I do not consider myself to be particularly high maintenance (if anyone I've dated wants to chime in here, knock yourself out). That said, I have my limits. I hereby declare that I will no longer take any bus except for the one between Boston and Portland, Maine. NEVER AGAIN. I stopped taking buses after a heinous Greyhound experience over Fourth of July weekend when I was in law school, but have now been convinced twice to take the Bolt Bus, once to Boston and once back from DC.
Don't get me wrong. The Bolt Bus is lovely, particularly compared to Greyhound all those years ago. Yes, it's sooooo much cheaper than Amtrak. Yes, there's wifi, which I am taking advantage of as I write this. It's clean. The drivers are nice. But. But I get headaches on the bus. I can't read on the bus. I hate the bathroom on the bus so I don't drink water and am thirsty for hours on end. There is inevitably traffic, so it takes longer than it's supposed to to reach your destination. The train, in contrast, is pleasant. It rocks me to sleep. The bathrooms are, well, nicer than the one on the bus. There are snacks on the train. And booze. And no traffic. Even if there are delays, there are snacks and booze, which makes up for the delays. And it is worth EVERY DAMN PENNY to take the train to DC or Boston rather than the bus if at all possible.
At least it's worth it to me, given the fact that I am now officially high maintenance.
I don't think you officially qualify as high maintenance until you start demanding that other people pay for your train ticket.
Posted by: zoot | January 31, 2010 at 03:55 AM
Not high maintenance. Just normal. The train is the way to go. Far better than the plane, as well, even if it means getting up before dawn for a NY morning meeting.
Posted by: Steven Schulman | January 31, 2010 at 09:34 AM