One New York Life

22) You always hear about how much better the trains run in Europe, but it’s really different to experience it. It was quite an a-ha moment when I realized it’s because the country manages the rails (like the FAA manages the air) and allows the train lines to just compete amongst themselves for service. I don’t know if we could ever duplicate that model because the country is SO much bigger but there’s got to be something better than Amtrak’s crappy service on rails built in 1894.

23) We took three trains during our trip. London to Stockport, Stockport to Edinburgh, and Edinburgh back to London. Each one featured its own level of service. Personally, Virgin trains were the best for me. It featured a first class lounge in London, a quiet car for both standard and first class, and free Wi-Fi on first class.

24) Given the choice between standard service with quiet car and first class service with no quiet car, I’d take standard/quiet every time. I can’t wait for the day cell phone calls are allowed on airplanes to make that little slice of hell just a little bit bigger.

25) I complained about the income tax rate last week. It didn’t occur to me until a couple days later that when Pelosi and Obama get their way in a few weeks, the Bush tax cuts will expire and between federal (30%), New York State (6.85), and New York City (3.86) tax I’m already there. So, I guess moving to a country where you only have to work 40 hours/week and actually get vacation time wouldn’t be so bad.

26) Company X decided against giving me an international plan on my Blackberry so I didn’t have any service for two straight weeks. I have to say, the freedom from having a cell phone is intoxicating. At no point did I miss it.

27) We went to Roslyn Chapel when we were in Scotland, which only means anything if you read or saw the DaVinci Code. It’s a bit smaller than I anticipated (which was dumb on my part considering it was a family’s personal church) but the carvings in there were everything I expected. I do wonder as to whether or not the town is happy Dan Brown turned their little few blocks in to a mess of tour buses, but it is nice that the chapel will be maintained now. It’s really amazing inside. One of the more interesting tidbits being the carvings of Native American corn over one of the windows… which wouldn’t be that interested except in that the chapel was built about 50-100 years before America was “discovered”, leading to speculation that the Knights Templar visited North America well before Columbus. WHAT WERE THEY HIDING????

28) Watching the World Cup final in a pub was all I expected it to be and more. The soccer haters in the US crushed it for being a bore-off where no goals were scored until the 116th minute and ended 1-0. Meanwhile, they’d slobber over a 7-3 football game (which, mind you, is 1-to-0.5) as a defensive masterstroke.

29) Guidos also exist in Europe… they’re just actually FROM Italy instead of “celebrating” their Italian heritage with hair gel and tanning. Must be in the DNA.

30) Edinburgh is a weird little city. It seems to be Scotland’s version of a tourist trap with a castle and just statues and evil wizard towers everywhere. Every street corner has a statue. It reminded me a lot of Salzburg in its creepy, 1000 year old, how many creepy secret tunnels are under these streets vibe. The only difference here being that Edinburgh has a bustling, modern city around the creepy tourist trap inside 300 year old buildings.

31) I’m currently on the train back to London for one more night before getting on the plane back to New York. It occurred to me sometime in the last two months that I was very much over New York. These last two weeks have helped confirm it. Maybe the insanely hot weather for the last two months have had something to do with it, I don’t know, but two weeks away from the city have me absolutely dreading going back.

32) I have desperately tried over the previous week to understand cricket. All I know so far is this: Pakistan and Australia have been playing for three days. Not different games for three days, but ONE GAME has been going on for three days. And its not over yet. I still have no idea how a cricket match ends, but it seems like it might go on forever.