The last time I caught a train in Adelaide -- about 3 years ago and the first time in around 10 years -- I was surprised when a small speaker squawked to life and announced the arrival of the next train in 5 minutes time.

I love the MIT stop on the Red Line in Boston, with the musical instruments. And the brass gloves stuck to the railings in... Porter Square? I think?

Yes -- Porter has the brass gloves -- some of them are embedded in the tiles on the platforms, too. If you look carefully, there's a glove with two thumbs near the elevator on the inbound side.

Davis has poems etched into the tile floors!

The bronze gloves are indeed all over Porter station. And they're partly there to discourage skateboarders from trying to go down the aisle between the escalators (it's steep and long, with no braking space after).

Red Line trains sometimes get all screwy, and do the in-train announce, "Entering: Porter Square! next Stop: Park Street!" When (a), you're entering Kendall; (b), you're headed outbound not in; and (c), Park Street and Porter and like 6 stops away from each other! We all just frown at each other and go back to our pulp novels.

I avoid trains as a rule. The last time I was on a train was the underground in Glasgow (I took the Outer Line) which is rattly and dirty and smelly. About the ONLY thing in the favour of train lovers that I can think of is that they can take you places. Although the Highland line with the old steam trains are good in a nostalgic way, but SO inelegant.

Nobody has mentioned my beloved Paris metro, which is so confusing since you have to know the end station in the line and direction you wish to travel. Which, all well and good, but there are about 20 lines with 2 ends each, and stations are named things like "La Motte-Picquet-Grenelle", which is where I changed trains on the way to school every day. You need a whole dictionary to keep the lines straight. But there are cool musicians in the tunnels, mostly african, some gypsies, and the occasional classical quartet!

Many cities say that building a decent metro system is "too hard" but I say if Athens can do it - when every shovel put in the ground requires a lengthy and costly excavation of archaeological gold - anyone can. I am willing to make an exception for a lake in the way, I suppose. But Athens has earthquakes! Okay, not very big ones, lately, and if a big one does come, tons of people will be killed by poor building design, but still. Which is more important, fewer cars or public safety!?!

I like pedestrianised inner city areas because that is where I live. I can walk to the Post Office, it's very difficult to take a train there. The tram system here is still buried but I've been on trams in other European countries the Italian ones appealed although the ethos in Amsterdam less so. I don't see why any transport system is needed in the city centre, only for reaching the city and leaving again.

We have a canal system close by too, with a tow path, it has only recently been re-opened, runs cleanly through the centre of the city and on all the way across the country. All we lack for attractive canal city transport system is actual canal boats.

My ex-husband is an artist and did one of the T stations in Boston--Andew Street. He also designed the benches in Union Square Park in Somerville. His name is Ross Miller and he is a damn good artist--not so good with marriage, however.

I'm not so keen on the whole marriage deal myself. I'd rather skip straight to babies.

The Cloddah ring was very romantic in an extremely metaphoric way, they are wedding rings.

It is OK to mention long long long past episodes of Buffy here I know.

Edited for content.

Hello, Unamericans!(blows kisses) Public transport is awful in Phoenix.Just...beyond sad. And, I'm sorry, beyond that I'm Skippy Skipperman. Just wanted to say hello, though. Carry on with...putting extra u's in words and stuff.

Do you two EVER visit the Angel thread?

I know I'm way, way late, and I'm not even sure if this was directed at me, but....

I only visit the show threads once I've seen the episodes (which, as Jim pointed out, is usually pretty late - hey, I'm even behind the Australians at the moment). I used to keep up with them, when my life was different, until I discovered that being spoiled to all hell ruined most of the enjoyment for me.

The public transport system in my local town is great. I have a tram stop practically outside my door which takes me more or less straight to work. When we move we'll be about 10 mins walk from the underground. It's all good.