The beauty of railroad stations

There is something special about railroad stations, something that airports and garages definitely don't have. It is a sense of excitement, slow pace and quick pace at the same, people waiting and people eager to go. Old railroad stations are the best, their grandeur and presence is something different than today's concrete boxes.

The feeling of going somewhere through a landscape, like a supersonic millipede, is quite different than bouncing up in the sky and landing a few hours away.

Flying is more like a walking in through one door and then walking out through the same door but far away - no connection between the places. Trains are earthbound, rooted, and makes true connections between places.

A few weeks ago I was in Washington DC (came by train), and this is how Union Station looked like. Imagine these pictures 100 years ago and all would be the same except how people are dressed, I think. There is something timeless about places like this; old railroad stations belong in the same class as old cathedrals and medieval monasteries.