Highways

Penn State alum Scott Oglesby is the Webmaster of kurumi.com, which was probably the second major "road geek" site out there. Kurumi focuses on 3 digit interstate highways and Connecticut roads, in a fun and witty way. He also has some popular features like his Java powered signmaker, as well as some fiction and opinion. His call to arms, "go out and hack something" has been cited by many subsequent sites as their inspiration.

Pennsylvania Highways by Jeff Kitsko. I spend a lot of time in Pennsylvania so this site is naturally of interest. Kitsko includes guide sign and traffic signal galleries.

Roads to the Future by Scott Kozel, focuses on Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and SE Pennsylvania highways and mass-transit. The research is excellent as are the photographs, many of which are decades old.

aaroads.com is maintained by Andy Field and Alex Nitzman and goes in depth on all interstate highways as well as Congressional High Priority Corridors. Also includes lots of photos from their many road trips.

njsignals.com is about traffic signals in the Garden State. I have always thought that Jersey had the most interesting and attractive traffic signals and this site certainly supports this claim.

Comrade Yamamoto Experience by C.C. Slater. All I will say is that this is a road geek page gone GONZO!

Mass transit

nycsubway.org is an extensive tribute to the nation's largest rapid-transit system with an enormus about of history and photographs to digest. Also, the site includes transit systems in the New York area and throughout the world, including D.C.'s Metro.

WMATA, or Metro as it is known in the region, is now the second largest subway system in the nation. While it is sterile compared to the subways of New York and Boston, it is a good system that has dramatically improved the D.C. area since it began in 1976. The initial system was completed a few years ago and has already expanded. Although I do not currently use it for commuting, due to my job outside the Beltway, moving near Metro was vital to choosing a place to live when I went out on my own. My first Metro experience was the grand opening of the Orange Line to Vienna, my hometown. I know live in Pentagon City, which is served by the Blue and Yellow lines.

MTA New York City Transit the official site of America's best and most important subway.

PATH - Port Authority Trans-Hudson. When I would visit New York City, a frequent daytrip during my two years at Penn State Hazleton, I would park in Hoboken or Jersey City and take the PATH Tubes up to 33rd Street. One new year's eve I ran into an old acquaintance riding back into Jersey from the City. See more at nycsubways.org.

NJ Transit is one of the largest commuter railroads in the U.S. I have used it a number of times over the last twenty years to go to New York City. This system is woven into the fabric of New Jersey life with many towns oriented around their train stations. See more at nycsubways.org.

MARC is Maryland's commuter railroad. I think I have only used it once (the Camden Line), to see the first (exhibition) Game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The train had problems and we got their in the second inning. MARC has a total of three lines serving D.C. and Baltimore and going as far out as Martinsburg, W Va. and Aberdeen, Md. See more at nycsubways.org.

MTA Light Rail serves Baltimore. Erica and I visited Baltimore in 2003 and used this to get in and out of Charm City. We parked in the suburbs and used it to get back and forth, which worked out well. Outside of the city, it runs along seperate grade, inside the city, it is on the streets. See more at nycsubways.org.

VRE is Virginia Railroad Express. I have never used VRE, but I hear it whistling from my apartment. One of these days, I will have to take a ride just to see what it is like. The Web site is very railfan-friendly.

Boston's The "T" - Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, America's first subway. Erica and I used the T, especially the Green Line (actually a trolley) when we visited Boston for three days in the fall of 2004. It has a lot of character, and got us everywhere we needed and wanted to go. We also took the Blue, Orange, and Red lines. You can see more at nycsubway.org's Boston site.

Société de transport de Montréal - . Erica and I used Métro, especially the Green Line when we visited Montréal for a 1.5 days in the fall of 2004. Every stop is unique, which is interesting. The trains also run on rubber wheels instead of rails and the whole system is underground. We enjoyed using it and I should have gotten a souvenir. You can see more at nycsubway.org's Montréal site.