> In any event, comparing rail vs. auto commuting is much the same as
> debating whether it's preferable to be electrocuted or gassed -- neither
> alternative is that great. All in all, though, I think commuting to
> Manhattan via the LIRR is slightly less shitty than traveling by car
> because you can at least read on the train, so the time isn't completely
> wasted.
I haven't had to commute by car lately, so I can't compare it to commuting by Metro in Washington. I do prefer having a car to run errands and go to events over having to do the same using public transit. The Metro system in D.C. was designed to move commuters from the suburbs to the downtown and back again. It really sucks if you are trying to use it for other activities.
You can do some reading on the subway in Washington IF you can find a seat. From what I understand, that system is so overcrowded now that even reading on the subway on a day-to-day basis must be difficult.
I started hating the Washington subway system big time after spending too many years of my life waiting for trains on their dreadful station platforms. The Metro system stations have aesthetics that are appropriate for being a public transit system that serves the seat of American empire. Brutalist station architecture. Dim lighting. Fascist control and security systems that are everywhere. Seating that is scarce and what exists in anti-human. I even got trapped in a station one night and discovered that it was nearly impossible to get out!
When I visited D.C. last year I made a point of avoiding the Metro.
Chuck