Buses are Never Boring

Buses are usually not my thing. Growing up I did not ride buses that often - cars, trains and planes were my usual modes of transportation. In college, I took the train to/from Marymount until I got a car. While Amtrak is not great, it got me where I needed to go. One time I decided to take Greyhound from Albany to NYC on my way to visit Liz. Let me tell you - I was one and done with Greyhound! It was extremely crowded, smelly and I thought I was going to be mugged the entire way. Armed with too many bags (do you see a theme here?) and my pair of ice skates, I nearly bounded off the bus into Penn Station. Who would have thought that Penn Station, where homeless people live and commuters rush through daily would be a welcome oasis? As I rushed to my commuter train, I decided that I was taking Amtrak home.

Just this past July in San Francisco, I decided to try the bus again. The concierge assured me it was the quickest way to get to the restaurant in rush hour. I was too exhausted to walk, had already deposited my car in overnight parking and was contemplating a taxi. I hopped on the crowded bus and not 2 blocks later, a really drunk man got on the bus and decided to drop his pants. Really? Could he have not waited for the next bus?

Buses in Europe are so much different. I went every where in Geneva on a bus. I went downtown and all around, I was able to navigate all over, even without a total command of the French language. In Monaco, Ben and I boarded a bus with no destination and toured Monte Carlo. Once we figured out which direction we were going (after about an hour), we reversed directions and got back to the hotel.

No smelly people, no safety issues, no naked people! I like European buses, but don't expect me to spend much time on any in the U.S.!