Portland, of course, has light rail to the airport. The dilemma for us is that we live a short drive to airport. So short, in fact, that no highways are needed to get there. The resulting time difference, door to door, between driving and public transit is roughly 30 minutes. The car-less trip, which involves taking a bus to the closest train stop, and then a light rail trip which is nowhere close to being the shortest distance between two points, took a respectable 50 minutes yesterday. The benefits, though, are enticing. First, the round trip fare for the three of us is six dollars, a dramatic savings over the $40 parking tab. Second, the train delivers you right to the terminal. The alternative, as with most airports, is long term parking, which is in a remote location and requires waiting for a shuttle bus. Some exposure to elements is typically involved as well. Lastly, you get the psychic benefits so well documented on this site.

The case for public transit is even more open and shut at our destination. Washington has an extensive subway system that arrives at the airport. Plus, for a four day vacation, you face the prospect of renting a car, where the cost and hassle factor in a big city with parking issues, can add up. Short of recruiting a friend to drive you to and from the airport, which would be an imposition on already generous guests, the D.C. Metro is the smart choice.

I have traveled a fair amount, for both business and pleasure, and have used public transportation to access airports in nearly every major U.S. city. In addition to Portland and Washington, below are some of my favorite airport transit systems:

Chicago – Chicago extended the L to O’Hare in the 1980s and to Midway a decade later, demonstrating an unrivaled commitment to airport transit in the U.S. Chicago’s notorious expressway traffic makes predicting travel times between the airports and downtown nearly impossible. The Blue Line to O’Hare and the Orange Line to Midway both offer reliable airport trips in under an hour.

San Francisco – The massive renovation of SFO a few years back extended BART to the airport. The combination of BART and CalTrain commuter trains makes SFO one of the most accessible large airports in the country.

Boston – Logan Airport has been served reliably by the T for a long time. The only drawback is the shuttle bus ride to the terminals, which is actually shorter than it seems.

Los Angeles – Most travelers are surprised to learn that LAX is served by the subway. A ten minute shuttle to the subway stop is involved, but the remainder of the trip downtown is via rail. Total trip takes over an hour, but the cost and unpredictability of driving make this an underrated alternative. The other benefit is that you get to ride through neighborhoods most freeway drivers never see.

New York Kennedy – Another rapidly evolving airport due to the rise of JetBlue, Kennedy recently completed an airport tram connection to the subway. Total time to Manhattan is a little over an hour, but once again the cost and hassle free trip make this arguably the most accessible airport in the New York area.

Atlanta – Atlanta’s commitment to rapid transit in the 1980s is paying dividends with an established network that helps ease growing congestion in the city. Despite its distance from downtown, Atlanta Hartsfield is comfortably served by MARTA, a rail system with similarities to San Fran’s BART and D.C.’s Metro.

Unfortunately, some airports still have some work left to be done. Below is my current hall of shame:

Denver – Denver International Airport is the most pro-sprawl U.S. public works project of the past ten years. Instead of offering a creative solution to fight sprawl, the city basically conceded the battle and outraced developers to the hinterland. As with the new Northwest terminal at Detroit’s Wayne County Airport, Denver focused more on internal transit than on providing alternatives to the 30 mile drive to the airport from downtown.

Dallas – Fort Worth – DFW is another inconveniently located airport on the edge of the suburbs without sufficient public transit options. The Dallas – Fort Worth metro area is a classic car culture metropolis that is nearly impossible to link via rail. The only rail option is this single line service, which doesn't even run on Sundays and requires a ride on a shuttle bus via the remote parking lots. Even if the commitment existed to build additional light rail, the geographic scale of the area would prevent any light rail connections to the airport from achieving a critical mass of riders.

Seattle – Tacoma – Poor Seattle. Seattleites desperately want alternative transit options but the region rarely gets it right. Because of its location and lack of public transit, Sea-Tac generates significant extra car traffic. Light rail tracks are being laid as we speak, so the airport will lose its shameful status shortly. As with all Seattle transit efforts, the solution is not ideal. Work on the airport station has not begun yet, and the airport will rely on a station in nearby Tukwila until the airport station is constructed.

New York LaGuardia – This airport desperately needs a dedicated transit stop at the terminal. New Yorkers have made an art out of getting from Manhattan to LaGuardia in rush hour. Why make it so difficult? Let’s throw some science at the problem with an extension to the airport from one of the various subway lines that run through Queens.

Each visit to one of the great cities of this country should be a unique experience. If you immediately head to the rental car lot and speed away on the highway, every city feels the same. Was it Dallas or Denver? Houston or Detroit? Using public transit helps you connect with the places you visit. When you return home, you will actually be able to remember not only where you were but what you saw.