Bus Bazaar Lee: Pennsylvania to New York

Taking the bus has never been so exotic.

Why travel by bus? Planes are faster, trains are bigger and cars more personalized – yet, I chose bus over all other means to take the hours-long journey from my hometown near Greensburg, Pennsylvania to my new home in New York City. It’s entirely true that I expected the worst out of my trip: luggage too heavy and large to fit under the Greyhound bus, agonizing hours with restricted opportunities to stand up and stretch, and the biggest dread of any traveler, a nasty flat tire. 

If anything, however, I was proved wrong the minute I handed my ticket to the driver, who, with a friendly smile and lovable Queens accent, asked if I’d like to take my luggage on the bus with me or place it underneath with the others. I looked from the unwieldy fifty-something pound suitcase to the all-too-happy-for-the-morning-hour driver, and realized he wasn’t having me on.

After I had my luggage secured away, I boarded and sank into an incredibly cozy seat in the middle and, with some surprise, stretched my legs out so far that I felt I was reclining in a Laz-E Boy.

While I wish I could say I took full advantage of the outlet in which to plug my computer, I drifted off into an undisturbed two-hour-long sleep as snow-covered trees and isolated Pennsylvania mountain homes whizzed on by.