Amtrak vs Bus? I Ride Both Constantly. Here’s How I Choose.
I’ve lived car-free for seven years and ride Amtrak and buses all over the Northeast. Here’s how they compare on comfort, speed and price, and how I decide.
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I Love Amtrak. I Don’t Have Their Credit Card. Here’s Why.
I ride Amtrak more than almost anyone I know, except for maybe my friend who works for Amtrak and rides for free. I’ve slept on overnight trains in coach, ridden in the private rooms, taken just about every train that…
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Spirit Airlines Is Dead. Here’s What I’d Fly (or Ride) Instead
Spirit Airlines shut down in May 2026. Here’s what I’d fly (or ride) instead, from Frontier and Breeze to basic economy fares and the buses people forget.
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8 City and Town Planning Thoughts from My Trip to Japan
I just got back from two weeks in Japan.
This will not be another “high-speed trains rule, Amtrak drools” article. I don’t need to tell you that the state of passenger trains in the U.S. compared to Japan makes me want to sob each time I stand on the platform at Harlem-125th St.
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Klook Review: What I’d Book Through It in Japan, and What I Wouldn’t
Affiliate disclosure. This article contains affiliate links to Klook. If you book through them I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. You’ll notice pretty quickly that most of this article is me telling you not…
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Universal Studios Japan: What I Wish I’d Known (An American’s Honest Guide)
I went to Universal Studios Japan in August 2026, on two weekdays, in hostile summer heat. I had a great time. I also made a few mistakes that cost me hours.
Most of the English-language coverage of USJ is either three years old, written by someone who did a press day, or seems assembled by somebody who’s never stood in the Donkey Kong queue at 8:47 in the morning. So here’s my attempt.
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Amtrak Guest Rewards Points, Explained by a Frequent Rider
Last week I sat down to book a train from New York to Burlington, went to pay, and noticed I had enough points sitting in my account to cover the whole thing. My coach seat for seven hours up the…
