The Observer letters t0 the editor have been a right-wing shitshow for decades. This is not a new development.

Ugh you described my mother, who is parent of two sons. She never liked any of our girlfiends or spouses. Don’t even get her started on Hilary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, or any woman with power unless you want to sit through a 20 minute rant.

I graduated long before 1992 and being at Notre Dame back then was like attending college with thousands of Brett Kavanaghs.

I clean my dishwasher by running it empty save for a small bowl filled with white vinegar.

I earned enough Amtrak miles to travel from San Francisco-NYC in sleeper cars on Amtrak’s California Zephyr and Lake Shore Limited. It was a blast, especially when traveling through the Rockies.

Between the TV specials on Theranos and the Fyre Festival and now this, it’s been a wonderful time for fans of schadenfreude.

I attended the Devils-Sabres game at the Rock. A few of us were expecting Schneider to pull a Patrick Roy circa 1995 after that bad goal, but he really played a solid game after that flub. The Devils have loads of problems, but I’m optimistic that the Schneider-Blackwood tandem should be pretty solid next season.

Amtrak fares between Boston and NYC are usually $49 one way if you book at least 2 weeks in advance. Worth every penny.

Real estate along the NEC is among the highest in the country, so buying more land for the ROW would be incredibly expensive.

I rode Peter Pan Bus from Providence to PABT in the fall and this is the route our bus driver took because the Cross Bronx Expressway was being its usual mess. What should have been a 3 hour ride took over 6 hours and the electrical outlet at my seat didn’t work.

Private alcohol is allowed in first-class rooms on Amtrak. That being said, I bring a beer or two on Amtrak all the time when I ride coach and I never had a problem.

Well I once rode in an upper-level sleeper room on a Superliner from San Francisco to Chicago. Joined the 10 ft high club.

I believe when the trains travel through Metro-North territory (Westchester Co. NY and New Haven, CT), their speed is restricted due to M-N’s lack of high-speed infrastructure. Amtrak owns the tracks east of New Haven and has much higher speeds.

I used to travel from NJ to Pittsburgh. Flights were scheduled to take only 90 minutes, but often we’d face lots of delays. Also, the airfares from EWR-PIT were crazy expensive ($200+ OW).

Fares from NYC to DC or Boston are often $50 if you book in advance. I’ve never been able to find one of those vaunted $1 Megabus fares (I usually pay $35). Seats are more cramped on Megabus and traffic can really turn a 4-hour bus ride into a 6+ hour slog. Thank you I-95 in Connecticut.

Thank you for tipping. I carried groceries, pets and had to make unscheduled stops for passengers. No tips. My elderly mom rides Lyft and she is a very generous tipper. Following the conclusion of a successful trip she hands the driver a $10 and says, “my son claims no one tips drivers so this is for you.”

I’d never try and make a living driving full time. I was driving p/t after work. My gross hourly pay was about $10/hour. I found part time work elsewhere.

I live in a NYC suburb and I’m old enough to remember when three newspapers covered my local city council meetings. Two of the papers have gone under and the large daily hasn’t had a local news bureau in 20 years. I think most of my neighbors think Bill DeBlasio is their mayor.

If they were a darker color they’d be derided as “looters” and shot by police.