Kuunari

I’m a big fan of alternative forms of travel. This year I have travelled by my boots, bike, carpool, car, city bus, light rail, subway and elevated rail, monorail, Greyhound bus, Megabus, Amtrak Train, intercity rail and airplane. Needless to say, I’ve been in a wide variety of stations and airports. I’ve waited in the 9 degree cold for over an hour for a bus. I’ve taken trips with 8 different legs to them.

My least favorite airport? O’Hare, by far.

Chicago Union Station, please figure out how to use the large, gorgeous waiting area better. Everyone who takes the train should have to go through that space. Also, why is traffic so terrible in front of Union Station? Also, why do I need to walk at least 4 blocks to get to the “L” and the Greyhound Station? Or most of the Metra Lines?

Poor Chicago. I know it’s tough, being a major hub for train, bus and plane, but you need to redesign a lot of these hubs to become more passenger friendly.

My favorite train station by far is the Kalamazoo train station. As opposed to most train stations I’ve been in, it combines both the local bus system and the train system. On top of that, it is well maintained, with great woodwork and cast iron. It looks like a train station that anyone would want to be in. On top of that, there are 4 daily trips to and from Chicago, which makes it a lot busier than most small city train stations. For example, Minneapolis only has 1 daily trip to and from Chicago. Enjoy some pictures that I took on my last visit to the Kalamazoo train station.