I’m headed to New Hampshire for the weekend to go zip lining, leaf peeping, and hiking on the Appalachian Trail. The drive to Boston is one of my least favorites. Once you hit the Garden State Parkway, it becomes a free for all through the armpit of NJ, then on to NY (where anything goes), CT (where no one knows how to drive) and finally MA (where drivers are referred to as “Mass-Holes”). Six weeks ago I drove to Boston on my way to Maine and I wasn’t eager to do it again. Fortunately, my friend has class at UMass this morning and agreed to pick me up at South Station. From there, we’ll continue on to Woodstock, NH.
This is my first long bus ride and I didn’t know what to expect.
Departure: 6:45AM, 30th Street Station
The sun was coming up along I-95 as we passed through the city. It was quiet and most of the passengers were sleeping.
Layover: 8:30AM, Newark NJ
This is where it gets interesting...
I set my bag on the empty seat, closed my eyes and kept my fingers crossed that no one would sit next to me.
Loud people began making their way down the aisle, then it smelled like the cosmetics counter at Macy’s, but I kept my eyes shut. I heard a man speaking in another language and thought that my reprieve had ended, but he chose another seat. We departed from Penn Station and I was in the clear.
The Bolt Bus smells like (in no particular order) fried chicken, a ham sandwich, bad perfume, bubble gum, oranges, Doritos and nasty hand sanitizer every time someone uses the bathroom (as a side note, peeing while riding on the bus is not an easy task).
I can’t say that I am necessarily looking forward to my return trip, but $56 is a bargain to let someone else deal with shitty drivers. And, as an added bonus,I heard a half hour long story about natural child birth under the care of a midwife.
I am writing this on the Bolt Bus, which has, at no additional charge, insanely slow Wi-Fi. Three more hours until South Station, hopefully this posts before then.
Photo courtesy of NBH Design
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