Many Birds with One Stone
 

In message , at
11:09:16 on Fri, 13 Aug 2004, Lance Lamboy
remarked:
Everyone cringes when mentioning the bus in USA.

It beats driving.

As always, the context is important. I wouldn't drive in Manhattan; but
when I lived in Atlanta the nearest bus stop was further away than the
shopping mall.

What sane person would suggest I took a bus to the shopping mall?
--
Roland Perry

Many Birds with One Stone
 

In message , at 15:45:11 on Fri,
13 Aug 2004, Annabel Smyth remarked:
Yes, it will be true for some people. But try taking a train from
Atlanta to Orlando (rather than driving). Takes 2 days via Washington!

I'm afraid those distances mean nothing to me - how long would it take
if you drove?

By highway (and the rails aren't much further, but much slower):

Atlanta to Orlando 442 miles/7hrs 8 minutes
Atlanta to Washington DC 637 miles/10hrs 5 minutes.
Washington DC to Orlando 846 miles/13hrs 10 minutes

I loved Amtrak trains when I used them, so I wouldn't actually mind 2
days, but if it's a case of "going to Birmingham by way of Bethnal
Green", then perhaps not!

It's a bit like going from Oxford to Southampton via Leeds.

Also, did I say, there's only 1 train per day? At least in the car you
can decide what time of day you want to arrive.

--
Roland Perry

Many Birds with One Stone
 

In message , at
11:18:01 on Fri, 13 Aug 2004, Lance Lamboy
remarked:
Since there is no direct AMTRAK connection from Atlanta to Orlando, AMTRAK
does not appear to be the optimal choice for that trip.

Indeed, but there aren't very many other choices. I took this example
because

1) I've done Atlanta to Orlando by car, and it's further than I'd
normally want to drive.

2) I saw an advertising poster (1950's perhaps) in a museum in Atlanta
for a direct "holidaymaker" train to Florida, and Atlanta is well known
rail hub. I wondered if the journey was possible today.

The hassle of airport transfers, and very limited baggage allowance,
means I don't really regard flying as a useful alternative (not for an
internal USA holiday to somewhere within 10 hrs drive, anyway).

You can't say I didn't try other modes, I went from Atlanta to
Charleston on a tour bus (5.5hrs) but we ended up staying outside the
main city area, and rather cut off. People who had driven had much more
flexibility.

Mentioning travelling by Greyhound bus and everyone makes a face!
--
Roland Perry

Many Birds with One Stone
 

In message , at
13:19:59 on Fri, 13 Aug 2004, Lance Lamboy
remarked:
Most grocery stores do deliveries so why would a huge family have a
problem.

There are several practical problems.

You never get to see what's on special offer at the store that day, so
always buy at "list price".

You don't get a very good impression of what new products are coming on
the market, so you get stuck in a rut buying the things you are familiar
with.

Substitutions can be a big problem, with many stores taking a
sub-optimal approach to this. It means you can end up missing the one
vital ingredient for a recipe.

Occasionally you get things like "10kg of apples" instead of "10
apples". I can be sorted out, but is a pain.

And, obviously, you have to book a slot for the delivery and make sure
you are at home. If you are housebound, that's not an issue; but if you
are travelling elsewhere that day (especially by bus) the times you can
guarantee to be at home can be unpredictable.
--
Roland Perry

Many Birds with One Stone
 

In message , at 18:25:23 on Fri, 13
Aug 2004, Brimstone remarked:
My mother walked to and from the shops, about a mile each way, bringing
the goods home in a shopping trolley. Why are so many people wimps these
days?

Probably for the same reason they have central heating and don't spend
several hours a day setting and raking out coal fires, or have an inside
loo rather than a bucket in an outhouse. Standards have changed.

You'll also find that supermarkets dislike you removing their trolleys
these days - they have deposit schemes, and clever wheels that lock up
as you try to leave the premises.
--
Roland Perry

Many Birds with One Stone
 

Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 18:25:23 on Fri, 13
Aug 2004, Brimstone remarked:
My mother walked to and from the shops, about a mile each way,
bringing the goods home in a shopping trolley. Why are so many
people wimps these days?

Probably for the same reason they have central heating and don't spend
several hours a day setting and raking out coal fires, or have an
inside loo rather than a bucket in an outhouse. Standards have
changed.

If standards have changed then it's not for the better.


You'll also find that supermarkets dislike you removing their trolleys
these days - they have deposit schemes, and clever wheels that lock up
as you try to leave the premises.

What has that got to do with the topic under discussion, surely it's about
theft?

Many Birds with One Stone
 

In message , at 10:25:11 on Sat, 14
Aug 2004, Brimstone remarked:
Probably for the same reason they have central heating and don't spend
several hours a day setting and raking out coal fires, or have an
inside loo rather than a bucket in an outhouse. Standards have
changed.

If standards have changed then it's not for the better.

well, you'll excuse me if I refrain from joining you over the tin
bucket.

You'll also find that supermarkets dislike you removing their trolleys
these days - they have deposit schemes, and clever wheels that lock up
as you try to leave the premises.

What has that got to do with the topic under discussion, surely it's about
theft?

You can't push your shopping home in a supermarket trolley if they won't
let them of the premises. (I think you could have worked that our for
yourself!)
--
Roland Perry

Many Birds with One Stone
 

Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 10:25:11 on Sat,
14 Aug 2004, Brimstone remarked:
Probably for the same reason they have central heating and don't
spend several hours a day setting and raking out coal fires, or
have an inside loo rather than a bucket in an outhouse. Standards
have
changed.

If standards have changed then it's not for the better.

well, you'll excuse me if I refrain from joining you over the tin
bucket.

You'll also find that supermarkets dislike you removing their
trolleys these days - they have deposit schemes, and clever wheels
that lock up as you try to leave the premises.

What has that got to do with the topic under discussion, surely it's
about theft?

You can't push your shopping home in a supermarket trolley if they
won't let them of the premises. (I think you could have worked that
our for yourself!)

I could and did, who was talking about pushing one's shopping home in a
supermarket trolley?

Many Birds with One Stone
 

In message , at 10:58:22 on Sat, 14
Aug 2004, Brimstone remarked:
I could and did, who was talking about pushing one's shopping home in a
supermarket trolley?

You we

"I've got three siblings and when we were kids we usually had at
least one dog. My mother walked to and from the shops, about a
mile each way, bringing the goods home in a shopping trolley.
Why are so many people wimps these days?"
--
Roland Perry

Many Birds with One Stone
 

Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 10:58:22 on Sat,
14 Aug 2004, Brimstone remarked:
I could and did, who was talking about pushing one's shopping home
in a supermarket trolley?

You we

"I've got three siblings and when we were kids we usually had
at least one dog. My mother walked to and from the shops,
about a mile each way, bringing the goods home in a shopping
trolley. Why are so many people wimps these days?"

Where does it say "supermarket" in that quote?