certainty of having a seat. If I do have to travel long distance and flying is too expensive in the future I’ll either go Amtrak or Megabus-a new express and cheap bus service that opened a few years back.

“If I was in China this NEVER would have happened! I’d be lining up, or mobbing, behind 500 people waiting to get my ticket punched, down the platform and onto the train. And if I ever miss it, in 30 minutes time there’s bound to be another train/bus going the same place.

Oh well, just over 3 weeks and I’ll be back in the land of bike armadas perusing the streets, cattle chute train station lines, early morning taiqi in the parks, and color-enhancing pollution-sure to take any uneventful journey on the road and turn it into a ride through exhaust pipe (the picture was taken after a 3-hour leg of a weekend bike tour in China). 中国加油！