Greyhound as Usual
Greyhound is known for being unreliable and generally sketchy, and my 2-3 day trip did not disappoint. I launched off from Phoenix, leaving within half hour of the scheduled time, pretty good for the the grey dog, but our very first stop in Glendale just up the road kicked off what I'm used to.
We were picking up a handicap guy in a wheel chair, the driver had a hell of a time trying to pull out and lower the ramp for this. With the help of some passengers the old driver got the wheelchair man in the bus, but then failed to get the ramp to slide back into the bus. Two hours of phone calls and laboring attempts went by before a new bus showed up for us to move into. On the road again.
Flagstaff was next, the wheelchair's last stop, but when it was time to get on the bus the driver had a new problem. He locked himself out of the bus. A step ladder and some fooling around finally got the door open 20 or 30 minutes later. On the road again.
The bus rolled around, delays here and there, none of us cared anymore. Most of us on the bus knew we would miss our transfer in St Louis eventually, so losing a half hour here and there hardly mattered. After a long wait in the arch city I was on the final bus to New York, we eventually hit Pittsburgh where I was able to catch part of the Laker game, enough to see them take the final lead of the game.
Getting on the bus a new passenger got on next to me and we got to talking. He was a fellow traveler, and a carney at that. He told me the ins and outs of working carnivals all over the country, our conversation about hobo and carney life was the only conversation on the bus riding through the night with mostly sleeping passengers.
After 3 nights on the Greyhound I arrived in NYC around 9 or 10 in the morning, I went straight to Astoria where I instantly saw some familiar faces and grabbed some breakfast with Mark. The vibe in the apartment is a good one, good ole' Astoria.
The bus ride did me good, a lot of thinking and people watching, few minor fights between passengers for entertainment, and plenty of good scenery out the window. Final court date in a matter of hours, should be fine.
We were picking up a handicap guy in a wheel chair, the driver had a hell of a time trying to pull out and lower the ramp for this. With the help of some passengers the old driver got the wheelchair man in the bus, but then failed to get the ramp to slide back into the bus. Two hours of phone calls and laboring attempts went by before a new bus showed up for us to move into. On the road again.
Flagstaff was next, the wheelchair's last stop, but when it was time to get on the bus the driver had a new problem. He locked himself out of the bus. A step ladder and some fooling around finally got the door open 20 or 30 minutes later. On the road again.
The bus rolled around, delays here and there, none of us cared anymore. Most of us on the bus knew we would miss our transfer in St Louis eventually, so losing a half hour here and there hardly mattered. After a long wait in the arch city I was on the final bus to New York, we eventually hit Pittsburgh where I was able to catch part of the Laker game, enough to see them take the final lead of the game.
Getting on the bus a new passenger got on next to me and we got to talking. He was a fellow traveler, and a carney at that. He told me the ins and outs of working carnivals all over the country, our conversation about hobo and carney life was the only conversation on the bus riding through the night with mostly sleeping passengers.
After 3 nights on the Greyhound I arrived in NYC around 9 or 10 in the morning, I went straight to Astoria where I instantly saw some familiar faces and grabbed some breakfast with Mark. The vibe in the apartment is a good one, good ole' Astoria.
The bus ride did me good, a lot of thinking and people watching, few minor fights between passengers for entertainment, and plenty of good scenery out the window. Final court date in a matter of hours, should be fine.
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