ever taken a greyhound bus across country{USA}? looking for advice

I'm no fan of Amtrak, but one good thing the ticket will let you get off and then get back on a day or sometime later if you do need a break to get a room, shower etc. Check it first tho

True story.

Took an Amtrak south with a friend from NYC area to Gainesville Fl. We were in the last car. A little over halfway there and it was nighttime and it was cold in our car, so I went a few cars up to the dining car and found the steward person or whatever you call them on a train.

Told her our car was freezing cold, everyone was complaining. She looked at me like I was a huge annoyance but I didn't budge. So she says she'll take care of it.

I go back to my seat and eventually I see her come through the door to our car and futz around with something then leave. I can feel some heat entering the car. It was late and people were glad.

Next thing I know I am waking up in the middle of the night but I can barely open my eyes. I feel real heavy and short of breath, like I am still dreaming or something. I realize I am drenched in sweat. I feel a little dizzy and like I am going to fall back asleep but I force myself to stay awake. Everything is in slow motion. I realize it must be well over 90 degrees in the car. I try to get up from my seat and barely have the energy to do so. I force myself up and stumble up the aisle. I shake my friend and another person by the shoulder but they won't wake up. I try to yell but my voice is weak and slurring. So I finally stumble up to the front of the car and feel the heat pouring out of the front heater and realize the bitch shut the vent over the door. The car was hermetically sealed and the door was LOCKED!

This was like 15 years ago but I will never forget the feeling. I thought everyone in the car was unconscious or dead. At the time I was in great shape and athletic so I figure that is why I made it as far as I did. With my last strength I was pounding on the door until someone from the car ahead heard it and opened the door from the joining vestibule. The cool fresh air rushed in and was like life itself. I kept the door open for a long time to flood the car with oxygen before I could start rousing people.

I told my friend what happened after he woke up drenched in sweat and feeling weak. He was PISSED. The funny thing is some people started waking up and complaining about the cold air! They had no idea that some fat Amtrak bitch just tried to kill them.

I opened the vent and eventually closed the door. Couldn't really sleep after that. The next day the train comes to a stop in the middle of freaking nowhere Georgia in a huge field surrounded by trees. Something about problems with the track and the next stop is only a few miles ahead. Sitting there for an hour and Alan says f-this. We walk off the train in and just start walking into the woods. He's got alot of money and he was ready to do whatever. We walk a few miles and find a small town that has an Enterprise car rental. Rented a car and drove the rest of the way.

Oh, and the food SUCKED.

Christ, no way. Try Delta First Class for the win.

WHERE are you starting from and WHERE are you going?

MEGABUS is what you want to check on.

If you are in the LA area take Megabus if heading East. Or if anywhere in the East and are heading to the LA area take Megabus west.

Unfortunately Megabus does NOT serve most of the West Coast ... but it really is the QUALITY bus service option if you are anywhere where they serve.

EXPRESS BUS service direct from city to city which means you don't have to stop at every little town or bus stop. Many of their busses are of the double decker variety too.

On most mid distant routes they are almost as fast as driving it yourself, and they are reasonably priced.

There are also "charter" bus services going to most city pairs in the US ... which are also fast and relatively inexpensive, but beware THAT is the service used by poor immigrants so those busses can be crowded and not not as comfortable as Megabus. They ARE however the cheapest option out there most of the time. You really have to look hard to find these busses since they don't do much advertising and do NOT pick up and drop off at your local bus station, but they are reliable. OH ... and they usually run OVERNIGHT ... NOT during the day (the poor folks can not afford to lose a day of work so they travel overnight, NOT during the day)

(from my city they run overnight runs to a number of large cities that are 300 to 700 miles away ... and I swear they get there FASTER than I could drive it myself!!)

MEGABUS ... check them out and see if they match up with where you are starting from and go to where you are going.

just went back and saw this.... you maverick with the appropriate subculture references on point....

I am taking this question seriously.

I just checked the system is still broken.
I was going to say if you must do a bus use boltbus or the other three nice college kid buses. Nice bathrooms, wifi, airplane seats. By spring they may be back up running.

Greyhound is for people who are not allowed on planes, illegals, druggies, crazies. Flying is usually cheaper. The college kid busses only go to big cities and can be cheaper than grayhound.

Try for a ride share. Back until about 6 years ago when I needed a vacation I would drive RV or cars cross county. Old folks and rich folks would drive one-way and realize the trip back was too much and hire someone to drive it back. I would be temporarily put on their insurance. I got those gigs because I would also do that with sailboats.
The owner would at least pay expenses. Putting the car on a hauler is about $1 a mile and a big RV can be big bucks.

Ride share can be quick and crazy. I can remember driver swapping across country, sleeping in the seat, and going cross country in 3 days.

Amtrak goes from Sacramento to Boston for about $50 more.

Hey


1/ going cross country is one of the
greatest things you

2/ you can smoke herb @ one of many 5 to 10 minute major bus stops
and when they stop for fuel

3/ but then drive alone back to west coast
by way of a rented car

That’s the journey

Did it 3 times in my 20’s

Enjoy

I experienced some dude reading his 'poetry' out loud for hours until the driver told him to STFU.
And black guys openly hitting on underage girls who were travelling alone.
Homeless women in the terminals with period blood/urine running down their legs.
And screaming babies.
Sometimes screaming adults.

i expect that type of thing to decrease rapidly as i leave eureka.. you dont even know the half of it dude. its a third world country here, the economy has collapsed and people are psychos.

The Sacramento to Chicago run is something else. The train stopped at a dinky depot in the middle of the night and hookers came on board.
After an hour or two, the train stopped again at some outpost and the hookers departed, lol. For the regulars I guess.

Private Security guards in Terminals

I love your avatar.

Greyhound company not some back water operation

true its not like im taking a fung-wah with an elevated risk of mortality to passengers

Heheh

You will enjoy the trip...You will have the arrival time when you depart...
They keep tight schedules

Just checked ... looks like Megabus cut their service coverage area quite dramatically with CV19.

"IF" you are coming out of San Francisco /Sacramento and heading to Boston seriously consider Amtrack.

From Sacramento it is straight through to Denver (via Reno) before you need to change trains, though it is a LONG trip ... then from Denver straight through to Chicago. Once in Chicago it is straight through to NYC, at which time you can take the train the rest of the way up to Boston or one of the many bus lines.

I haven't checked the cost but Amtrack runs some great prepurchase sales now and then though the "walk up pricing" can be a LOT worse than flying the airlines.

Have fun!!

Bring weed for the stops or a vape pen.. listen to music, podcasts.. read. I always have a chilled out time whenever I have taken long greyhound trips.

Fuck no, take an amtrack go in style. A bus for real? You realize how fucking disgusting and retarded that is?

oh even if they are a bit late, i know, its gonna be a fun time right? its all in the perspective anyway... this thread has offered great insight so far that, at least now, we know what a cross country bus trip might be like, and the associated warnings

Smoke alarms in the toilets

They aren't more than 15 minutes late

They're kinda run by BLM now, so not like you may remember

true fact. therefore, gummy thc candy will be needed in abundance and i have planned ahead for that.

you can get around any smoke dector but im not looking to have any problems whatsoever

Last Edited by Plato II on 03/09/2021 10:47 PM

Good plan

Good luck. Books. An impervious but not confrontational demeanor. Aloof...but not superior.

I've done Louisiana to Wisconsin at 21 years old. Yuck.

Took one to Mexico with my mom when I was a kid.

We went to visit her family and no one else wanted to go.

It was boring as hell for a little kid but, whatever...

aloof but not superior,...that is the definition of grey man,
well-stated there :)

hey, it was a coin toss between going full incognito or grab an orange blanket and shave my head

because you know nobody would ever fuck with a buddhist.... even criminals are too woke for that. or i could keep the hair, do a top knot, go commando the entire way, which would help cut down on the ball sweat factor.(actual issue to consider)

Took a bus from AL to NYC during my army days....never again....someone blew up the toilet and it reeked for hours, fat woman seatmate slept on my shoulder and drooled on my uniform....bus made stops at every one traffic light towns...26 hrs of misery....