4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rail-riding retiree takes no prisoners, March 6, 2008
This review is from: Tin Lizard Tales: Reflections from a Train (Paperback)
Author Schuyler Wallace is an ex-paramedic and retired fire chief who, with wife Carol, sets out on a 30-day railway transit of the United States and Canada using the North American Rail Pass. Both are in their eighth decade; Schuyler lacks rose-colored glasses and Carol is short on bladder capacity. TIN LIZARD TALES is Wallace's narrative of the journey. The book is written:
"FOR CAROL: Wife, best friend, and fantastic traveling companion."
Any man with such a pal is blessed beyond measure.
The couple's odyssey takes them from their home in Bakersfield (CA) to Sacramento, across the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Rockies to Fort Morgan (CO), onwards to Naperville (IL) and Chicago, Erie (PA), New York City, Washington (DC), Niagara Falls, Toronto, back west across Canada through Sudbury and Edmonton to Vancouver (BC), then home via Seattle, Portland and Sacramento. A route map, which would have added a nice visual element, is, sadly, not included.
The primary destinations of interest, based on the amount of dedicated text, were Chicago, New York, Washington, Niagara Falls, and Toronto. The author took voluminous notes along the way, which allowed him to describe their perambulations in those places almost step by step as well as their meals dish by dish. Both Schuyler and Carol like their chow.
Through much of TIN LIZARD TALES, Wallace expounds upon places and things he admires or likes: the Central Pacific's building of the RR across the Sierra Nevada range, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, the Naperville Riverwalk, the evolution of the Pullman car, General MacArthur's farewell address to the West Point cadets, the construction of the World Trade Center, a boat trip circumnavigating Manhattan Island, the Empire State Building, Sing Sing Prison, the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame, the Hudson's Bay Company, and West Edmonton Mall. But, being the occasional curmudgeon, Wallace also excoriates locales, situations, and people he finds objectionable: Excel Corporation's past scandals at its Fort Morgan beef packing plant, chicken processing in general, 19th century life for Chicago's stockyard workers, the Chicago Black Sox Scandal, New York's Easter Parade, Amtrak's bad service, the mass marketing of prescription drugs by the pharmaceutical companies, pollution along the Hudson River, society's inability to grapple with the problem of the homeless, the reality shows "Jackass" and "Bumfights", and Howard Stern, whom Wallace calls "a despicable human being." If nothing else, Schuyler is gloriously opinionated. I like that a lot.
The author's writing style is reflective of one who, as a former fire chief, probably wrote many administrative reports. While not demonstrating the relaxed casualness of my favorite travel writer, Bill Bryson, it's solid and determined. And, while Bryson's pervasive humor suggests a puzzled smile and a cocked eyebrow, Schuyler's, when it occasionally surfaces, is wryly sarcastic.
TIN LIZARD TALES is Wallace's first book. The fact that it's as engaging, entertaining, and instructive as it is demonstrates that its author is a tremendously intelligent and literate man. I hope that Schuyler enjoys a long and healthy retirement with the urge and opportunity to write more.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
AN HONESTLY WRITTEN BOOK. I LOVED THIS ONE. VERY ENJOYABLE!, February 24, 2008
This review is from: Tin Lizard Tales: Reflections from a Train (Paperback)
What an interesting, enjoyable and honest read. I stress the honest part, because unlike so many "travel books" I read, here the author has told it like it is, sort of the good, the bad and the ugly kind of thing. Mr. Wallace, a retired Fire Chief and his wife set out on a journey across the United States, from the West Coast to the East, and then back again through Canada, traveling via train. Apparently the author and, I assume his wife, are in their seventies, which is pretty near my age, so I could certainly relate. Anyway, this is the story of their journey and as the title of the book would reflect, the author's reflections.
It is sort of difficult to tag this book and place it in a particular genre. It is indeed a travel log, yet it is also the story of an adventure of two people. It is also a series of mini-historical lessons as the author lets us know a bit about each place they visit or pass through. This must have taken a great amount of hard work and research, and being a trivia fan, I loved ever word of it. It is also a commentary on the state of our country at this time, looking through the eyes of an individual who has obviously seen a lot in his life time. The author also makes some wonderful observations concerning his fellow travelers, the condition of the country side, and the services which were to be had here and there, or the lack of service, as the case may be. Mr. Wallace has an acute sense of humor and it shines through story after story. He is also a wonderful observer and his description of the country side is some of the best descriptive writing I've come across in quite some time.
I liked this book. I like travel books, books that tell me something, give me information and entertain me. I could not ask for more with this offering. It is well written, well organized and easy to read and follow. The author, while not always being absolutely politically correct, dose call things the way he sees them and says it the way it should be said. Not much mincing of words found here. I find this very refreshing. I also like trains (there is a bit of little boy in all of us, you know) and found his commentary quite educational. Having ridden trains in the U.S. during from the early 1950s, to trains in Europe and the Mid-East, I have some familiarity with traveling via this mode so I was able to relate too much of what the author recorded. This was nice as there are few books out there where travel is done by train anymore.
Another reason I appreciated this book, was its honest observations of train travel. My wife and I have been contemplating a similar trip. After reading this, I do not think we will be traveling via Amtrak anytime soon. I have to agree with another reviewer. Amtrak officials should give this one a close read and heed the author's observations, if they want to stay viable into the next decade or so.
Thank you Mr. Wallace, for giving us a very personal, touching and entertaining read. I Loved ever word of it. Very much recommend this one.
Don Blankenship
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