Could This Be the Last Ride? [Kicking Back with Jersey Joe]

ACES – The Atlantic City Express Service is a luxury train that whisks travelers direct from New York City to Atlantic City, NJ casinos with only a single stop in between.  While more upscale than a traditional train, the line is in serious danger of shutting down for good.  I recently took a ride to find out what could possibly be spelling the end for what should be a good idea. As I discussed in a previous blogumn, Atlantic City has long been a destination for vacationers to get out of the cities and head to the shore.  Its casinos and beaches are an ideal year round retreat and offer a variety of activities. Atlantic City has rolled in tourists by rail since the first train line opened in the 1800’s.  Most train service went direct to Philadelphia or New York. But starting in 1929, a new upscale line known as The Blue Comet took to the tracks to bring in the NYC city goers. The Blue Comet would take passengers from the now abandoned Communipaw Terminal in Jersey City (just a short ferry ride across the Hudson River from Manhattan) to Atlantic City in three hours.  These special trains were created to compete with rides being offered by the Pennsylvania Railroad that would take riders on a less direct route.  Blue Comet riders would enjoy assigned seating on special blue seats, an upscale dining car with special blue linen, and an upper level observation car with wicker chairs. The line was immediately successful and initially had a 97% on time rate.  As the great depression hit, ridership immediately fell.  The line was cut to one round trip train per day.  Some residents who lived in the rustic Pine Barrows of New Jersey, who...

Technically Geeking: Carlectric Boogaloo

. a blogumn by Justin Time It used to be Ferraris, Jags and Porsches. Now it’s Teslas, Volts and Priuses. I come from a long line of car-obsessed men. My grandfather would buy a new car even when he had 3 others and could barely drive. My father can’t drive on the expressway without pointing out every car that is the slightest bit uncommon. He passed the sickness onto me, by both nature and nurture, taking me to car shows, subscribing to car magazines, and buying me diecast collector cars. Growing up, I had a poster of a white Testa Rossa over my bed.  It was the 80s, ok? Now that my boyhood frivolity has all but vanished, I have moved on from Ferraris to things I could maybe afford and that wouldn’t make me feel like a complete jackass driving around. And then there is the environmental heroism appeal of hybrids and EVs. But at the root of this passion for cars and interest in fuel-saving technology is a big geeky revelation… Cars are the ultimate gadgets! You climb inside and become a high-speed machine with gears, dials, sensors, and of course computers. And you can add more geek crap – GPS, audio systems, CBs, radar detectors, jammers, and LoJack. So here is a list of my favorite geek cars available now or coming soon: 1. Tesla Model S – Hot EV sedan – now taking 2011 orders – $49,999 2. Chevy Volt – Please please please survive to finish this, GM. $35,000? 3. Optima Joule – Funky electric 6-seater with leased batteries (South Africa). 4. Bee One – British EV on the cheap – $17,700 5. 2010 Toyota Prius – Had to be mentioned. The 800 pound gorilla just got better.  6. Tata Nano...