Letters: Santa Barbara train and language learning

Catch the train

Great article and information on hotels and restaurants and general Santa Barbara ambience [“Eat. Sleep. Play. Santa Barbara,” Jan. 13]. Still . . . what were you thinking when you left out the train? In this era of greenhouse gases, high gas prices and congested freeways, you neglected to mention that Amtrak has a station close to key places along State Street and Cabrillo Boulevard.

--Carl Schiermeyer, Long Beach

Smart talk

Thanks to both Susan Spano and Elliott Hester for extolling the joy and hard work of learning languages [“How Do You Say, ‘I’m Lost?,’ ” Jan. 6]. The older I get, the more I appreciate having learned some languages besides English.

I’ve found that even a 100-word vocabulary goes a long way for any traveler. My wife gets by pretty well in Mexico on the Spanish she learned in school.

I hope your articles inspire lots of your readers to give languages their attention. The benefits certainly justify the hard work of learning.

--Andrew Young, San Diego

Wasteful ways

Regarding “Will Your Favorite Hotel Get Greener?” [Travel Insider, Jan. 13]: Efforts in California and other states are admirable. Have you been to Las Vegas recently? Thousands of hotel rooms with linens changed every single day, no recycling and a wasteful attitude in general.

--Cheryl Kohr, Redondo Beach