Bus travel

[Mike]

Anyone have experience with cross country commercial bus travel?

[TheMaster]

I went to Chicago from Birmingham in one. Not sure it is considered cross country.

One of our buses broke down about an hour into the drive and we spent about 4 hours at a mall waiting for another one. I love long rides like that, and always bring cards and stuff to pass the time. Sleeping is also a good way to pass the time.

[Mike]

I don't know that I'm really considering it yet, but a bus from Nebraska to GenCon costs about the same as gas money. If I take the bus, it's twice as many hours, BUT I don't have to do any driving, and I get there at 10am, having slept at least some overnight.

Of course, then someone has to pick me up there, or I arrange for a cab or a rental.

[Tahlvin]

Never took one, though my mother did take one from Madison to Fort Wayne after our youngest child was born. And while I would not really consider taking a bus on a cross country trip, I am considering taking a train for our next cross country trip to Seattle, rather than driving or flying.

[Elle]

I've done it several times in the past and it was fine, but that was a long time ago. Not as pleasant as, say, taking a bus trip with a bunch of sixth graders, but not awful. The bad part is the total slowness of the travel, with which I would have little patience compared to driving my own vehicle. The people are a different mix than you would get on a plane; I would not be excited about going on the bus by myself or with kids for a longer distance as opposed to a direct hop. On the other hand, as I discovered, people will grope you anywhere without warning! It would be nicer if you went with one other person and always could sit next to each other, so there's no concern about sitting next to... well, a groper or the equivalent.

I'm jealous that you're going to GenCon as I would very much enjoy this and it falls at a time of year in 2016 that I could in theory make the trip. I examined availability at a few of the hotels I prefer and discovered they have exactly Zero rooms at that time. So there you go. I'm pondering the possibility of staying somewhere outside of town and just dipping in there for one long day or two. If there was something in that vicinity my mother in law would like to do with a couple of our kids, we could probably haul the whole famdamily along while a few of us make a little GenCon detour. Isn't there some sort of Amish country in the vicinity, or is that NE Ohio I'm thinking of? Is the convention populated with, like, nudity or other unknowns? Could you take a junior high person in there? I saw some THINGS in clips of ComicCon and even that MyLittlePony convention that made me think I would not take a kid along, but maybe this is different? Who knows. I bet it would be really fun; I can't believe I've never gone to one.

By the way, since it seems like people have to make hotel reservations a million years in advance for this thing, let me just say that people who PLAN on going should try to stay at a Drury Inn. They are so awesome. Has anyone ever stayed at one?

[Elle]

[DMDarcs]

We can totally pick you up in the DarcsMobile. Equipped with 8-track AND audio cassette.

[Mike]

It's a thought then.

[Cazmonster]

[Mike]

If Dave's coming for sure, then splitting gas becomes much cheaper.

Looking at Amtrak, for just a few bucks more than that, I can take a train to Chicago, but then they transfer me to a bus for six hours to Indy.

[DMDarcs]

[Bluedevyl]

[Cazmonster]

During my college years, I would bus from home to school. It was pretty chill. Granted, that was only a couple of hours, but getting to ride and doze on a Sunday night was okay.

[Elle]