Is this setup anything like our BART in the Bay Area?

Running since the 1970's, BART service has been absolutely indispensable in terms of growth in the area. I'm sure the economic benefits are well into the hundreds of billions by now.

stretching from the DFW Airport on the west side to the suburb of Rowlett on the east. It also goes from south Dallas to the northern suburb of Plano. It's built mostly on a radial plan which converges in downtown Dallas, but a fifth line connects is being constructed running from the DFW along the circumference of northwestern Dallas to Plano.

Between the rail system and bus system, most locations in the Metroplex are within a 1/2 mile walk to either a train station or bus terminal. It is also possible to take a train from either end of the airport to go into Fort Worth (some maintained by DART while there was a separate train line between Dallas and Fort Worth. If they complete a high-speed rail between Houston and Dallas, it will most likely have a station near the convention center in Dallas that will only mean a short walk to get onto the DART system.

I used the bus system for about five years while I lived in Irving. They extended one of the rail lines into my old neighborhood about a year after I moved from there. I was able to get around Dallas reasonably well for five years without my own vehicle.

on the train portion. BART is a heavy rail system though not a light rail. And quite a bit older.

Interesting.

I've never even been to Texas. Kinda doubt I ever will.

Come to think of it, I'm a bit anti-Texas if I'm honest.

Present company excepted of course my good lady

The only other states I've knocked off the bucket list are New Mexico (college band trip), Louisiana (college roommate's wedding), and Florida (business trip to the National Council on Compensation Insurance).

I was born in Corpus Christi and lived in South Texas until I went to college. Both sides of my family are from the Houston/Lower East Texas region. We didn't have a lot of money to spend on vacations so when we went on trips it was usually to see other family members. The closest state to me for most of my life was Louisiana until I moved to the DFW area in my thirties. The best reason that I could come up with to visit Oklahoma was to see the Moody Blues when they were playing at casino lounges and my friends always told me that I wasn't missing anything in Oklahoma.

As an adult, finances were usually tight enough that I couldn't spend frivolously on vacations. My employment also kept me busy throughout the first half of the year, then it was too hot to travel from July to September. Therefore, when I took vacation time it was normally in October or November. I also have been single my entire life so I didn't have anyone to join me for a vacation experience. It was more fulfilling for me to spend time with my friends going on day trips than it was to travel alone to see a sight for a few minutes and get stuck in a hotel alone.

If I had financial leeway, then I would probably want to visit the Pacific Coast from San Francisco up to Seattle, while my second choice would be to visit the Appalachians. I'm not fond of the beach since I don't care for sand, seawater, and I sunburn easily. However, I would prefer to see friends that live within 200 miles of me in Austin, Dallas and the Houston area before thinking about venturing for a longer trip. I was planning to do that earlier this year when COVID ended those plans.

You can't not see San Francisco in your life. You can't not go to Yosemite. And there's lots of near-beach places that are awesome just to be at even if you don't go bake out on the sand itself and splash around in the sea (though I think you're an odd duck to not like the beach ... maybe you've just not been to the right beach )

My experiences were mostly at North Padre Island near Corpus Christi. The water is murky brown and the sand is also a muddy color--it isn't the blue water and white sands that appear in brochures.

The northern California and Pacific Northwest excursion is on my bucket list. I'd like to roam through the Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco since I'm into the 60s psychedelic music and the flower power movement--if I were to pick a psychedelic then I'd choose mushrooms instead of acid. I also have a friend who is a psychology professor at San Francisco State University. Obviously there are other attractions such as the architecture and the beaches.

I also love forests, waterfalls, and mountains so I would like to spend a couple weeks out there. The obstacles that stand in my way are finances and mobility due to the complications of diabetes. I have difficulty breathing when I over-exert myself and for the past four months I've been dealing with an ulcer on the side of my foot that probably will require surgery to remove some bones since I'm in danger of losing the entire callus which could lead to amputation of one or two toes.

is there ... it's called Cha Cha Cha, awesome Caribbean/Cuban cuisine. Been eating there since the late 80's. Plus I've been to the neighborhood many times just to trip around starting around 1983. Also been to Haight St Fair a few times, very fun. It's not quite the hippy mecca anymore but it's still pretty damn cool. When the Dead were in town though, prior to Jerry's passing ... THEN it would become like it was in the 1960's.

You definitely need to go, in fact, you should spend at least 4-5 days in the Bay Area. If you ever make it out, let me know ... I know many places you gotta see/eat at/experience in and around SF.

Sorry bout your foot, that sounds awful. Hope things work out there

PS this beach doesn't suck to visit ... not really for sunbathing (it's rarely all that warm here) but just to walk along and take in the sights ...

https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1509817312789-ad718caba3b2

Also ... you really should try to make it to Hawaii one time

but I doubt that I'll ever get out there. I've only flown twice--once was to a convention and the other time was to Florida. When I went on that business trip to Florida, it was a few months after 9/11. I lost my wallet a few weeks before so I was missing my photo ID and I had a difficult time getting through security. I did have a work ID with my photo along with my suitcase and briefcase. The security agents kept feeling my butt so much at every checkpoint that it felt like I was at a gay bar.