I’d like to get out of Dodge for a few days. But even the shortest worthwhile trip of several days quickly runs into $500. The invisible hand has been at work helping America paint itself into a corner. While each portion of such an excursion appears to be a bargain, when you add in all the necessaries that are no longer included, the total price soars. An example is the need to take a $40 taxi from the train station to a hotel, which practically doubles the cost of any day trip by train.When things were done right, the hotel was across the street from the train station, or the train provided a shuttle to get you downtown. In the good old days, businesses ran some departments at a loss to keep customers coming back. Today, everything is so fine-tuned it took me an hour just to add up the various costs and I could never be sure I’d covered everything. A travel agent used to be optional, now one is practically necessary just to prevent unwelcome surprises. This is the methaphorical corner I just referred to, that is, the situation where all the little things have become extras. The economy would have to be dismantled before any improvement is possible but it costs too much to do that now.
Even lowering prices to increase quantity (turnover) will no longer bring back the good times. We’ve allowed business to fragment so far that it is cost-prohibitive to be a generalist any more. Instead we have millions of specialized small shops and franchises that do one thing each and who can, by weight of numbers, undercut anybody who tries a start up. Everything is “extra” and means not just another employee, but another entire business, each with their hand out.
Fred had to go to motorcycle practice, so I minded the shop. There is a car show at the casino tomorrow and Fred is part of the team. The shop was dead and what few people came in were truly tight-fisted. To save money, I may go to the show because I can get in free.
While pricing trips, I went to the old Amtrak web page. Take a look at some of the goodies they’ve added. One map will trace out the route you click on. Yes, there really is a “City of New Orleans”, it runs from Chicago to that namesake. The pages are worth a look if only to see what can be done with ordinary low-resolution graphics. There is also an excellent 3D presentation of the private accommodations. I will explain.
Most day trips are done in “coach”, similar to riding a bus but with a little more legroom, plus meals and a lounge car. Should you decide to upgrade, there are “roomettes” available. These are like those travel compartments you see on European trains. Some are small and share a bathroom, others are private two-room suites for six adults (costing $1,000 extra per trip). All have seating that folds into beds. The prime consideration seems to be privacy or seclusion from coach class. Again, look at the web page, the 3D displays are very well thought out.
You might want to read the complaint section before riding the rails. The pattern I found was students saying fellow passengers were too “raucous” and another that the trains were late. These don’t deter me, I always travel with a set of earplugs. And unless you want another Mussolini stepping in, learn to live with delays on the railroad. (Old Benito never got the trains to run on time, but that is the popular misconception.)
We began clearing the jungle and Wallace took out a section from the roadway. In my opinion, that was exactly the wrong thing to do because people can now enter the bushes from the street. There was already a problem with trash and empties, I think it will become much worse. Now it is possible to sneak right up to the edge of the property under cover. Ah well, nobody listens to me.
On that happy note, there is also the point of making a hallway in the spare bedroom. Without that feature, getting to the washer means going either through somebody’s bedroom or around the outside of the building. The existing door is needed to secure that bedroom as a separate area. Without the hallway, nobody can share that second bathroom. Without renting that area until my pension begins, it will be difficult to operate this place by myself, although I can do it. The partition is temporary and nobody seems to have come up with a better idea. If it had been up to me, the place would completely finished with a second shower and paying for itself by now. But nobody listens to me.
