2/19/2009

NY with Style

Posted by Andrew | Labels:

I am currently on the bus from Washington DC to New York City. In the last year, DC has seen a proliferation of bus services from here to the Big Apple, with buses leaving every half hour or so. The increase in competition has been fantastic for us passengers.

Last year, I took the bus between the two cities in the summer. Known as the China Town bus, this service reminded me a bit of the chicken buses I have taken previously in Guatemala - cramped, hot, smelly and no guarantee of arriving at your destination at the scheduled arrival time. The first time I took it, the route was supposed to take four hours; it took seven. For whatever reason, the driver decided to stop a second time in DC, then downtown Maryland, then Philadelphia, then New Jersey, and finally New York (and of course a few smoke/bathroom breaks in between) No services, no amenities, only the comfort of your neighbor's knees and shoulders in your lap and face.

Thank god for economic competition.

I am now riding one of the multiple bus services between these East Coast cities. Most of the routes are now express routes, direct to New York taking roughly 3 1/2 or 4 hours. Trying to get an edge on the competition, the bus services started offering free wi-fi to customers. A great service, but the battery of my aging computer only lasts a little under two hours. Then I found Bolt Bus (I'm not being paid by them seriously).

Sitting here on the 7:30 pm bus, ten empty seats around me as I spread my legs out drinking my coffee. Free fast wi-fi the entire ride, and best of all, each seat has its own outlet to plug your computer into. It would be perfect to watch a movie, read the latest news, chat with friends, and listen to music. The only problem is, all week, knowing that I would have wi-fi and an outlet on the bus, made me procrastinate on my 12-page paper due Tuesday... so I have an exhilarating ride ahead of me critiquing post-colonial nationalist literature on the Middle East.

Hmmm, maybe I'll take the China Town bus next time. It may smell like yesterday's leftovers, but at least I will have an excuse not to work on my paper.

1 comments:

Bruce Kratky said...

BOLT BUS IS THE FUTURE! Great adventure and another reason to support the capitalistic ethos. A bit of competition is a great thing and private enterprise is much more reactive and constructive to economic change than are government run programs. I am sure the spike in bus ridership is directly related to fuel costs and folks wanting to save on that very often run route. Hey, we need computers, we need comfort, we need efficiency, we need safety, so what can you do for us. Well, general public, we entraprenuers will give you the latest in technology (mobile high speed Internet), good seats, swift and clean bus, non-stop routes, and opportunity for you to get your work done instead of having to drive yourself. Cool. In the mean time we may even make a profit. Oh, Amtrac is there, but it loses billions every year.

I wonder why you are going to New York? I would love to be there with you. Be careful. It is a big, big town and can be mean to some. I would like to get a tour of the United Nations building if I were there. That would be interesting. Never seen it. I've only been to New York once and that was 1964. Did the torch on Liberty Island, did the Empire State Building, and the World's Fair. It was a great time. Met the biggest cock roach in the world sleeping in my roll away bed at the Manhattan Hotel in Harlem. The folks there were wondering why a family such as ourselves was staying at that particular hotel. I guess my dad didn't read the fine print only that the price was right! LOL.

Be safe. Get your work done. Keep us posted.

6:27 PM  

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