By Dan Letchworth, San Diego Magazine; September 6, 2019
For Americans, there’s an intrinsic romance to train travel. Trains are wrapped up in our historical Old West identity, and because we use them far less often, riding one long-distance creates a slightly surreal, liminal state very unlike air travel: They’re usually so sparse you can’t help but be aware of each other individual passenger, and there’s no telling when someone will come or go. If you let your mind wander, you start to wonder who those strangers are; where they’re going—or what they’re leaving—and why.