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PLANES. TRAINS & ETC.
So, you've never heard your daughter's band play, and
you've been wanting to go to Austin to hear them, but it
hasn't worked out so far. Then she mentions that they're play
ing Saturday night, and it'll be the last time for a while, since
they're going to be doing some studio work.
You've already been sort of keeping an eye on Austin fares
but seeing nothing under $500. Now you start searching in
earnest, but anything under a 14-day advance ticket is prohibi
tive. Being a reasonable person, you sigh and hope for a better
fare when they do start playing out again.
Me, I still have an unreasonable urge to go hear them. Then
Betsy Inglesby, visiting from Alabama, happens to mention
that the Crescent runs through Birmingham. Amtrak. The train.
I've fantasized that trip to New Orleans on the Crescent, a day
trip both ways, but I had no idea it
went over to Birmingham before drop
ping south.
Hmmm. Back to Travelocity. Let's
look at Birmingham. Eureka! Delta has
a $174 plus tax and fees fare from Birmingham to Austin—
three-day advance purchase. Whoa! Let's look at Amtrak. Sho'
nuff: the Crescent leaves Gainesville, GA at 6:58 a.m. and
arrives in Bombingham at 11:44 a.m. Central Time—$35 with
the discount granted my age bracket.
Back to Delta. The only flight time from Birmingham to
Austin after the train arrives is at 4:40 p.m., getting into
Austin at 9 p.m.
Text message to Molly: What time NBD play Sat?
Answer: 10:30.
Text message: Spose I come?
She's honest enough to call and say she's not sure she
wants the added stress of a visiting father on top of work and
getting ready for the show, but I assure her I'll be staying at a
motel and will be low maintenance. Pretty soon, she warms to
the idea, but thinks I'm crazy. So does her mother.
So, it will work if the train is on time. The last time I took
it—to North Carolina to buy a used Volvo—it was five hours
late, sitting on sidings, giving priority to freights. If that hap
pens this time, I'll be spending the weekend in Birmingham.
I commit anyway. I make the Amtrak reservation, then
Delta. The Birmingham-to-Austin flight makes only one stop.
Where? Atlanta. I ride the train all the way to B'Ham and then
fly back to Atlanta. Why not just get on in ATL? It's $1158;
that's why. The same flight I jump on in BHM for $174+ is
$1158+ if I board in ATL. Coming back, the flight goes from
Austin to Atlanta and then on to Birmingham, without me, of
course. I will deplane in ATL.
The only flaw in the whole arrangement is that my car will
be in Gainesville, and I will be in Atlanta. I can take the shut
tle back home, but then I've got to go get my car or Gay has to
get up at 5 a.m. and drive me to Gainesville to catch the train.
But wait, AAA has a shuttle to Gainesville. I get back to ATL at
7 p.m., and the shuttle leaves at 8:30. Just right.
It all works. The train is on time. All the flights are right
on schedule; I get to the party an hour early ("Mercado," an
indoor/outdoor house art show); NBD is fantastic—worth
the trip; I hang out with Molly and her friends the next day,
and they take me to'the airport Monday. A beautiful flight
back through the clouds, crossing the swollen Mississippi,
the Alabama, the Tombigbee, the Tennessee (I think) in the
distance. Back to ATL in time to catch an earlier shuttle to
Gainesville and home by 10 p.m., missing only a day of work.
The train is a great short-trip option when you can work
it in. This one stops only in Atlanta and Anniston before
Birmingham. I speed through the woods and the back yards
of small towns, reading and napping. The lounge car is always
closed when I go for a snack, but taking along a couple of
sandwiches can solve that problem. The temperature is just
above freezing, but fortunately I have a jacket. In downtown
Birmingham I discover the delightful Reed Books, a used-book,
antique, curio and collectibles shop, whose owner, Jim Reed,
sells me his book of short essays (Dad's Tweed Coat) and gets
me a cab to the airport. My companion on the whole trip is
Walker Percy's The Last Gentleman, filled with meditations on
living, especially in the South.
If you have more time than money, getting there and back
can be an enjoyable adventure.
Pete McCommons editor@flagpole.com
Text message:
Spose I come?
THIS WEEK’S ISSUE:
NEWS & FEATURES
City Dope 4
Athens News and Views
The news on the new candidates, the state of the state's drought policies, and more.
Comment 7
Boiling Frogs
UGA hydrologist Todd Rasmussen takes a hard look at the ongoing drought and the dry months ahead.
ARTS <§s EVENTS
Playing Ball with the Athens Pirates 8
As Local as the National Pastime Gets
Get to know Athens' pre-professional college baseball team.
My Weekend at HeroesCon
Or, Why I Missed AthFest for a Comic Book Convention
Hillary Brown reports from a trip to Charlotte, NC for this year’s Heroes Convention.
9
COVER DESIGN by Kelly Ruberto
featuring artwork by Rebecca Brantley on
display at White Tiger Gourmet
mumm
Vice Meets Vice
Just as Entertaining Offstage as On
Our own Jim McHugh has a chat with labelmate King Khan.
There’s No Shutting Them Down.
Camper Van Beethoven Celebrates 25th Anniversary
Presenting Popular Songs of Great Strength and Enduring Beauty.
22
24
Ml VIE DOPE
MO/IE PICK
KING KHAN
UPSTART ROUNDUP
CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN
RECORD REVIEWS
THREATS & PROMISES ...
COMICS
REALITY CHECK
CLASSIFIEDS
CITY DOPE
CITY PAGES
CAPITOL IMPACT
COMMENT.
ATHENS PIRATES.. r..
HEROES CONVENTION.
NEW! THE PHYSICIST
GRUB NOTES
THE CALENDAR!
ART AROUND TOWN .,
BULLETIN BOARD
EDITOR l PUBLISHER Pete McCommons
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PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Larry Tenner
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AD DESIGNERS Ian Rickert, Kelly Ruberto
CARTOONISTS James Allen, Ruth Allen, Cameron Bogue, Jce Havasy, Missy Kulik, Jeremy Long, David Mack,
Clint McElroy
ADOPT ME Special Agent Cindy Jerretl
CONTRIBUTORS Hillary Brown, Deb Chasteen, Tom Crawford, Alex Dimitropoulps, Sarah Dunning,
David Eduardo, Gordon Lamb, Bao Le-Huu, Garrett Martin, Jim McHugh, Ryan Monahan, Todd Rasmussen,
Deirdre Sayre, Jeff Tobias. Drew Wheeler. Noel Wurst
CIRCULATION Charles Greenleaf. Jimmy Courson, Justin Courson, Alex Moore, Lena Trotochaud, Alex White
WEB DESIGNER Ian Rickert
ADVERTISING ASSISTANT Nicole Haysler
MUSIC INTERNS Christine Barrett, Alex Dimitropoulos
ADVERTISING INTERNS Allen Kronenberger. Aisha Washington
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VOLUME 22
ISSUE NUMBER 26
Flagpole, Inc. publishes Flagpole Magazine weekly and distributes 17,000 copies
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JULY 2, 2008 • FLAGPOLE.COM 3