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Does anyone have experience or can make a recommendation for bus transportation to and from Washington, DC and New York City? Will be visiting DC in mid-December and want to take a day and travel to/from NYC but don't want to drive.
Thanks, WalkingWorks
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Bus to/from Washington DC and NYC
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I used Washington Deluxe and it was find.
Bolt Bus
Washington Deluxe
DC2NY
Megabus
are other options. Anything but the Chinatown busses
I don't think a day trip from one city to another is the greatest idea if that is what you ahve in mind.
greyhound.com is advertising their new buses on many routes, including DC-NYC. Wifi, power outlets, etc
http://www.greyhound.com/home/en/NewBuses.aspx
NYC is not a daytrip from Washington. It's about 4 hrs. by bus in each direction which leaves very little time to actually see much.
NYC is too far for a day trip from DC. It will take at least 4 hours in each direction (so 8.5 hours or more of just travel) - with really very little time to see anything in NYC.
If you really are interested I would check out Amtrak - which is offering special low rates on the NE corridor - but not sure if it's really any faster on the schedule (although there is much less chance of delays due to traffic).
There was just an article in recent New York Times about a dad who took his infant on a day trip by bus NY to DC. I am sure it could be done the other way, even if long. One suggestion in the article was an online search program that let you find the cheapest of the buses. Here's a link to the article.
http://tinyurl.com/yzav53g
Also agree that NY-DC isn't a day trip (or maybe I'd do it via Acella, but not bus). To answer the OP, though, for bus service, go with Bolt Bus. (I have personally had one scary horrendous experience on Mega so can't recommend them and would never use them again.)
I have done this as a day trip, and if you get a super early start and don't mind getting home exhausted, it's totally do-able. If you have the cash, I would go by train. But I've also done both MegaBus and BoltBus, and they are also totally fine. It works best if you have a firm itinerary of 2 or 3 things you want to see in Manhattan -- and try to stay in Midtown or near the Park if possible. If you venture too far away from Penn Station you end up spending too much time in transit!
Plenty of people take day trips from NY to DC and vice versa, just leave NY very early and sleep. Here's a website where you can do price comparisons among the different bus companies - www.busjunction.com. I have taken Vamoose and am about to take Tripper, but both of them drop off and pick up in the suburbs so I wouldn't recommend for your timetable.If you plan far in advance, and are traveling mid-week, MegaBus and BoltBus have some outstanding prices.
I'll agree that a day trip to NYC is a bit of a stretch, even by plane, much less by surface transportation. You'll be spending more time in the bus/train than you will visiting NYC.
I've only taken the Megabus and find it clean and comfortable, better in some respects than even Amtrak. You can bring your laptop/netbook and use it on the bus. The four hours will pass pretty quickly.
Megabus has a special deal whereby the earlier you book the cheaper the ticket. It can be as little as $1. Also you can change your departure time for the minimum charge of $1.
If you are able to overnight in NYC, even if it is for one day, that will make your visit to the city a lot more meaningful. There are several cheaper options for hotel, such as youth hostels, the Y, etc.
As a former New Yorker, some time in The City during the holiday season is better than none, thus my family's annual day drips from DC (now Baltimore). We've gone by bus (chartered, Bolt, and this year, Superior Tours) and regular service Amtrak. Bus trips give you 7-8 hours in NYC; train can give a few more if you return quite late.
Here's the charm: No where else does the Christmas season like New York. . . . we can step off the bus at Rockefeller Center and be transported into the magic, bustle and spirit of the season and return tired but uplifted for weeks to come.
So go for it. On these day trips on Saturdays during December we generally have time to snap photos in front of the Rock Ctr tree, go to St. Patrick's, do the windows at Saks (all this is within minutes of each other), eat an early lunch at a place I've already reserved, spend an hour or two at a museum, go to an already ticketed matinee show (Lincoln Center, Broadway or Rock Ctr), grab a fabulous carryout dinner to eat on the bus/train and savor the warmth all the way home. The train gives a few more hours in the evening so a later show is possible, and the 14 day advance discount Amtrak is currently offering on the DC/NYC run is more affordable, though the bus is also a good option.
If you know where you want to go, have reservations for your meals, and plan your transport (cabs are always a good back up if it gets tight), you can see several holiday sights, a quick museum trip, one good meal, and a show. If shopping is what you want, sub it for the show and museum. Sure--who wouldn't want a whole weekend or a week/month/year in NYC if it was possible? But it isn't always, so the holiday season day trip suits my needs perfectly.