Newsletter
Sign The Guestbook
View The Guestbook
Archived Guestbook
Awards
Submit An Article
Staff List
Privacy Policy

 

February 21, 2005
February 14, 2005
February 6, 2005
January 30, 2005
January 23, 2005
January 17, 2005
January 10, 2005
January 1, 2005
December 27, 2004
December 20, 2004
December 13, 2004
December 6, 2004
November 30, 2004
November 14, 2004
November 7, 2004
October 29, 2004
October 22, 2004
October 18, 2004

October 11, 2004
October 4, 2004
September 28th, 2004
September 20, 2004
September 13, 2004
September 6, 2004
August 27, 2004
August 20, 2004
August 13, 2004
August 6, 2004
July 30, 2004
July 24, 2004
July 17, 2004
July 11, 2004
July 4, 2004
June 21, 2004
June 14, 2004
June 7, 2004
May 28, 2004
May 20, 2004
May 14, 2004
May 7th, 2004
May 1, 2004
April 25th, 2004
April 17th, 2004
April 10th, 2004
April 4, 2004
March 14, 2004
March 7, 2004
February 24, 2004
February 17, 2004
February 10, 2004
February 2, 2004
January 20th, 2004
January 14th, 2004
January 7, 2004
December 30, 2003
December 24, 2003
December 20, 2003
December 7, 2003
December 1, 2003
November 23, 2003
November 9, 2003
November 1, 2003
October 24, 2003
October 17th, 2003
October 3, 2003
September 27, 2003
September 11, 2003
September 9, 2003
August 31, 2003
August 20, 2003
August 11, 2003
August 3, 2003
July 28, 2003
July 21, 2003
July 11, 2003
July 4, 2003
July 1, 2003
June 15, 2003
June 8, 2003
June 2, 2003
May 23, 2003
May 18, 2003
May 12, 2003
May 5, 2003
April 28, 2003
April 17, 2003
April 13, 2003
March 30, 2003
March 10, 2003
March 2, 2003
February 24, 2003
February 10, 2003
February 3, 2003
January 20, 2003
January 13, 2003
January 5th, 2003
December 30th, 2002
December 23rd, 2002
December 16th, 2002
December 9th, 2002
November 25th, 2002
November 11, 2002
November 4, 2002
October 28th, 2002
October 21, 2002
October 14th, 2002
October 7th, 2002
September 30th, 2002
September 23, 2002
September 16th, 2002
September 8th, 2002
September 1, 2002
August 27th, 2002
August 19, 2002
August 4th, 2002
July 29, 2002
July 22, 2002
July 15th, 2002
July 8, 2002
July 1, 2002
June 24th, 2002
June 17th, 2002
June 3, 2002
May 27th, 2002
May 20th, 2002
May 13, 2002
May 6, 2002
April 29 , 2002
April 22, 2002
April 15, 2002
April 8th, 2002
April 1st, 2002
March 18th, 2002
March 11th, 2002
March 4th, 2002
February 25th, 2002
February 18th, 2002
February 11th, 2002
February 8, 2002
February 4th, 2002
January 28th, 2002
January 21st, 2002
January 14th, 2002
January 7th, 2002
December 31st, 2001
December 17th, 2001
December 10th, 2001
December 3rd, 2001
Weekly Features
Letter from New York
Mathew Tombers is the President of Intermat, Inc., a consulting practice that specializes in the intersection of media, technology and marketing. For two years, he produced the Emmys on the Web and supervised web related activities for the Academy, including for the 50th Anniversary year of the Emmy Awards. In addition to its consulting engagements, Intermat recently sold METEOR’S TALE, an unpublished novel by Michael O’Rourke, to Animal Planet for development as a television movie. Visit his web site at http://www.intermat.tv

Riding the Rails


Once upon a time, it seemed I spent an inordinate amount of time on airplanes, flying hither and yon for whatever company for which I was working. In my last air escapade, as the Internet bubble was bursting, I flew from New York to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to Tokyo, Tokyo to Sydney, Sydney back to New York in eight days.

Besides all that flying, I managed to go to a number of meetings, sound reasonably coherent and entertain clients. After landing at two in the morning, I made a detailed report the following morning and was laid off by the end of the day.

Tripp met me on a street corner the hour after I got the layoff news and said to me, “Thank God it’s over.”

Today it seems I spend an inordinate number of hours on trains, which is a slower, calmer [most of the time] kind of experience which speaks to the slower, calmer [most of the time] kind of life I’m leading now and want to continue leading.

It is the change that has come over the last three years, a change in lifestyle that is reflected in my change of mode of travel. As I write this, I am on a train, chugging north from DC to NYC, a trip I will have made twice this week. Once for business and again, a second time, to visit with friends.

Once upon a time, I was that most valued of airline customers, a frequent business traveler, racking miles up and holding gold/elite/preferred status on almost every major airline. I used to know their reservation numbers by heart and most of the upgrade secrets known to man.

Now I am Amtrak Guest Rewards Select Member. It qualifies me for very little as Amtrak hasn’t quite got the loyalty thing worked out yet but I have hopes. I have become a fan of train travel and so it was with great delight I read in this morning’s papers [along with all the bloody news] that the Southeastern states are bonding together to build a good rapid rail system between their major cities. On top of that a slew of other initiatives for train travel are appearing across the nation, intending to marry an older idea with high tech to create a new solution.

California is going to be voting on a bond issue to build a 200 mile per hour train between its coastal cities. Out in the mid-west there is serious talk of a fast train connecting Chicago and Minneapolis. And here on the east coast chatter about upgrading the rail system is constant if largely only chatter.

Hooray! In these post 9/11 days there is a civility to train travel that appeals to me. I am not stripped searched if I suddenly decide to travel. I am less vulnerable to the vagaries of weather. Last week, during the snow storm a man was overheard on the Rail Phone, shouting incredulously to a confidante on the other end, “YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHERE I AM! I AM ON A TRAIN!”

Snow storms, I suspect, turn some flyers into trainers. There is nothing like a shut down airport to convince people to try a different form of travel.

The east coast is bound together in many ways as much by its train routes as it is by its air corridors and the longer I am here, the more I realize how important the train is and what a valuable asset it is to the country.

As I take the train almost every weekend to the country, as it is now my preferred mode of transportation between New York and Washington, D.C. I have come upon an appreciation for the train and occasionally send my Congress People notes about doing something about making America a more train friendly kind of place.

So, this is my thought for the week: do us all a favor, no matter where you live in the country and make a plea to Congress for better trains. You and your kids and their kids will all thank you for it.






WEEKLY FEATURES :: FROM THE FIELD :: EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS :: REPORTERS TOOLBOX :: THE NEWS DIRECTORY
:: ARCHIVED WEEKLY FEATURES :: SITE MAP :: ABOUT HALEISNER.COM :: CONTACT HALEISNER.COM ::