Recent content by Trollopian

Welcome, Josh! But now we wanna know...who won the quizbowl?

Same here. I dislike "fake food." Black bean burgers are delicious in their own right, relatively unprocessed, and aren't pretending to be something else.

I think the upcoming generation can grasp "antique forms of transportation" (the VW bug, station wagon, old railcar), but that tall red box will flummox them.

Welcome, Ken, and thank you for visiting your old aunt; I hope you inherited her genes! This Easterner had to look at a map to convince myself that Las Vegas is indeed closer to Kingman than to Reno. Much closer.

Welcome, turtly! I envy you and others who had even one train ride as a kid. I had zero, zilch, nada, unless you count the kiddie train at Kennywood. I'm very much making up for that in adulthood. South Bend is a great (well, could be greater if not for delays, but still) hopping-off point...

I have never ridden that trackage and I look forward to it! It's a long, "overland" route to bypass the tunnel. The Allentown neighborhood is a stone's throw from where my dad grew up on Mt. Oliver and went to the now-closed St. Justin's High School (3 classes ahead of quarterback Johnny...

Or, I dunno, call in the United Nations peacekeepers?

Oops, now I recognize from your detailed description the entrance you're talking about. And it seems to be open in daytime, locked at other hours, including those hours when the Cap Limited leaves on its westbound and eastbound legs (around midnight and 5 a.m., respectively). I haven't taken...

I'm sorry to say: No. Though I have an apartment in the Pennsylvanian, there is no direct access between it and the Amtrak station...unlike the heyday of train travel when the now-Pennsylvanian was the station (with Pennsylvania RR offices above). It's an early example of office-to-residential...

I confess to not going through that little plaza after sunset. It's a pretty parklet (Google "11th & Liberty" for a street view), with trees and benches, and, uh, bench occupants. I don't have any particular knowledge of risks but as a smallish female I prefer to remain in full view of passing...

And Stourbridge Junction has a cat on staff! George the ginger was appointed chief rodent control officer after three years of volunteering his services. He sleeps in the station and is never late to work. George has a huge fan base among commuters, and on Instagram and the Site Formerly...

Ah, Google. Fast, efficient, and dumb. It's apparently directing you to turn right on Liberty when you exit the station, which might be shorter but is dark and dank and dystopian. For pedestrians anyway. Best route: from the station turn left on Liberty one-half block toward 11th St. and the...

Take it from a Yinzer: you're correct, Smallman or Penn are better, I'd favor Penn for its variety of storefronts, I absolutely do not recommend Liberty which in that area (as distinct from downtown) has few businesses, little foot traffic, and little separation from traffic whooshing seemingly...

"The Kid in Upper 4" is absolutely masterful. Thank you for posting it, Willbridge. Sure it's propaganda but propaganda is not a bad word. I'm preparing my Uncle Rudy's wartime letters for publication, and although I don't cry easily, I cried when he described slipping out of NYC harbor on a...

Welcome! Amtrak's station page for CRF notes that "Laid out in 1823, the town is home to Wabash College and was once known as the 'Athens of Indiana' for its resident literary figures." Crawfordsville may be small, but the Cardinal's times are decent, 3.5 hours to or from Chicago and (nearly)...