The Forgotten Joy of Riding a Trolley

We were in New Orleans  last week and stayed in a hotel a block from the St. Charles Street trolley. It's a great deal: $3.00 for a day pass, $1.25 per ride or $.40 per ride for seniors.

 
I can't remember riding on a real trolley since the days my mom would take us down to the Fairgrounds where we'd catch a trolley that brought us all the way to downtown Detroit and Hudsons, Crowley and a huge Kresge.
This trolley ride was our first and it was a beautiful day, high 70's and low 80's so all the side windows were open and the driver's window opened by sliding down into the framework.
From what I could tell, turning his controller clockwise added speed and counter clockwise would let the trolley coast, and pushing it further, made it stop. The bell was used to alert pedestrians and cars that they needed to be aware that a trolley was coming and they needed to get out of the way.
What a great way to travel. We took it to both ends of the line: past the Garden District and universities in one direction and down to Canal Street and the French Quarter in the other.
Late in the day it becomes quite crowded.

Too bad nobody likes to use mass transit according to the fiscal scolds.