USA public transport options?

[leatherback]

Can I float on your expertise for the recommendations for getting around in the USA?

Over the weekend I will be in DC for the shows in the arboretum. Now I have a few days afterwards before heading home. As I have already spent a week in DC a few years back, it felt that I should leave and go see something else. Originally I thought I would go to NY as I have only passed through, but never really visited. It seems however that a hotel & travel there become really expensive, so I have been exploring other options too. (Naturally, open to recommendations; Right now I am considering not going to any major city and just getting a room in a beachtown and breath fresh air).

Every thing I consider visiting, it seems however impossible to get there using public transport (Bus, Train, Plane)?
Busses seem to be 'reasonably' priced. But then I keep getting this information that these are old, worn down machines, prone to breaking down, often hours delayed or do not even show up. Not a good situation if you intent to take the bus on the day of flight to get back to Washington. So I looked into trains. Oddly there the price seems to be very high yet also these do not run on time, with some reflecting how they were more than an hour delayed on a short distance from Philly to DC? Seems like an hour or more delay on a few hundred mile stretch is a frequent occurrence?

How would you recommend getting around? I am looking short distances; so up to 200 miles out
Any thoughts, recommendations?

Yours,

Jelle.

 

[Srt8madness]

Renting a car gives a lot of freedom, but will likely cost more for a full week. You'll likely need to stick to medium sized cities to use their public transport, but can always Uber/Lyft around. City busses aren't prone to breaking down more than any other bus. Long distance bus riding, you likely get what you pay for, there is premium and there is bare bones.

Bus from DC to Philly and from Philadelphia to DC | megabus

Easily plan your next getaway to DC or Philadelphia with megabus. Book a seat and we’ll pick you up at our bus stop in Philadelphia or DC.

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An hour delay for a pricey ticket would be annoying, but on vacation time isn't that bad. I'll leave others to speak to the utility of taking the train.

 

[Paradox]

I've never done it but you can take Amtrack from DC to Virginia Beach then probably a taxi, Uber or Lyft to a beachside hotel.
Apparently its a train from DC to Norfolk then a bus from Norfolk to VA Beach which isnt that far. Just Google DC to Virginia Beach and the page for Amtrack comes up in the search.

There are several hotels along the beach. I would recommend doing a little research and book a room ahead though. Virginia Beach is a popular tourist area.

 

[leatherback]

premium and there is bare bones

Thx!
What would be reasonable companies? Megabus seems to be asking for trouble.

 

[Paradox]

Thx!
What would be reasonable companies? Megabus seems to be asking for trouble.

Amtrack is probably pretty reputable. Big, well known company.
I looked it up out of curiosity and a ticket from DC to VA Beach as I mentioned above is about $45 which is not bad imo.

If looking for bus only, Greyhound is a big company that has been around for decades. Not sure of their routes though.

 

[leatherback]

Renting a car gives a lot of freedom, but will likely cost more for a full week.

Looking into that. Seems like renting a car and driving up and down to NY is cheaper and more reliable than any other option. Feels I am missing something obvious :d.

 

[leatherback]

Amtrack is probably pretty reputable. Big, well known company.

I know Amtrak, used them in the 90-ies. I remember from then that 4 hour delays were normal on long-distances. Checking last night I found out that they still have that reputation. Do you have better experience?

 

[Paradox]

I know Amtrak, used them in the 90-ies. I remember from then that 4 hour delays were normal on long-distances. Checking last night I found out that they still have that reputation. Do you have better experience?

Sorry, as I said, I've never used that service to get to VA Beach. It's 208 miles from DC to VA Beach. I wouldn't consider it all that far.

Trailways is another bus company that supposedly has routes to VA Beach from DC.

The last time I was in VA Beach for a busines trip, I flew to Norfolk then took a cab to my hotel right on the beach ( the name of which I can't remember, it was so long ago). These days I would probably drive myself.

You could possibly rent a car as well as mentioned above. I've used Enterprise to rent cars with no issues.

 

[Nybonsai12]

Rent a car...public transportation is only going to work well if you are trying to get short trips around the inside of a city. Welcome to the US where everything is expensive.

 

[Underdog]

Rent a car.
75 miles away from Skyline drive

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g143051-Shenandoah_National_Park_Virginia-Vacations.html

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g143051-d145001-Reviews-Skyline_Drive-Shenandoah_National_Park_Virginia.html

 

[Gabler]

Looking into that. Seems like renting a car and driving up and down to NY is cheaper and more reliable than any other option. Feels I am missing something obvious :d.

You're not missing anything. The U.S. simply doesn't have reliable public transit. Everyone has a car. The Metro in D.C. is a rare exception. It's easy to use, even if you're from out of town.

 

[leatherback]

You're not missing anything. The U.S. simply doesn't have reliable public transit. Everyone has a car. The Metro in D.C. is a rare exception. It's easy to use, even if you're from out of town.

ok, thx. I was surprised as I thought there would be much back and forth between DC and NY it should have a connection every 30 minutes. Ah well.
Sounds like I will be endangering everybody by getting a car for the days after the show. (I have a hotel walking distance from the arboretum so .. easy peasy there. Glad you did not keep the British side of the road. But an automatic gear... That will be something to get used to. Only when I lived in Australia did I drive one of those.

 

[Glaucus]

I used a Greyhound/Megabus whatever they are called to go from NYC to DC. DC seems to have pretty good metro. And not as absolutely filthy as NYC. It actually looks good/European. Then I rented a bike to get to the arboretum.
Which is where my European sensibilities got in the way. I assumed I could just cycle in the general area and then just enter. But I found out that I had to approach from a specific area, otherwise there were no roads. So I had to loop back around.
Got to see the poor mostly black area of DC there, I guess. Which I found was surprisingly close the the The Capitol.
The arboretum is also pretty large and spread out. You could use a car there to drive from one area to the other. It is not so practical to walk. As a European, you would I believe 100% think that you would walk around the entire collection. And not that you'd literally drive your car inside an arboretum. I think the bonsai and the azalea areas were pretty much near enough. But I think some groups of species are quite far away from others. With literally their own parking spots. The azaleas should be in flower, but probably not the satsuki.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

There are many interesting places to see around Washington, DC. Have you visited the Smithsonian Institute, the National Gallery of Art and the National Air and Space Museum? Even a walk along the Mall and sightseeing at the Lincoln and Washington memorials is cool. Just outside the capitol there are many interesting sights as well (like a visit to Mount Vernon - George Washington's home).

(1) I would recommend renting a car - not only is it more convenient, but it is significantly faster than any alternative.
(2) I personally would not recommend NY city. Some people love it, but I think it is just a big, dirty city without a lot of charm or interest. I honestly don't see the attraction - and I have visited the majority of large cities in the US. Plus the drive from DC to NYC is about the ugliest stretch of road in the country. You will probably be driving on the 95 along what is the industrial port cities of the east coast - not at pretty drive at all.

If you decide to head that way, I would recommend visiting Philadelphia (instead of NYC), which has a much prettier old town, and was much more important to the country, historically, than NYC. Philadelphia was the capitol of the country until 1800 - when the capitol moved to DC. You could visit the Liberty Bell, the Constitution Museum, see Independence Hall, etc. Plus it is much closer to DC and a shorter drive. There ARE trains from DC to Philly, and it is only about a 1:30 - 2:00 ride.

 

[Gabler]

I used a Greyhound/Megabus whatever they are called to go from NYC to DC. DC seems to have pretty good metro. And not as absolutely filthy as NYC. It actually looks good/European. Then I rented a bike to get to the arboretum.
Which is where my European sensibilities got in the way. I assumed I could just cycle in the general area and then just enter. But I found out that I had to approach from a specific area, otherwise there were no roads. So I had to loop back around.
Got to see the poor mostly black area of DC there, I guess. Which I found was surprisingly close the the The Capitol.
The arboretum is also pretty large and spread out. You could use a car there to drive from one area to the other. It is not so practical to walk. As a European, you would I believe 100% think that you would walk around the entire collection. And not that you'd literally drive your car inside an arboretum. I think the bonsai and the azalea areas were pretty much near enough. But I think some groups of species are quite far away from others. With literally their own parking spots. The azaleas should be in flower, but probably not the satsuki.

If you like hiking, it'll just feel like a long walk, but if you have any mobility issues, or if you're short on time, the grounds are big enough that getting from one end to the other could be an issue.

 

[leatherback]

National Gallery of Art

yes

Smithsonian Institute

yes

National Air and Space Museum

yes

walk along the Mall and sightseeing at the Lincoln and Washington memorials

yes

Renting a car

rent a car

Rent a car

Rent a car.

Everyone has a car

the ugliest stretch of road in the country

convinced!

Philadelphia

Spent a week there in the 90-ies. Drexel was involved in the Costa RIcan Leatherback research I volunteered for a summer, and it was on my way to Philly from Miami that I passed through NY. That was Greyhound. A LOONGG greyhound! But indeed, the friend I visited then also recommended spending abit more time there. COnsidering it!

visit the Liberty Bell, the Constitution Museum, see Independence Hall

Yes, noticed that I did not do any tourist sightseeing then!

There ARE trains from DC to Philly, and it is only about a 1:30 - 2:00 ride

Found those last night (cons: cost and timing of them)

75 miles away from Skyline drive
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g143051-Shenandoah_National_Park_Virginia-Vacations.html
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attract..._Drive-Shenandoah_National_Park_Virginia.html

Thx, will check them out!

 

[leatherback]

f you like hiking, it'll just feel like a long walk, but if you have any mobility issues, or if you're short on time, the grounds are big enough that getting from one end to the other could be an issue.

Not concerned with that at all. I have a torn meniscus, but have been reasonable in managing it. I can no longer hike 30k mountain trails. But normally a leisured 10-15km stroll is not an issue. Last time around I had a hotel near capitol, and was walking to, from and in the gardens. As my wife suggested I drop a few pounds, might be good to do that this time around too. Altough I am sure with the overly present high-caloric giant meals, I do not think I will drop much.

 

[Srt8madness]

Looking into that. Seems like renting a car and driving up and down to NY is cheaper and more reliable than any other option. Feels I am missing something obvious :d.

I have no idea how the licensing works, if you're a comfortable driver and it's cheaper that would definitely be the way to go IMO. Make sure to see if it's a daily charge or mileage charge, it's been a while since I've rented one. Plus side gas is way cheaper here too!

 

[Srt8madness]

Not concerned with that at all. I have a torn meniscus, but have been reasonable in managing it. I can no longer hike 30k mountain trails. But normally a leisured 10-15km stroll is not an issue. Last time around I had a hotel near capitol, and was walking to, from and in the gardens. As my wife suggested I drop a few pounds, might be good to do that this time around too. Altough I am sure with the overly present high-caloric giant meals, I do not think I will drop much.

I've had my meniscus repaired via orthoscopic surgery 3 times. Fairly minor surgery, 1 day recovery. Have you considered?

 

[sevan]

I spend very little time in the Northeast, but many of my coworkers use Amtrak regularly to get around between the DC, New York, and Philadelphia areas. I think Amtrak is pretty expensive compared to similar rides in Europe, but more convenient than flying in that region.