Too Much...Megabus

I had that classic Who song running in my head this morning at before six, as I made my way via light rail to my first encounter with Megabus.   This is the newish bus service that promises direct-to-San Francisco-and-back-travel for really cheap (One dollar like they advertise? Come on, I thought!)  In most of my previous jaunts to the Bay Baghdad, I took Amtrak to Richmond, hopping on BART to whisk me in to the city proper.   As much as I love trains, I'm looking for a cheaper alternative, as are so many other people in this economy.   I saw one of their garish buses on the freeway (with the logo of a portly driver), looked them up on the Google machine, and decided, OK, I'll bite.  Let's see what this is about and if it compares to my other ways of getting to one of my favorite cities on the planet.  

I bought the tickets online earlier in the week.   Their fares work not unlike those of other long-distance travel providers - pricing is influenced by the time of day (demand) and distance.    The trips I took, had I decided to get unreserved seats (anywhere I wish on the double-decker bus), the entire trip would have cost about $13.   That isn't bad - at all.   I decided, however, that I could afford the $7/surcharge per way for reserved, premium seats - this brought the price, in total, to $34.    Greyhound, on the other hand, would have cost $18 for the same round trip, but if I wanted priority boarding and reserved seating, I would have paid $5 extra each way.   So, to take Megabus, you have to be willing to pay a $6 premium for the round trip.   What does that six dollars get you?   Unlike Greyhound, which has stops along the way, Megabus was an express trip - Sacramento straight to San Francisco, with the destination stop being two blocks away from AT&T Park.    But, there is a catch - no refunds for Megabus.  You can't "cancel" a trip, but you can use the value already paid for another trip in the future.   Both Amtrak and Greyhound have limitations on their refund policies, but if you purchase the right kind of ticket, you can get your money back.    Considering the relative value to me between Greyhound and Megabus, then - I consider it a bit of a wash.   

I got on the bus, climbed the staircase to the second deck (my first time on a double-decker!), and made my way to the seat reserved for me.   I thought that I was going to be inundated with advertising on every available inch of space in the interior - how else do they make money if their fares are so cheap?  That was not the case, however.  In fact, the interior was reminiscent of most of the charter-type buses I have been on.   Wi-Fi service is included, and there is a plug-in for your laptop or your cell phone underneath the seat.    What I had never seen on a bus before, however, was the introductory video, which is highly reminiscent of many of the videos you see on planes these days and replace the "show and tell" instructions for how to buckle a safety belt.    Once finished, it was speed-limit travel, contending with the expected slowdowns, all the way down to the destination.   

The verdict?  Greyhound takes you to more places but makes more stops along the way.   Megabus is an express service for just a bit over the price of a Greyhound ticket.    (By the way, Greyhound operates the BoltBus in some cities, which is designed to compete directly with Megabus in the cheapo express bus market.)   Neither one offers much in the way of frills, save for the stations Greyhound uses as opposed to Megabus' use of existing infrastructure.    If you need to get to where you want to go and are willing to pay just a bit more for express service with no in-between stops, then Megabus is the ticket.    If you're willing to sacrifice a bit of time for a few extra bucks' savings, then stick with the venerable 'Hound. 

Share and Share Not Alike

           Before I start getting into my East Coast Adventure 2.0, I think it wise to discuss a very recent development in the world of travel and getting around: the “sharing economy” as demonstrated by the success of Airbnb, Uber, and such apps.  

            First, what created the demand for services such as these?  What did their entrepreneurs see as opportunities? Here's how I see it:

1.     The price of taxi fares.   These can seem like highway robbery at times, in some cities more than others.    The fare of a taxi from the Sacramento Train Station to my place, for example, was just short of $50, not including the tip.   This fare, in theory at least, can be halved with a service like Uber, if you’re not caught in the high-demand periods that trigger Uber’s notorious “surge pricing”;

2.     Idle cars and idle car owners.    Why have cars just sit unused, when the time they sit, and the time their owners otherwise sit, can be used to generate revenue for themselves and a dispatch organization like Uber?   Or for that matter, a homeowner who can use the extra cash and has an extra room in his/her house can rent out that room through a service like Airbnb?  Empty, sitting cars and empty, sitting rooms equal potential revenue opportunities;

3.     The consumer, by booking through Airbnb, stays in a private home (much like a Bed and Breakfast), getting to know the owner of that home, potentially saving money over a comparable hotel, and getting to know the area on a more personal level.

            I’m all in favor of economic and technological innovation.   These two apps are certainly representative of this innovation which capitalism can breed.   For example, I was tempted to use Uber in at least a portion of my recent East Coast jaunt.    I didn’t in part, because of habit, but also because of a bit of uncertainty about the “product” I was purchasing if I go through Uber: how familiar are the drivers with the roads and the short cuts?  Will he/she need to constantly refer to a GPS app or device, or do they know the area like the back of his/her hand?   What about insurance – is there any difference between a taxicab and an Uber car in this regard, and if the car should be involved in an accident, will I be held liable in any way?   Taxis were more of a known quantity to me, and for the most part, the drivers I worked with knew where to go and how to get there.    I’ve yet to use Airbnb, so I can’t comment about that specific service.   The hotels I have stayed at, for the most part, have represented what I feel to be good values for my travel dollars – though they have had their quirks and have been far from perfect.     I’m sure that Airbnb listings may be the same way, in their own ways. 

            “Disruptive” is a word commonly used to describe the impact of these new apps.    This word is an understatement if there ever was one, as witnessed by the recent violent reaction to Uber by taxi drivers in France.   The attorney general in New York has launched an investigation into Airbnb, subpoenaing information from Airbnb in what the organization described as a fishing expedition.   A similar situation erupted in San Francisco, which led to the passing of a new city ordinance allowing for the short-term rental of rooms through services such as Airbnb.   Whether New York and other cities make a similar move remains to be seen, depending on the relative strength of the high tech lobby vs. the hospitality companies such as Hilton, et. al.  

            Taxi drivers have especially felt this disruption.    It isn’t just that Uber drivers can undercut typical taxi pricing.    Taxi drivers, and taxi companies, pay for the right to drive taxis in municipalities through the purchase of medallions, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each.    When the drivers retire, they sell the medallions, which often represents a substantial part of their retirement savings.    This entire system is under threat by the Uber business model.  

            Hoteliers, similarly, see the new business model offered by Airbnb as cutting into their profits.   When one compares the offerings on Airbnb to those of a comparable quality hotel in a given locality, it’s often easy to see why – an Airbnb listing will typically not carry the same costs as a hotel room run by a business (labor, overhead, etc.).   Additionally, Airbnb has been blamed for declines in affordable housing in certain areas such as New York City, further driving up rents and forcing those unable to afford those rents out of those cities.        

            So, what to do?   Who is right in this?

            Here’s my take.  When a new technology such as Airbnb or Uber comes into existence and “goes viral”, all affected sides must be taken into consideration for there to be a smooth transition with as little impact to people’s livelihoods as possible.   The business community and markets will handle their profit drive just fine, but who is looking out for the consumers and those businesses and individuals whose livelihood will be adversely affected by this “disruption”?  Who is speaking for them?  This is typically the role of government agencies and the regulations they enforce, which in the United States is a patchwork of differing laws from state to state and city to city.    These laws are just now starting to address these technologies (see San Francisco’s response to Airbnb), and will need to continue to be addressed, with government involvement, if all sides are to get along in this transition.    

          What do you think of these new arrangements?   Please comment...

 

           

           

Change in Approach

Allright, I have an apology to make.  I wrote checks my bandwidth and energy levels could not cash over the last two weeks. 

The entire ten days has been a constant go-go-go, for reasons I'll explain in succeeding posts.   Finding time, then, for doing daily posts has been quite the challenge.   So, my apologies. 

Intead, you will see posts dealing with various aspects of the trip, and comparisons between the two cities on those aspects.    I'll compare the transit systems, the ease in getting around without a car, the hotels I stayed at, the attractions between two cities, restaurants, and other things.   I won't be completely married to this approach, but I'm thinking this is the best to take at this time. 

As you'll see, I've got a lot to say.  Stay tuned!

Day One - NYC - Blamin' it all on the Lights on Broadway

So begins the journey and the adventure.  The following are entries from my journal, duly edited for grammar and content.   

SFO, Terminal 3. Near Gate 64, waiting for flight 637 to NYC, due to depart at 1:10.

Took a taxi to the train station, to catch the 7:00 Capitor Corridor.   This taxi trip, for a 12 mile jaunt,  set me back $50 - no wonder Uber is gaining in popularity. Any of you cabbies or cab companies taking notes? (They’re literally getting violent over this in France!) This tells me what to do when I get back home – take the light rail, and call for a taxi or Uber a few stops before I get to the Mather Field station.   $2.50 for the light rail ride plus the cheapo trip from the station to my place - lesson hopefully valid and learned.  

The Amtrak leg of the trip, from Sacramento to Richmond,  was pleasantly uneventful. Just a bottle of water and cinnamon roll, a clear morning day in the North East Bay Area, and a few games of backgammon on my smart phone. So far, so good.  

BART was a bit, uh, CLUMSY. I got to experience that in all of its permutations in one hour – sitting with a few people, standing with a stuffed car, transferring from one train to another, pushy people who cut lines,  and riding the entire length of the line from Richmond to SFO,  all while hauling my carry-on AND my roll-aboard, which had to be checked in since it was too big for the sizing models United uses.  By the way, as a tip, the airlines are tightening up their enforcement of the baggage-size limits – an argument for using the Rick Steves no-rollers backpack if your back and shoulders will allow for it.) Right now, you can’t ask for better weather, even with the little bits of haze that graced the San Francisco Hills.

I arrived at SFO, about three hours before my departure.  A pastiche of races, colors, ages, dress styles pass me by and come towards me as I angle my way toward my gate, and taking the escalators up and down to the check-in point. I have pre-TSA clearance, so I was surprised to see that so many other people did, as well. The security lines are more lax for those flyers with this clearance - no taking off of your belt, and you can leave your shoes on - just empty your pockets and put your carry-ons through the machine.   I discovered that my blue roll-along was too big even with all of my trying to scrunch it into its sizing model, then was directed to a wonderful lady who took my photo ID and my $25 credit card payment for the bag. This means that I’ll get to experience another part of JFK that I didn’t previously (and would rather not have to if I had my way about it) – the baggage claim area. A new route to the Jamaica station Airtrain will be found in this way, as well.

The flight itself was delayed by two hours, due to an issue with the pilot being unavailable and United having to call a last-minute replacement.   Now, just as a suggestion - when an airline screws up like this, would it not behoove them to compensate the inconvenienced passengers?    Nothing fancy - just some small token of appreciation in the form of a travel voucher, points on the mileage plan, or some other goodie, would be a nice gesture at these times.    In the meantime, I did what most people would do during those wait times: I ate very expensive airport food.    That's how they get you.  

Because of this little inconvenience, I called the hotel and told them that I was going to be late checking in because of my flight.   The Hotel Pennsylvania was gracious enough to pre-register me, so I kept my room.    (This is another tip I suggest, in case you're caught in the same situation).  

The flight itself was uneventful, which is always a good thing.    The entertainment options - movies, TV Shows, music, etc - were all complimentary and available to each seat through the touch screens.  I checked out two episodes of the Foo Fighters' excellent series (don't miss it!).    But I've got a beef with gogoinflight.com.    Their rates for inflight WiFi have skyrocketed to the completely unreasonable.   For this jaunt, 30 minutes of on-line time would have set me back $10, and I would have had to pay $34 for access for the entire flight.   Unless I'm writing it off to an expense account, I'd have to be absolutely CRAZY to bite at those absurd rates, especially when they were considerably cheaper not too many years ago.   Gogoinflight.com can eat it, as far as I'm concerned.  

We landed at 11:30 EST, waited an average amount of time for the luggage to drop down into the Terminal 7 carousel, and started out toward the Airtrain to Jamaica Station.   The walk was not nearly as long as my prior trip (or at least, didn't seem as long).   The Airtrain fare, payable at the end of the journey, is $5.   I paid this, with my $2.50 subway fare and $1 surcharge, hopped on the E train, and began my 45 minute journey to the 34th street station.  

I arrived at 1:15am,  got into the room, set up shop, and slept for the next four or so hours (I lost count, I was so brain dead).   

I've got more tomorrow, on the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum, and a few other things.   Stay Tuned! 

T Minus Three Days...

Three more days.

Actually, two more days and I'm not keeping exact track of the hours, before I begin my next Eastern Seaboard jaunt.  

Here's how the starting out will go down.   On Wednesday, July 1, I will place a call for a taxi, probably at around 5:00am.    Said taxi will whisk me to the train station for the 7:00 edition of the Capitol Corridor, which will wind its way through the North East Bay Area (itself a lovely ride, when at the right time day and weather conditions.)   My Amtrak leg ends in Richmond, where I transfer to BART, and just ride the full length of the line all the way down to SFO.    No glitches or delays in either legs of the rail trip mean that I will have two hours to wait.   Two hours should be plenty of time for the security line and negotiating the people movers to my gate.  At 1:00 pm, I should be onboard, hearing the safety instructions which I've heard literally one hundred times before.   

Gotham awaits.   So does Brooklyn, Beantown, and northward to Portland, ME.   

I'm committing myself to one post per day, at a minimum.    Expect tips, reviews, some pics, perhaps even a video or two.    

I'm ready.   

The Tourist and the Transit

     One of the things I’m committed to do in my travels to big cities is to make every effort to do away with the automobile as my primary form of transportation.   I’ll take taxis only when absolutely necessary, perhaps to and from the airport.   I also use the airport-to-hotel shuttles as much as possible, especially if they are “free” (but don’t forget the tip money.)   I also use the money I otherwise would have used on a car rental on something much more, uh, relevant: a nice/nicer dinner, tickets to a sporting event, concert, or play, or something else for the special someone else (who usually gets my motor running much more smoothly than any of those rental cars!).  

     I also take some time prior to takeoff, to learn about the local transit options.   I’ve become partial to light rail and subways.  I’ve found bus service (save for Honolulu where the BRT system “The Bus” resides) to be wanting, in all honesty.   The busses share the same roads as all other traffic, tend to be more cramped, and unless they have dedicated express lanes (such as in Hawaii’s BRT system),  they’re largely impractical.    This also applies, to an extent, to the touristy “hop on hop off” busses you see in all of the big tourist cities like San Francisco. There is an element of convenience of this kind of arrangement – get on and get off as you please, with the same bus coming back a short time later – but you’re still sharing the same roads as the commuters.  Plus, the tourist buses only have – guess it – TOURISTS on board.   You won’t find the local flavor, zeitgeist, or anything else on board these social bubbles-on-wheels.  

     But I’ve found several advantages to riding the rails, whether local, regional, or national, underground or overground:

1.     The systems I have ridden have, for the most part, performed very well in terms of on-time and station location factors;

2.     They’re comparatively cheaper than the tourist busses – and a whole lot cheaper than car rentals;

3.     Since most of the riders of these systems are the locals, you can get a sense of the local “flavor” and culture just by “hanging” with the riders, even if only for a short time;

4.     You don’t have to contend with ANY of the traffic issues so common in large cities.  

     My last few trips outside of the usually friendly confines of my hometown – to New York, Boston, and Portland, OR – have involved me taking this “transit only” approach.   I’ll get into more detail on this topic in future postings, especially as far as what my take is on the quality of the transit options in the places I visit. 

     I realize that car rentals are unavoidable in many parts of the country (and the world).   In those areas, I’ll bite hard and rent the cheapest wheels I can find, and use them only when necessary.   Transit and hoofing-it work best for someone who is in good health and is trying to watch his/her weight along with the people and the surroundings (as I am).  

Stay tuned.  

Reboot again

It's been a couple of years since my last post, for my ultimately incomplete series on my July 3-9, 2013 trip to New York and Boston.   Other things kept getting in the way - school, work, two other blogs, etc., etc., etc.   Please forgive my neglect.  

I have some new adventures and travel-related commentary coming your way shortly.    I will be returning to New York/Boston in July, and adding an additional leg of the trip by heading to Portland, ME.   No schoolwork to get in the way of the motley - just an adventure in tourism with an East Coast flair, done as I did it two years ago - no cars, mass transit and trains, and a lot of walking.    Getting to know a historic part of the country on the ground level (and above), on foot, and with the people who make those cities and regions go.   I'm looking forward to it, and this time, intend to publish a complete travel log, with pictures and recommendations.  

I've got a few other things I'll publish in the next few months.   I'll be devoting some space to using mass transit, and on ways to get to point A-B without the expense and hassle of automobiles.   Cars are unavoidable in many areas, and even preferred - but in the big cities like New York, San Francisco, and a few other places, cars are not only unnecessary, they're a big P.I.T.A.     Besides, if you're able, hoofing it and taking transit gets you closer to the people, which I think is just as important (if not more so) as the buildings, attractions, and history.   I'll also find and share some tips which might help save some valuable cash on these types of excursions, and information sources which can help enrich your own experience as they did mine.  

Expect more to come shortly.    Stay tuned.