Americans love cars — not so much anymore

Here’s a really interesting article from the L.A. Times. A new study points to the fact that teenagers in America are much less interested in cars than they used to be. The goal was to gauge the perceptions of Generation Y (those born in the 1980s and early 1990s) toward the automotive industry in general [...]

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Random thoughts on pedestrian and cyclist safety

I tend to pay attention to the news stories about pedestrians and cyclists getting killed by cars. I do this because I am a bicycle commuter and a frequent walker. Quite frankly, cars scare the shit out of me. While cycling home yesterday and encountering yet another close call with a car situation, I thought [...]

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How things have changed…

since I was a kid. In Saratoga Springs New York, a student had his bike confiscated for riding his bike to school. While hundreds of area workers pedaled their way to work last Friday as participants in the national Bike to Work Day, one woman and her son were scolded for breaking the rules. Janette [...]

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You learn the most amazing things via bumper sticker

Like Carhenge for instance in Alliance Nebraska.

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What I hate about print journalism

Here’s an article in the Seattle PI about a proposed tunnel as a replacement to an elevated highway that currently exists. The caption on the picture. The tunnel option to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct would have two lanes in each direction and would extend from approximately South Royal Brougham Way to Harrison Street. This [...]

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My new commute

Two things have changed in my life: the location where I live and the location where I work. Happily, these two are quite compatible although bus service is sadly lacking. My bus should take me all of twenty minutes to get me to and from work. But here’s how it really went. Day 1, Route [...]

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Pimped up Yugos

This BBC story must be seen to be believed, so do click. A search on Flickr also revealed the following: Via TheDamnMushroom Via Sherlock77 Via BizzareRecords

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The Worst Road Signs

These images and more on the BBC. It’s kind of like the computer version of the blue screen of death.

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While we’re on the subject of rail travel…

A conductor’s job is never done in China.

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More in rail travel

Via DailyKos.

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Returning train service to Leavenworth Washington

I first blogged about Leavenworth Washington to describe why there exist in America things like fake German villages. A sawmill and a healthy logging industry eventually fell apart, however, when the Great Northern Railway Company pulled out of Leavenworth. The re-routing of the railroad and the subsequent closure of the sawmill sadly converted the town [...]

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Seattle to Glacier Park Montana on Amtrak

Despite a great deal of apprehension, riding Amtrak to Glacier National Park has so far been a success. You can read about all of the planning of our Amtrak trip and pricing information from my previous post here. Knowing that Amtrak is notoriously late, I didn’t quite know what to expect when we arrived at [...]

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Gone to Glacier

So today is the day where we take the overnight train from Seattle to East Glacier Montana home of Glacier National Park. Looking down on my Amtrak ticket I am pleasantly surprised to see that we need only check in 30 minutes before departure which is a nice change from flying. I’m bringing my computer [...]

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Cities and Suburbs

Want to read a depressing blog about the future of suburbia? I have to say I think these guys are overstating it by quite a bit. But it’s an interesting read nonetheless. In 40 years I could see living in the world’s largest city, a megalopolis, extending from New York City to Philadelphia and engulfing [...]

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You might be experiencing high gas prices if…

in order to save money on fuel you pee in a plastic jug: Police say there’s been an alarming rise in urine-filled plastic containers found along a three-mile stretch of Interstate 84 in eastern Oregon. A litter crew for the Oregon Department of Transportation picked up an estimated 200-300 urine filled plastic bottles, along the [...]

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Rediscovering the Old: Bicycles

I thought I’d start a series on items and notions of that past that have received new vitality in the current day. While we appear to be modernizing as a species and value those things that are new, we inevitably find that the things of the past still have value and may in fact be [...]

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Bicycle Commuting in Seattle

A few months ago I gave up my subsidized bus pass. Since we are living fairly close to downtown I’ve been walking to work. I’ve gotten a lot of accolades from colleagues about my walk even from those who live in the same neighborhood as me. “That’s so great that you walk; you must stay [...]

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Staying hydrated on a plane just got more difficult

One of the most frustrating things about plane travel is the liquid ban. Surely, someone can run a test to see whether my liquids are explosive. So when I went to Japan in March, we had to wait until we went through security to buy bottled water for the trip and of course that water [...]

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Critical Mass Riders Go Mad

Bicycle organizations around the world schedule “Critical Mass” rides around major cities in order to take back the city from cars. During a Critical Mass ride, cyclists keep together to control the flow of traffic preventing cars from passing them. If you ever ridden a bicycle on city streets it can be a daily guantlet [...]

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Amtrak Part II

No I haven’t yet gone to Glacier National Park on Amtrak, but I did just notice some interesting details on Amtrak’s site. First of all my accommodation is much better than I had originally thought. Apparently getting a roomette means I’m traveling first class. Having never traveled first class on a plane, this is very [...]

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Pedestrians taking back the streets

In an unusual undercover operation, Delgado posed as a pedestrian on a busy street while fellow officers waited for drivers to barrel past her in violation of a law that requires them yield at crosswalks, even if there is no stop sign. In Chicago, most drivers were puzzled to find themselves pulled over. Roland Sapitula [...]

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Sacrifice

The price of gas is a topic that has consumed Americans for the last year. Now Republican senator John Warner has made a surprising suggestion: reduce the national speed limit to stretch gas mileage. It sounds perfectly reasonable. In fact, there is a precedent. In 1974 faced with an energy crisis Congress decided to create [...]

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The Trouble with Strawberry Festivals

Things were so much better in the olden days. I say this having never lived in the olden days, but noticing the folly of planning a time-sensitive harvest festival in advance. Take this strawberry festival in Bellevue: These are tough times for lovers of local strawberries. The unseasonably cool temperatures have delayed the annual harvest [...]

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Qinghai-Tibet Railway

A friend alerted me to this rail line which was just completed in 2006. The pictures are absolutely stunning and its construction is clearly a modern marvel. There were and are many technical difficulties for such a railway. About half of the second section was built on barely permanent permafrost. In the summer, the uppermost [...]

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Purchasing Amtrak Rail Tickets

Oh the joys of Amtrak in America. Amtrak is the company which manages U.S. rail travel. It’s completely underfunded and never gets any of the lobby money that air travel companies get. Trips on Amtrak are often costlier and are exponentially longer than car trips. Take for instance a drive from Seattle to Portland which [...]

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