2012 DC Couch Crash: Part 1
My roommate was supposed to drive me to the Megabus stop, but I got a text from her at 8 pm the night before, telling me that she was unable because she had to learn an unexpected additional chapter of biology for the summer school biology class she is taking. This left me with the need to take public transit to go to Megabus.
Undeterred, I hit Google Maps for their excellent public transit directions search. I soon had a way to get directly from my door to the Megabus stop for only $2. Awesome! Unfortunately, what I had gained in freedom from parking fees, I lost in terms of time. Rather than leaving at a more reasonable 10 am hour, allowing me to make final purchases and visit the bank, I now had to be at the bus stop near my house at 8 am, before banks even opened.
And so it was that I found myself driving at 6 am to the nearest bank ATM to make a quick deposit and withdraw money. Then it was off to the 24 hour grocery store to buy on-the-go snacks for the bus and try to break the $20 into smaller (and by "smaller", I mean nickels) denominations so that I could pay for DC's bus system. This was going to be a public transit sort of vacation, and one I was looking forward to eagerly.
Luckily, despite me being flustered and operating on entirely too little sleep, the lady at the checkout counter at the grocery store was very happy to break my $20 even as she let me pay for my purchases on a debit card.
Then it was back home to finish packing, and catch as much of an early morning nap as the alarm would allow.
...
:: ring ring ring :: That was the sound of my alarm, summoning me from my delightful sleep and sending me out to have my adventures. I shouldered my trusty pack (from Couchadelphia, Chicago, and Italy), grabbed my equally trusty food bag, and was out the door. The city bus that took me to the inter-city bus was right on time and I had an easy go of it. It dropped me off directly across the street from the bus stop for the inter-city bus.
I disembarked, crossed the street, and then settled in to what I had originally imagined to be a half-hour wait for the inter-city bus. However, as luck would have it, I was early enough, and and earlier inter-city bus was late enough, that I was able to catch the earlier bus and take it to the Megabus stop. I boarded the bus and attempted to slide my $2 into the bus fare collector box, but there was a bit of paperboard wedged into the bill acceptor. "The money box is broken," said the driver. "Just get on and sit down."
And so, I found myself riding for free. What an auspicious start to the day!
From there, I was dropped at the Durham Station a full two hours early for the Megabus, but I found that a quiet, mild mannered gentleman who'd been on my inter-city bus was also headed toward Megabus. We sat in the Greyhound Durham Station waiting room and chatted for the full two hours until Megabus. He got my life story as to how I started out as a chemist and ended up as a nanny, and I learned that he was living halfway around the globe from his family and country of origin. This was to be his first Megabus ride, and I'm a jaded and hardened Megabus rider. I tried to give him tips on where to sit if it is a single-decker bus vs a double-decker bus, and assured him that unlike Greyhound who oversells its buses, if he was holding a reservation then he was assured a seat on the Megabus.
When the time came, I led him upstairs to the Megabus stop and we waited in line by the bus stop sign. The bus, however, had other ideas, and stopped a half-bus length away from the sign, and when the driver disembarked, he walked to the middle of the line and started from there, casting an annoyed glance at those of us overachievers who had lined up early and told us in no uncertain terms to, "Get in line!" And so I found myself at the back of the line to board Megabus.
However, being the demographic that I am, even though the bus was nearly full when I boarded, I spotted another young female who looked a bit nervous and had an open seat next to her. I looked questioningly at the seat and she raised her hand to beckon me. Cheers to nonverbal communication.
I happily took the seat as I knew that some of the Megabus passengers looked - though looks are always deceiving - as if they'd be a bit rough around the edges and I'm sure she preferred me to someone who dressed and held themselves in a manner that exudes toughness and aggression. {Aside: Why is it cool to be "thug"ish? Why are we making it a positive to dress and comport oneself in a manner that non-verbally communicates unprovoked aggression? The strongest people I know carry quiet confidence and thug is neither quiet nor confidence.}
And with that, we were off to DC. As is typical of Megabus, the WiFi did not work on the bus. I grabbed my neck pillow and my cell phone (to read eBooks), but fell asleep shortly after the bus started rolling. My ability to sleep on public transit continues to exist!
We rolled in to Richmond, VA, and I had the honor to view the ground level of the building that is directly off of I-95 where it seems that you are going to drive right in to it as you go around a curve.
Turns out that building is connected with the Richmond Amtrak Station, and at the ground level there is a lot of really interesting art. It is also really interesting to be under the highway, which shades you almost like a roof, so very far away. Since I was waking up from my first Megabus nap, I only groggily thought to snap a photo of the public street art available at this level, and sadly, the photo does not do it justice.
(The squiggly bow looking thing is an awesome statue.)
From there, it was on to DC and I slept through the remainder of the trip.
My seatmate woke me when we entered DC proper, and I gazed around and noted the FDA, the EPA, the USDA, and the Washington Monument. I also noticed that what appeared to be a significant amount of The Mall had been torn up near the Washington Monument for construction. It was only on the way home from DC that I learned that they were putting in a museum of Aftican American Experience where that patch of grass had once stood. Great idea, since they already have a Museum for Jews/Non-Heterosexuals (Holocaust Museum), American Indians, and Space Cadets (Air and Space) within easy walking distance of the Washington Monument. Seems only logical that additional demographics should be honored with museums, too.
The bus dropped us off at Union Station, rather than the parking lot that Megabus had used in my previous trips through DC. After getting off the bus, I reconnected with my Aussie friend and led him quite blindly (I was following a memory from Philly) to the DC Red Line where I rode out to Dupont Circle to meet Seth, one of my CouchHosts for my time in DC.
I parted ways with Mr. Aussie, with an exchange of business cards, and then was on to the life of a CouchSurfer. Seth picked me up and we went grocery shopping for his Independence Day fun on the morrow. I sat in the passenger seat of the car, much the country bumpkin, I, and gawked at his amazing and effortless navigation through the crazy DC traffic. He had no trouble driving nor parking, despite the fact that it seemed that every other driver on the road wanted us dead, or at least trapped inside the wreckage of what had once been the car. But singlehandedly, Seth's driving skills kept accidents at bay and the craziness parted and flowed around us.
I picked up a few groceries, and the it was off to chez Selissa where I learned how to change a bicycle tire. It is much easier than I had previously imagined, though I'm sure that having the right tools, and having confidence born of experience, helped to make the job go more smoothly.
While learning how to change a tire, Melissa, my other CouchHost, returned home from work. She and I caught up - we have visited one another before - while I watched Seth reset the chain on the rear wheel. Getting the correct chain tension is something I am quite sure I am NOT ready to do, though I do feel prepared to change an bicycle tire inner-tube.
After that, we headed inside and Melissa ordered pizza and we debated watching a bunch of movies but ultimately settled on being social instead. After much socializing, it was time to make up my bed, finalize my own Independence Day plans, and get some shut eye for the experience yet to come: celebrating the nation's birthday in the nation's capital.
Undeterred, I hit Google Maps for their excellent public transit directions search. I soon had a way to get directly from my door to the Megabus stop for only $2. Awesome! Unfortunately, what I had gained in freedom from parking fees, I lost in terms of time. Rather than leaving at a more reasonable 10 am hour, allowing me to make final purchases and visit the bank, I now had to be at the bus stop near my house at 8 am, before banks even opened.
And so it was that I found myself driving at 6 am to the nearest bank ATM to make a quick deposit and withdraw money. Then it was off to the 24 hour grocery store to buy on-the-go snacks for the bus and try to break the $20 into smaller (and by "smaller", I mean nickels) denominations so that I could pay for DC's bus system. This was going to be a public transit sort of vacation, and one I was looking forward to eagerly.
Luckily, despite me being flustered and operating on entirely too little sleep, the lady at the checkout counter at the grocery store was very happy to break my $20 even as she let me pay for my purchases on a debit card.
Then it was back home to finish packing, and catch as much of an early morning nap as the alarm would allow.
...
:: ring ring ring :: That was the sound of my alarm, summoning me from my delightful sleep and sending me out to have my adventures. I shouldered my trusty pack (from Couchadelphia, Chicago, and Italy), grabbed my equally trusty food bag, and was out the door. The city bus that took me to the inter-city bus was right on time and I had an easy go of it. It dropped me off directly across the street from the bus stop for the inter-city bus.
I disembarked, crossed the street, and then settled in to what I had originally imagined to be a half-hour wait for the inter-city bus. However, as luck would have it, I was early enough, and and earlier inter-city bus was late enough, that I was able to catch the earlier bus and take it to the Megabus stop. I boarded the bus and attempted to slide my $2 into the bus fare collector box, but there was a bit of paperboard wedged into the bill acceptor. "The money box is broken," said the driver. "Just get on and sit down."
And so, I found myself riding for free. What an auspicious start to the day!
From there, I was dropped at the Durham Station a full two hours early for the Megabus, but I found that a quiet, mild mannered gentleman who'd been on my inter-city bus was also headed toward Megabus. We sat in the Greyhound Durham Station waiting room and chatted for the full two hours until Megabus. He got my life story as to how I started out as a chemist and ended up as a nanny, and I learned that he was living halfway around the globe from his family and country of origin. This was to be his first Megabus ride, and I'm a jaded and hardened Megabus rider. I tried to give him tips on where to sit if it is a single-decker bus vs a double-decker bus, and assured him that unlike Greyhound who oversells its buses, if he was holding a reservation then he was assured a seat on the Megabus.
When the time came, I led him upstairs to the Megabus stop and we waited in line by the bus stop sign. The bus, however, had other ideas, and stopped a half-bus length away from the sign, and when the driver disembarked, he walked to the middle of the line and started from there, casting an annoyed glance at those of us overachievers who had lined up early and told us in no uncertain terms to, "Get in line!" And so I found myself at the back of the line to board Megabus.
However, being the demographic that I am, even though the bus was nearly full when I boarded, I spotted another young female who looked a bit nervous and had an open seat next to her. I looked questioningly at the seat and she raised her hand to beckon me. Cheers to nonverbal communication.
I happily took the seat as I knew that some of the Megabus passengers looked - though looks are always deceiving - as if they'd be a bit rough around the edges and I'm sure she preferred me to someone who dressed and held themselves in a manner that exudes toughness and aggression. {Aside: Why is it cool to be "thug"ish? Why are we making it a positive to dress and comport oneself in a manner that non-verbally communicates unprovoked aggression? The strongest people I know carry quiet confidence and thug is neither quiet nor confidence.}
And with that, we were off to DC. As is typical of Megabus, the WiFi did not work on the bus. I grabbed my neck pillow and my cell phone (to read eBooks), but fell asleep shortly after the bus started rolling. My ability to sleep on public transit continues to exist!
We rolled in to Richmond, VA, and I had the honor to view the ground level of the building that is directly off of I-95 where it seems that you are going to drive right in to it as you go around a curve.
Turns out that building is connected with the Richmond Amtrak Station, and at the ground level there is a lot of really interesting art. It is also really interesting to be under the highway, which shades you almost like a roof, so very far away. Since I was waking up from my first Megabus nap, I only groggily thought to snap a photo of the public street art available at this level, and sadly, the photo does not do it justice.
(The squiggly bow looking thing is an awesome statue.)
From there, it was on to DC and I slept through the remainder of the trip.
My seatmate woke me when we entered DC proper, and I gazed around and noted the FDA, the EPA, the USDA, and the Washington Monument. I also noticed that what appeared to be a significant amount of The Mall had been torn up near the Washington Monument for construction. It was only on the way home from DC that I learned that they were putting in a museum of Aftican American Experience where that patch of grass had once stood. Great idea, since they already have a Museum for Jews/Non-Heterosexuals (Holocaust Museum), American Indians, and Space Cadets (Air and Space) within easy walking distance of the Washington Monument. Seems only logical that additional demographics should be honored with museums, too.
The bus dropped us off at Union Station, rather than the parking lot that Megabus had used in my previous trips through DC. After getting off the bus, I reconnected with my Aussie friend and led him quite blindly (I was following a memory from Philly) to the DC Red Line where I rode out to Dupont Circle to meet Seth, one of my CouchHosts for my time in DC.
I parted ways with Mr. Aussie, with an exchange of business cards, and then was on to the life of a CouchSurfer. Seth picked me up and we went grocery shopping for his Independence Day fun on the morrow. I sat in the passenger seat of the car, much the country bumpkin, I, and gawked at his amazing and effortless navigation through the crazy DC traffic. He had no trouble driving nor parking, despite the fact that it seemed that every other driver on the road wanted us dead, or at least trapped inside the wreckage of what had once been the car. But singlehandedly, Seth's driving skills kept accidents at bay and the craziness parted and flowed around us.
I picked up a few groceries, and the it was off to chez Selissa where I learned how to change a bicycle tire. It is much easier than I had previously imagined, though I'm sure that having the right tools, and having confidence born of experience, helped to make the job go more smoothly.
While learning how to change a tire, Melissa, my other CouchHost, returned home from work. She and I caught up - we have visited one another before - while I watched Seth reset the chain on the rear wheel. Getting the correct chain tension is something I am quite sure I am NOT ready to do, though I do feel prepared to change an bicycle tire inner-tube.
After that, we headed inside and Melissa ordered pizza and we debated watching a bunch of movies but ultimately settled on being social instead. After much socializing, it was time to make up my bed, finalize my own Independence Day plans, and get some shut eye for the experience yet to come: celebrating the nation's birthday in the nation's capital.