06.30.08
Get on the Megabus
My wife, daughter, and I not only had a great time in Chicago for three days last week, we found a new way to make the journey: Megabus.com. Featuring “low cost daily express bus service in the US and Canada,” Megabus was a suggestion of my wife’s cousin, and a most pleasant surprise. The outbound trip from Ann Arbor, Michigan was fast (under five hours, including two brief rest stops) and, even though we were picked up for the return trip an hour late (in front of Union Station), we still got home a mere 15 minutes over schedule.
I had no idea we’d see movies — Air Force One and The Core, the former of which I’d have preferred my 4-year-old not be subjected, as it’s way too violent for kids — on drop-down screens during the trip into Chicago, but it did while away the time for many passengers. Overall, we were happy to not have to drive ourselves, and the round trip ticket price for the three of us was reasonable at $144.50. Not a whole lot more, frankly, than we’d have spent on gas, and we didn’t have to find a place to park in the city. Better still, we shared the ride on a packed double-deck vehicle, obviously better for the environment. I suspect Megabus and other services will see plenty more business in coming months and years, especially if current trends continue. Next time we travel to Cincinnati, another one of the many cities Megabus serves in the Midwest and around the country, we’re likely to book with them again. Much better than the “foreclosure bus tours” that I referenced in these pages earlier this month.
