Passport’s
Forum for Letters, Comments, Information & Anecdotes
Curious
Traveler
EXPRESS TRAINS?
I am so tired of flying all over the place for work!
I really love taking trains, but it just seems like a
waste of time to take them in the US. How can Europe and
Asia have high-speed trains, but not the US? Is President
Obama going to do anything about this?
—Jason, Dover, Delaware
Editor: In the United States,
our railways are all privately owned. Many of these
companies are barely able to keep themselves from going
bankrupt, never mind upgrading the rail system and buying
new cars. The second President Bush was infamous for
not helping fund the rail network, but now that Obama
is in office, plans have been unveiled to upgrade the
US rail system that has been chugging along since the
1800s without much technological advancement or innovation.
We aren’t completely in the railway dark ages,
however, as Amtrak’s Acela is considered a high-speed
train, but even at its top speed it is laughable compared
to European and Asian standards. The proposed new network
would include federal funding to build inter-city connections
in California, the Northwest, the Midwest, the Southeast,
the Gulf Coast, Pennsylvania, Florida, New York, and
New England. The $787 billion stimulus packages will
help kick-start the initiative, but no timeline has
been set for the completion of such a massive national
project.
 HOSTEL
THINKING
My University mates and I want to go on an inexpensive
trip to New York City, and we definitely don’t
have the money to stay in a fancy hotel. We would much
rather spend money on activities than a hotel room.
Is there any easy way to find cheap hostels in the United
States?
—Charles, Hull, UK
Editor: When most people think
of hostels they think of dirty and overcrowded dorms,
but this has changed in recent years. As travelers continue
to try and stretch their budgets, hostels in the US
are competing for your attention, and adding new amenities
that backpackers twenty years ago would never have imagined.
There are plenty of search engines that will help you
find the best place to stay. Try Hostel World (www.hostelworld.com),
the website is your perfect companion for finding a
cheap place to stay, and it will also make sure that
you don’t find yourself re-thinking being so budget
conscious. Users write reviews about all the properties.
Unlike other hostel websites, travelers here have no
problem posting their anger or delight with a particular
place. www.hostels.com
works the same way, but claims to have more hostels
than any other website. It is also another nice resource
for customer reviews. While there is no easy way to
find a gay-friendly hostel, try to pick a hostel in
an area with a thriving gay culture.
ONLINE
READERS REPLY
We love when PASSPORT readers share their travel
insights. It is always refreshing for us to receive
some great travel tips.
Robert from San Francisco helps us
with his personal list of “Romantic Norway”
musts-dos.
"I had the pleasure of visiting Norway last
July, and Mr. Rubin’s well and passionately written
article made me want to go back. Mr. Rubin’s descriptions
of Norway brought back memories of the beauty, serenity,
and absolute “magic” of this country.
When visiting Norway, I would highly
recommend the following: 1) Enjoy a delicious seafood
sandwich at Bergen’s outdoor fish market. 2) Have
a romantic dinner at Oslo’s Finstua restaurant
(www.frognerseteren.no)
overlooking downtown Oslo—and be sure to try the
apple cake. 3) Spend your entire evening atop Storsteinen
Mountain (via cable car) in Tromso where you can stroll,
have dinner, and sit at the edge of the world waiting
for the midnight sun. The views are surreal and spectacular!”
Nigel from the UK shares some tips
for your next trip to Tel Aviv.
“My partner and I have just returned from
a wonderful few days in Israel. If any of your readers
are planning to go, do consider a great little boutique
hotel in the old city of Tel Aviv called NINA
(www.ninacafehotel.com),
and a delightful gay-owned restaurant, also in the old
city called ASIF (18 Lilienblum Street). It is not fancy
but the food from the small menu is all cooked to order
and outdoor eating is encouraged on warm evenings. The
service is outstanding. (The sign above the entrance
is in Hebrew only, so be sure to memorize the street
number before you set out!)
[Published:
August, 2009]
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