Ave et Vale
Well, they've just announced the death of John Paul II. By the time the day is over, we'll know more than we ever wanted to about the Pope, the Papacy, the funeral, and what happens next. It sounds like he was quite uncomfortable at the end, so I'm glad he's at peace. I have problems with the Catholic Church (see pedophile priests, anti-homosexual stance, etc.), and the Pope wasn't neccessarily a perfect leader, but he was much more a "compassionate conservative" than the man who's currently decamped at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue; he championed the poor, opposed the war in Iraq, and in general was more caring than Junior and his buddies. For that alone, the world is a lesser place today.
As I think I've probably previously mentioned, it's been quite some time since we've seen the death/election of a Pope, so the next few weeks promises to be interesting (I know that sounds rather morbid, but you've got centuries of tradition just waiting to be rolled out!). Last summer, my wife and I went to visit an old friend of hers in San Diego, and the three of us went to see an exhibit about the Vatican: St. Peter and the Vatican: the Legacy of the Popes. It was the last stop of four (Houston, Ft. Lauderdale, and Cinncinnati were the previous three), and included art and materials that had never been on display before. One section had artifacts used in the election and coronation of a Pope, and I find my mind flashing back to what I saw then, as I see what's happening now. It makes it all a little more real, and definitely more comprehensible. I'm not sure if I'll be able to watch the funeral (they are supposed to announce the decision about this in the next day or two), but I hope to see some of what's going on. Right now, it's mostly talking heads, with background of the crowds at St. Peter's. The images are from Italian airwaves, as the crawl line is in Italian. Cool. *smile*
The Pope isn't the only person/institution to say farewell to this weekend. I've just learned that Greyhound will be cutting service to dozens of towns in California, and most likely other places across the U.S. While many car-crazed Californians will give barely a glance, many others will be inconvenienced, and an era will end. Passenger rail and busses co-existed for decades in this country, only to be pushed aside by airlines. There used to be more choices about where you could take off from, and which mode of travel. Now the airlines don't directly serve smaller airports like they used to, the glory days of trains are gone, with Amtrak continually threatened with being put on life support, and now the bus routes are being eliminated. I've travelled by all three methods, and each had their pros and cons. Air travel is the fastest, and sometimes cheapest. It's modern, speedy, no frills. Yet it's not like it used to be, with people getting dressed up just to fly somewhere, with actual hot meals and real silverware, magazines passed out to everyone, snacks and drinks and even promotional materials available to all. As a kid, I used to fly to visit relatives, and I flew on the long-gone PSA line. I remember a stewardess giving me a PSA pin. I think I still have a couple of those pins somewhere. Now you just get herded on, watch in disgust as people take the equivalent of steamer trunks and shove them into tiny little bins. I sometimes think I have more to fear from a latch on one of those bins breaking and godknowswhat falling out and bashing me on the head, than I do from a potential plane crash.
The trains have their romance, and a combination of the best of travel: you can see out the window and view America, just like in cars and buses, but you have better bathrooms, somewhat more comfortable seats, and meal service without having to pull over or wait for layovers. Some of the most fun I've had while traveling have been sitting in the dome cars and watching the scenery go by. Unfortunately for my asthma, the dome cars are also the favorite hangouts of nicotine addicts. Additionally, since the 1950s, rail routes have been more and more limited, and Amtrak has had to cut back service on several of their lines over the last couple of decades. Often the trains are late, and the prices aren't always reasonable.
Busses are the country cousins of the trains. It's probably the most egalitarian mode of travel, and it definitely isn't for everyone. For one thing, unlike a plane, you can't ask a stewardess or conductor to move you, or to escape to another car. The seats are rather cramped, the bathrooms are invariably filthy, and the layovers range from just enough time to dash, piss, and dash back (if you're lucky) to hours in the middle of the night in an empty, ugly waiting room. BUT... you get to see an America you often can't see from planes or trains. Some bus routes take the interstates. In that sense, it's no different from driving your own car (and often slower!). But on some routes, especially in rural areas and the West, you travel on the "blue highways" and stop in the smaller towns and cities. In the larger cities, the bus stations aren't necessarily in the nicest or best parts of towns, so you get to see the other side of America, as opposed to the suburbs and swanky areas most of us live/work in. Unlike planes, people get on and off trains and busses, so you see more of a cross-section of people, and this is especially true of the bus.
I'm not sure how much outcry there will be about these cuts, or whether Greyhound will ever come back to some of these towns again. But it's definitely the end of an era.
As I think I've probably previously mentioned, it's been quite some time since we've seen the death/election of a Pope, so the next few weeks promises to be interesting (I know that sounds rather morbid, but you've got centuries of tradition just waiting to be rolled out!). Last summer, my wife and I went to visit an old friend of hers in San Diego, and the three of us went to see an exhibit about the Vatican: St. Peter and the Vatican: the Legacy of the Popes. It was the last stop of four (Houston, Ft. Lauderdale, and Cinncinnati were the previous three), and included art and materials that had never been on display before. One section had artifacts used in the election and coronation of a Pope, and I find my mind flashing back to what I saw then, as I see what's happening now. It makes it all a little more real, and definitely more comprehensible. I'm not sure if I'll be able to watch the funeral (they are supposed to announce the decision about this in the next day or two), but I hope to see some of what's going on. Right now, it's mostly talking heads, with background of the crowds at St. Peter's. The images are from Italian airwaves, as the crawl line is in Italian. Cool. *smile*
The Pope isn't the only person/institution to say farewell to this weekend. I've just learned that Greyhound will be cutting service to dozens of towns in California, and most likely other places across the U.S. While many car-crazed Californians will give barely a glance, many others will be inconvenienced, and an era will end. Passenger rail and busses co-existed for decades in this country, only to be pushed aside by airlines. There used to be more choices about where you could take off from, and which mode of travel. Now the airlines don't directly serve smaller airports like they used to, the glory days of trains are gone, with Amtrak continually threatened with being put on life support, and now the bus routes are being eliminated. I've travelled by all three methods, and each had their pros and cons. Air travel is the fastest, and sometimes cheapest. It's modern, speedy, no frills. Yet it's not like it used to be, with people getting dressed up just to fly somewhere, with actual hot meals and real silverware, magazines passed out to everyone, snacks and drinks and even promotional materials available to all. As a kid, I used to fly to visit relatives, and I flew on the long-gone PSA line. I remember a stewardess giving me a PSA pin. I think I still have a couple of those pins somewhere. Now you just get herded on, watch in disgust as people take the equivalent of steamer trunks and shove them into tiny little bins. I sometimes think I have more to fear from a latch on one of those bins breaking and godknowswhat falling out and bashing me on the head, than I do from a potential plane crash.
The trains have their romance, and a combination of the best of travel: you can see out the window and view America, just like in cars and buses, but you have better bathrooms, somewhat more comfortable seats, and meal service without having to pull over or wait for layovers. Some of the most fun I've had while traveling have been sitting in the dome cars and watching the scenery go by. Unfortunately for my asthma, the dome cars are also the favorite hangouts of nicotine addicts. Additionally, since the 1950s, rail routes have been more and more limited, and Amtrak has had to cut back service on several of their lines over the last couple of decades. Often the trains are late, and the prices aren't always reasonable.
Busses are the country cousins of the trains. It's probably the most egalitarian mode of travel, and it definitely isn't for everyone. For one thing, unlike a plane, you can't ask a stewardess or conductor to move you, or to escape to another car. The seats are rather cramped, the bathrooms are invariably filthy, and the layovers range from just enough time to dash, piss, and dash back (if you're lucky) to hours in the middle of the night in an empty, ugly waiting room. BUT... you get to see an America you often can't see from planes or trains. Some bus routes take the interstates. In that sense, it's no different from driving your own car (and often slower!). But on some routes, especially in rural areas and the West, you travel on the "blue highways" and stop in the smaller towns and cities. In the larger cities, the bus stations aren't necessarily in the nicest or best parts of towns, so you get to see the other side of America, as opposed to the suburbs and swanky areas most of us live/work in. Unlike planes, people get on and off trains and busses, so you see more of a cross-section of people, and this is especially true of the bus.
I'm not sure how much outcry there will be about these cuts, or whether Greyhound will ever come back to some of these towns again. But it's definitely the end of an era.
posted by Mr. Sandman | 12:25 PM
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