DC to NYC via Bolt Bus
Jul 2nd, 2008, 04:35 AM
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DC to NYC via Bolt Bus
DH and I used the Bolt Bus for a long weekend in DC. I wasn’t going to do a trip report. DH had never been to New York before, so we did the usual tourist things. But we were so pleased with the Bolt Bus I thought I’d let others know about it.
The bus fare varies depending on timing and demand. Supposedly, one can get tickets for as low as one dollar. For the two of us, round trip, it cost $55. We left downtown DC at 8:30am and was in NY by 12:30pm. There was no way we could have driven as cheaply. There are several toll roads and tunnels on the route. The bus was clean and comfortable.
https://www.boltbus.com
I had been reading Neopatrick’s month in New York and wanted to try the prix fixe lunch at Roberto Passon.
http://www.robertopasson.com/media/robertopasson.html
The lunch is only Monday through Friday. The only weekday we were going to be there was Friday and we didn’t arrive until 12:30. Once we got off the bus we went straight to the restaurant without going to the hotel first. Fortunately, we were only carrying duffel bags.
The amazing part is that once we got into the restaurant I noticed two men that looked like the pictures of Patrick and Lee. Finally I got enough nerve to approach the man that looked like Brad Pitt. I asked if he was Patrick and sure enough he was. He thought it was funny that I wanted to eat there bad enough to come straight there without going to the hotel first. The meal was a very good deal. For thirteen dollars you get an appetizer, main course and dessert. I had a crab cake, chicken saltimbocca and panne cotta. My husband had the Caesar salad, steak and cheese cake. The only complaint is that DH’s steak was tough.
We stayed three nights at Murray Hill East Suites. I won this hotel on Priceline for $139 a night. The room was huge. Usually hotel rooms in NYC are tiny. We had a kitchen (no microwave), an eating area, a living area with a couch (I didn’t look, but I’m sure it was a hideaway bed), TV and chair. Around a corner was a bed (only double sized) two big closets and a bath. The décor was dated, black and mauve. I don’t think it’s been redecorated since the 80’s. But it was clean and quiet. We liked the neighborhood it was in. We ate breakfast every day at a diner called Scotty’s. You could get a full breakfast for under $5. There was also a corner deli that we used to stock our refrigerator.
It was about a four block walk to the closest subway station, which was Grand Central. We bought the unlimited passes. This was best for us, because I always make lots of mistakes, like getting on express trains or getting off at the wrong station.
We went and saw Gypsy. We really enjoyed this play. DH had never been to a Broadway play and he thought it was great.
In Times Square we found a bar that had a good happy hour deal. Charlie O’s has $2 beers and free appetizers 5-7 Mon-Fri. We made this dinner after our late lunch at Roberto Passon.
We did the usual stuff, Empire State Building, Staten Island Ferry, the Today Show. By happy circumstance we were at the WTC site just as Century 21 was opening. I tried to tell DH that there was beer on the fourth floor but he didn’t believe me.
It was a great trip to a great city. I hope DH comes to love NY as much as I do. We moved to the DC area from Kansas City last fall. I’m looking forward to many more NY weekends.
The bus fare varies depending on timing and demand. Supposedly, one can get tickets for as low as one dollar. For the two of us, round trip, it cost $55. We left downtown DC at 8:30am and was in NY by 12:30pm. There was no way we could have driven as cheaply. There are several toll roads and tunnels on the route. The bus was clean and comfortable.
https://www.boltbus.com
I had been reading Neopatrick’s month in New York and wanted to try the prix fixe lunch at Roberto Passon.
http://www.robertopasson.com/media/robertopasson.html
The lunch is only Monday through Friday. The only weekday we were going to be there was Friday and we didn’t arrive until 12:30. Once we got off the bus we went straight to the restaurant without going to the hotel first. Fortunately, we were only carrying duffel bags.
The amazing part is that once we got into the restaurant I noticed two men that looked like the pictures of Patrick and Lee. Finally I got enough nerve to approach the man that looked like Brad Pitt. I asked if he was Patrick and sure enough he was. He thought it was funny that I wanted to eat there bad enough to come straight there without going to the hotel first. The meal was a very good deal. For thirteen dollars you get an appetizer, main course and dessert. I had a crab cake, chicken saltimbocca and panne cotta. My husband had the Caesar salad, steak and cheese cake. The only complaint is that DH’s steak was tough.
We stayed three nights at Murray Hill East Suites. I won this hotel on Priceline for $139 a night. The room was huge. Usually hotel rooms in NYC are tiny. We had a kitchen (no microwave), an eating area, a living area with a couch (I didn’t look, but I’m sure it was a hideaway bed), TV and chair. Around a corner was a bed (only double sized) two big closets and a bath. The décor was dated, black and mauve. I don’t think it’s been redecorated since the 80’s. But it was clean and quiet. We liked the neighborhood it was in. We ate breakfast every day at a diner called Scotty’s. You could get a full breakfast for under $5. There was also a corner deli that we used to stock our refrigerator.
It was about a four block walk to the closest subway station, which was Grand Central. We bought the unlimited passes. This was best for us, because I always make lots of mistakes, like getting on express trains or getting off at the wrong station.
We went and saw Gypsy. We really enjoyed this play. DH had never been to a Broadway play and he thought it was great.
In Times Square we found a bar that had a good happy hour deal. Charlie O’s has $2 beers and free appetizers 5-7 Mon-Fri. We made this dinner after our late lunch at Roberto Passon.
We did the usual stuff, Empire State Building, Staten Island Ferry, the Today Show. By happy circumstance we were at the WTC site just as Century 21 was opening. I tried to tell DH that there was beer on the fourth floor but he didn’t believe me.
It was a great trip to a great city. I hope DH comes to love NY as much as I do. We moved to the DC area from Kansas City last fall. I’m looking forward to many more NY weekends.
