This weekend, hubby is flying to Argentina for work meetings, and later next week he flies on to Sao Paulo, Brazil, for more meetings.

Its funny to me when people who know us hear of the exotic locales that hubby visits as part of his job. He has literally flown all over the world, and samples virtually every sort of cuisine. Oddly enough he speaks NO languages other than English. (To his credit, he does know a few basics in Cantoneese.)

I speak Spanish & French (not well, but enough to get by) and yet have never travelled outside of North America: Canada, Mexico, the carribean and Bermuda are the only "international" desitnations I have enjoyed.

In my past life as a software trainer, however, I did venture across all regions of the United States. On one of these trips, my boss accompanied me. We arrived at the airport to head home from Atlanta, when we learned our flight was delayed at least four hours due to bad weather, I coaxed her into checking our bags and jumping on the subway/metro/whatever-they-call-their-public-transporation system, and browse around downtown Atlanta for a bit. I'll never forget her chuckling and admitting to me, "You know if it was me, I would have just sat at the airport and waited. I could never just take a train on my own!"

Both hubby and I agree that you really get a "feel" for a locality by utilizing its public transit system. You encounter everyday people, everyday neighborhoods...things that aren't included in a tourist brochure when you ride the rails. In Europe & Asia, he has raved about the convenience of the train and subway systems that he used.

That said, I do believe that when in South America or Mexico, hubby and his co-worker(s) usually end up in private hired car services. From what I understand, safety is a part of the equation as well as efficiency. I find it interesting that, when in the US, most business travelers ALSO utilize cabs, limos, or rentals cars.

I am not sure what that says about American interest in passenger rail. Unfortunately, we have had many crises in the Chicagoland area with our transit agencies due to federal cutbacks.

I hear and read alot of talk about "green" incentives. I truly feel that a high-tech, infrastructure investment in efficient passenger-only rail service could be a great solution for the gridlock (and air pollution) now a way of life in metropolitan areas across the country.

But sadly, even the systems we have in place are havens for crime - even in mid-day. In my hometown of Philadelphia, a 36-year-old manager of a Starbucks was beaten to death  while waiting for his subway train by a gang of high school students in an apparent robbery attempt.

Recently in Chicago, a young man, on his way to school on a CTA Bus, was shot and kiled for no apparent reason.

I'm saddened whenever I hear of these events because it is not just a blow to our social sructure in general (as crimes always are) but specifically it lessens the support and usage of transit.

In graduate school, I studied to be a transit planner, learning complicated mathematical formulas for calculating route scheduling, car capacity and more. No one ever taught us, however, how to increase the desire for ridership and capital investment into such systems.