{"podcast":{"title":"The People You Meet in Old Town","slug":"the-people-you-meet-in-old-town-7757824","podcast_index_feed_id":7757824,"rss_url":"https://api.riverside.fm/hosting/RPA8yjwX.rss","website_url":"https://peopleyoumeetinoldtown.com","image_url":"https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e8b71bcf-beee-41d1-aae5-75facd80eac0/logos/7b0b8321-a795-4cb8-895b-5d9d87fc10de.png","author":"Jane Khodos Beyer","episode_count":9,"summary":"The People You Meet in Old Town Alexandria goes beyond the postcard version of Old Town to explore the lives of the people who make this community truly special. Hosted by Alexandria local Jane Khodos Beyer, the podcast features conversations with entrepreneurs, leaders, and luminaries, public servants, volunteers, creatives, and neighbors who make life in Old Town a joy.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-12T04:17:47.234860+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-people-you-meet-in-old-town-7757824"},"episode":{"title":"On the Right Track: Railroads, Aging in Place & Dr. Seuss","slug":"on-the-right-track-railroads-aging-in-place-dr-seuss","published_at":"2026-05-07T22:26:31+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-people-you-meet-in-old-town-7757824/on-the-right-track-railroads-aging-in-place-dr-seuss","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-people-you-meet-in-old-town-7757824","url":"https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/b3cf5eeb785b53ca6096b4dddef7998dabff5c7d80d8e4617f6f1083e9d6d1f5/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiIzOTcyZWYxZS0yNDhjLTQxOTEtODQxOS0zOTdiODY2YzUwMDQiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiJlOGI3MWJjZi1iZWVlLTQxZDEtYWFlNS03NWZhY2Q4MGVhYzAiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2OWE4OTM5ODgzOTA0OGQ3ZjY5ZDBiNzUiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNjlmZDEzYWU5YzMyMDJlY2QwMzA2YzU2L2phbmVzLXN0dWRpby1SRjRBSi1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTUtOF9fMC0zNS0yNi5tcDMifQ==.mp3","audio_url":"https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/b3cf5eeb785b53ca6096b4dddef7998dabff5c7d80d8e4617f6f1083e9d6d1f5/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiIzOTcyZWYxZS0yNDhjLTQxOTEtODQxOS0zOTdiODY2YzUwMDQiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiJlOGI3MWJjZi1iZWVlLTQxZDEtYWFlNS03NWZhY2Q4MGVhYzAiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2OWE4OTM5ODgzOTA0OGQ3ZjY5ZDBiNzUiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNjlmZDEzYWU5YzMyMDJlY2QwMzA2YzU2L2phbmVzLXN0dWRpby1SRjRBSi1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTUtOF9fMC0zNS0yNi5tcDMifQ==.mp3","summary":"Ever wondered what's actually on that two-mile-long train rolling through town? Chriss Nielsen has spent 30 years as a freight rail economist and she ended up there entirely by accident. In this episode, she breaks down how goods move across America, why your Amazon package probably crossed three states by rail, and what AI might mean for driverless trains. Then Chriss shares her other passion: At Home in Alexandria, a village-style nonprofit helping neighbors age in place, including the 92-year-old she drives to the gym every Wednesday. Oh, and she grew up trick-or-treating at Dr. Seuss's house. 00:00 Welcome to Old Town 00:56 Book Club Beginnings 03:39 From Temp to Rail 05:52 Rate Cases Explained 07:49 Rail vs Trucks 10:40 Deregulation Debate 13:05 Big Railroads Today 14:59 Future of Freight 16:53 AI and Driverless Trains 19:46 Amtrak vs Freight 21:04 Amtrak vs Freight Priority 22:46 Why US Rail Lags Europe 23:41 High Speed Rail Reality 25:38 Best Rail Systems Today 26:32 Transit Subsidies Debate 27:23 At Home in Alexandria 28:14 Village Services Explained 31:40 Volunteer Story at the Y 32:58 Dr Seuss Connection 36:38 Lightning Round Favorites 37:42 Markets and Monopoly 38:11 Seuss Railroad Rhyme 38:40 Final Thanks and Wrap Around Old Town - places mentioned in this episode: Fresh Baguette: 1101 King St | freshbaguette.net | IG: @freshbaguette Principle Gallery: 208 King St | principlegallery.com | IG: @principlegallery At Home in Alexandria (AHA): 3139 Mt. Vernon Ave | athomeinalexandria.org | IG: @athomeinalexandria Email us at podcast@peopleyoumeetinoldtown.com . To stay up to date with The People You Meet In Old Town, and get all the behind-the-scenes content, follow us on Instagram , YouTube , Apple podcasts and Spotify . If you enjoyed this episode, please subs…","meta_description":"Ever wondered what's actually on that two-mile-long train rolling through town? Chriss Nielsen has spent 30 years as a freight rail economist and she ende…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2355,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-people-you-meet-in-old-town-7757824/episodes/on-the-right-track-railroads-aging-in-place-dr-seuss/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-people-you-meet-in-old-town-7757824/on-the-right-track-railroads-aging-in-place-dr-seuss.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}