Amtrak has been very good to me. If you had been commuting on BART for over a decade, then switched to Amtrak, you would love Amtrak, too.



Amtrak has been very good to me. If you had been commuting on BART for over a decade, then switched to Amtrak, you would love Amtrak, too.



How do I love Amtrak? Let me count the ways.

1. It feels so good to be able to commute to work without worrying about if there's going to be a BART strike.

2. I love being able to eat and drink on the Amtrak train. Yes, they let you; they even have a Cafe Lounge where you can buy beverages and snacks.

3. There are bathrooms in the stations and in the train cars that you can use. (Unlike the ones currently locked at the BART stations for security reasons.)

4. They have electrical outlets and tables where you can use your laptop computers.

5. The passengers are so friendly, nice and interesting. I've made a lot of new friends while riding on Amtrak since September 11th. It's a nice family atmosphere where almost everyone knows your name. ("NORM!")

6. The conductors are courteous and helpful.

7. No more rushing up or down stairs and escalators to catch BART trains. The Amtrak trains at the stations where I board and get off are on street level.

8. I love to hear that train whistle. I remember hearing it for the first time shortly after we moved to Martinez. The Amtrak station is just a five minute drive from our house, so we could hear that train whistle, especially when our windows are open. Adds to the city's ambience, I feel. Yes, Martinez is nice place to live.

I realize Amtrak may not be a viable way to commute for some of you due to the location of the train stations and their schedule, but I do encourage those of you who live close enough to the Amtrak stations to give Amtrak a try. You might like it enough to quit using BART altogether, like I did.

Note added November 10, 2001: I've been using Amtrak as my means of commuting since September 11, 2001. My husband has commented on how I actually look forward to my commute, and I really do. You would not believe how much restraint I have to exercise to keep from jumping up and down with joy on the platform when I see that train coming, because I'm thinking, "OH, BOY! I GET TO RIDE THE TRAIN! YIPPEE!"