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magidI took the Chinatown bus to NYC for the first time this weekend, and it was a mixed sort of experience.
On the way down, the bus was at a different address than the one on the web site, a couple of blocks away on a different street. The guy checked my printout of the ticket, didn't ask for ID, and I got onto what looked like an already-packed bus; I was surprised at how many people fit on after me. I grabbed an aisle seat near the front, and squeezed into the seat. This was tricky because (a) the person in front of me had already tilted her seat back, and (b) the distance from one seat to the next wasn't quite sufficient for me to fit. In fact, I couldn't sit straight in the seat at all, so I had to diagonalize the whole way. On the plus side, not driving meant I could read my library book and not deal with traffic. It took us 4.5 hours, without a rest stop, since we hit traffic around New Haven, the Throg's Neck Bridge, and the LIE. Still, uncomfortable enough that I wasn't sure I'd use it again.
On the way back, we got in line more than the suggested half hour early, and it was good that we did, since there was a mob of people. This time my ID was checked, and the woman said I should've gone to the booth to be checked in. There was no way for me to have known this, however. Once we got on the bus, I was happy to find that the distance between seats was noticeably greater (perhaps 3 inches?), and I could sit comfortably, which made all the difference. Again, there was traffic, but not nearly as much. The bus driver took a few unexplained brief detours (going through a hotel parking lot once) without stopping, which I found mysterious. This time the trip was closer to 4 hours. And sitting with a friend is much nicer than traveling alone, too.
Final verdict: I'd use the bus again, as long as I buy tickets in advance and can show up early enough to get a seat I can fit into. Especially since I can't beat the price using any other means of transportation.
On the way down, the bus was at a different address than the one on the web site, a couple of blocks away on a different street. The guy checked my printout of the ticket, didn't ask for ID, and I got onto what looked like an already-packed bus; I was surprised at how many people fit on after me. I grabbed an aisle seat near the front, and squeezed into the seat. This was tricky because (a) the person in front of me had already tilted her seat back, and (b) the distance from one seat to the next wasn't quite sufficient for me to fit. In fact, I couldn't sit straight in the seat at all, so I had to diagonalize the whole way. On the plus side, not driving meant I could read my library book and not deal with traffic. It took us 4.5 hours, without a rest stop, since we hit traffic around New Haven, the Throg's Neck Bridge, and the LIE. Still, uncomfortable enough that I wasn't sure I'd use it again.
On the way back, we got in line more than the suggested half hour early, and it was good that we did, since there was a mob of people. This time my ID was checked, and the woman said I should've gone to the booth to be checked in. There was no way for me to have known this, however. Once we got on the bus, I was happy to find that the distance between seats was noticeably greater (perhaps 3 inches?), and I could sit comfortably, which made all the difference. Again, there was traffic, but not nearly as much. The bus driver took a few unexplained brief detours (going through a hotel parking lot once) without stopping, which I found mysterious. This time the trip was closer to 4 hours. And sitting with a friend is much nicer than traveling alone, too.
Final verdict: I'd use the bus again, as long as I buy tickets in advance and can show up early enough to get a seat I can fit into. Especially since I can't beat the price using any other means of transportation.
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Date: 2004-05-17 12:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-17 12:37 pm (UTC)Interestingly, near where we got on at the Boston end there was a woman handing out fliers for Peter Pan or some other more mainstream bus, with a special price of $15 each way. I wonder how much the Chinatown competition has bitten into their business.