I have smiled when I’ve read Brent’s post on the Seattle’s monorail. When I went to Seattle a couple of years ago, I only knew of the monorail from the pictures and TV (specially Frasier :). When arriving from the airport, and when strolling downtown, I caught a glimpse of the coach and the poles supporting the track.
At last, I went to take a ride. I had consulted the city guide and found that one station ended near the hotel I was staying (the Vance Hotel). I had been visiting the Space Needle and the time came to return home, which I promptly did in the monorail. Only then I discovered of the short traject it covered.
We have a similar case in Barcelona. The city is building a tram line to cover the west-side of the Greater Barcelona area. Since trams where discontinued from Barcelona a long time ago (only one remains as a tourist attraction) people wonders why they elected not to extend the existing underground lines. Myself, I’m not such opposed to the idea, because I like the feeling of a tram ride. I’ll reserve judgment until it’s open (though the work are already disturbing the neighbourhood)
This was the only time I’ve been in the States. You may wonder what I was doing there by November (which is not the usual time for holidays). Just think of one big Co. with its headquarters there (and I’m not speaking of Boeing ;) I’ll scan the pics and post them someday…