TRAINS

Every time I stand waiting for an S- or U-Bahn I get this little feeling inside - something about trains are instinctively exciting to me. Then when they pull up and the wind makes my hair go crazy, the feeling gets stronger - this yellow piece of metal is going to take me somewhere new, somewhere else full of possibilities and experiences. In Germany, trains are not only exciting, but they are practical. Flying between cities at 120mph, not having to worry about gas or parking, getting to see people from every walk of life crowded into one place, these are only a few of the benefits of the train system in Germany. It's not wonder that they are so widely used.   So if they are so practical, why can't I use them in America? Naturally, living in a small town where one can practically walk anywhere renders trains rather impractical. But more importantly, our whole country is so spread out that building a national train system would be a massive undertaking. In addition to the size, the whole attitude of our country is one of individualism: we like driving ourselves in our own cars. We can buy gas relatively cheaply compared to the prices in Europe. We can get exactly where we want to go without the inconvenience of changing trains or walking to and from the station. So in America it's not as practical to ride the trains as in is in Germany. But I'm 100% sure it would be just as exciting...