Amtrak or Greyhound?

[jnantz]

hi john

i am just another voice in the choir, suggesting the train ..
but there is something nice about taking a bus too.
last time i bus'ed, i sat next to someone who was in one of the karate kid
films ... the last time i train'ed, to switch engines in new haven for 2 hours ...
with a screaming kicking kid behind me ...

either way, have fun, and don't forget to use the hobo ( or 5x7 speeder ) out the window

john

[Brian Vuillemenot]

But if it was me, I'd see about a rental car for the whole trip and then have the freedom to go when and where I want. The wife and I were going to Florida and it is about a 900 mile drive each way. We rented a Hyundai Sonata (drives really nice and has XM to boot)that got about 35mpg. Rental for a week with all the tax and fees was about $200. I spent $190 on gas. So $400 for transportation for a week and I covered just over 2000 miles. Pretty cheap. Probably cannot buy any plane or train ticket and get a rental on location for any cheaper.

I second the recommendation to just rent a car and drive from home- it will be the fastest, least expensive, and most convenient way to do a photo trip. You just will have to do some driving, which is easier if you have several drivers. One thing to watch out for is that some rental car companies don't let you take the rented car out of state or contiguous states. For example, I rented a car once in New Mexico, and was only allowed to drive it in New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah, but not California. It's possible now that rental car compnies are installing GPS's in their cars now to track the locations and make sure people don't break the rules. Some will also charge outrageous fees if the car goes over the speed limit! And, or course, beware of all the expensive and unnecessary add-on insurance policies they will try to sell you as well.

[Turner Reich]

$228 for a 2000 mile trip at 35mpg, that's not bad it's cheap these days.

[Jim Rice]

I love Amtrak. Two words: club car.

[David A. Goldfarb]

The train is more comfortable than the bus, as long as it's going where you want to go. the bus goes more places.

It's been a while since I've done long bus trips--maybe 10-15 years, but I did quite a few as a student and never had any problems with it. I think my last was New York-Toronto in grad school, or maybe New York-New Haven, which is pretty civilized by Peter Pan bus, which goes to a lot of college towns in the Northeast.

Train is a good way to get from New York to Philadelphia, Boston, and DC, so I've done those routes over the past several years a number of times.

[eddie]

i took a bus trip from NY to SLC a few years back. it sucked. bus stations are scary in some places. many people ridingthe bus are equally scary.

i have only taken long distance trains while living in thailand. i started out in 3rd class seating (wood bench for two. no head rest.) then moved to fan seating. both pretty much sucked. the thai buses are WAY nicer than those options and the US buses! then i tried fan sleeper car on the train! i was hooked. great stuff. then a few years after that i tried AC sleeper! oh baby! all and all the train is better cause you can walk around, drink at the bar and bring your own food! no driving either way.

eddie

[mclaurin]

I just traveled on the train and rented a car at my destination.

I checked the tripod inside of my baggage. You are allowed more than one bag, this time I wrapped my tripod in a sleeping bag and carried it in a duffel bag. I was going to a cabin, so needed the bag. My tripod would never have fit in my suitcase...wrong proportion.

The train was fine for one night without a sleeping car. The sleeping car is expensive. I couldn't go for more than one night though. Some of the seats don't recline properly, so check that when you choose.

I think it's a great way to reduce cost and carbon.

[Scott Davis]

IF Amtrak will get you where you're going, or at least pretty darned close, it's Amtrak hands down. We here on the Northeast corridor are spoiled with the Acela trains - they really ought to be running on every long distance passenger route in this country, given how big the country is. But even back in the day when they had unreserved coach trains from DC to New York, and the Metroliner was the premium, express train, the train was the best deal. With the bus, you can easily get stuck in traffic, and stuck next to absolute whackjobs. On the train, you can always switch cars, or move to the cafe and hang out there.