The train would be great. The prompt was cross country for a weekend trip. All of your responses fail to realize the prompt. If it isn't over 1000 miles, there is no way it's cross country in our country. The weekend is 2 days.
LifeInMultipleChoice
If you had a sleeper car it'd work alright. Obviously leaving Friday night would make it much nicer. Otherwise your always stuck with after dark Saturday night, and maybe a couple hours Sunday morning. But if you can get bottomless mimosas with breakfast and sleep during the 9 hours back it'd make you be able to leave in the afternoon Sunday.
I never said the plane was practical for a weekend getaway either. My response was that this "I want trains so people can have cross country road trips on the weekend" just wasnt practical to the majority of cases. A lot of people are saying HSR would be good for interstate trips, and yes they would. Even next state over.
But right now it's set up horrible so it is more expensive and takes longer for most even semi long trips. Like this
Cheapest and fastest route is to drive. Once you factor in everything it'll take to get into an airport and out, and you have a vehicle while your there. So most Americans compare prices to that and say it's better to just drive. It'd be nice if there was a 3 hour train that covered that for $50. Trips like that Id love
I usually like the demeaning flights if I have to fly, so I shoot for Spirit. And I try to keep to just a backpack if I can, a tiny suitcase I can carry on instead if I need dress clothes.
Last time I flew Nashville to Orlando I threw a couple items in a grocery bag and went with that. All my toiletries are usually in a small zip up bag.
Spirit is terrible, but when it's $44 for the flight why not. I'm already going to get sexually harassed by TSA, I'm not really fretting the attendant running in circles wondering where the pilot is at.
The train from to Miami has been quoted and attempted over and over since I was about 7 growing up in the greater Orlando area. 28 years later and it's still in talks. They tried to connect Tampa to Daytona through Orlando. (All they needed to do was follow I4 as the road already goes there.). This is as far as that has gotten: (15 years on that alone)
I didn't know they had an album coming out, thanks for posting this.