roughly about the same time that the french were testing out their new, superfast, record-breaking train, i purchased a ticket to michigan aboard the amtrak. from the grungy and ill-lit rail stations to the habitually late train arrivals, nothing better illustrates the achievement of those french locomotive designers better than the experience of traveling on this nation's passenger rail system. to be fair, the amtrak does have its advantages. for one it's certainly more convenient than the region's airports and with gasoline prices what they are, this is by far the cheapest way to get to michigan. plus, there's a bar inside the train. this is a view from inside the train shed at union station.