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May. 3rd, 2008 03:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
miss_ytI have successfully reached the alum's house in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, where I will be staying this weekend - in spite of the incompetence and general assholery of Greyhound. I did not end up taking their bus to Philadelphia.
See, I purchased a non-refundable round-trip ticket between D.C. and Philadelphia. I picked up my ticket and was on line for the bus at 8:45, with the departure time at 9 AM. They let people board the bus, but then closed the door on the two people before me, without an explanation. It soon became evident that we were not getting on the bus we'd bought tickets for, even though it wasn't full (we later found out that they were leaving spare seats for people who got on at the next stop). Some of the other would-be Philly passengers made inquiries at the ticket desk: first I heard that the next train to Philly would be at 10:45 AM, which was acceptable if annoying. Then I heard 2:45 PM. The alum who is generously hosting me was expecting me in the late afternoon, so that would not do. I left the bus station.
I ended up buying an Amtrak ticket to Philly, which is a heck of a lot more expensive, but at least I knew I'd get a seat if I got a ticket.1 I'm still not sure if I'll use my return Greyhound bus ticket, because I'm so mad at them. When I get back Dad will help me demand my money back. (He's better at yelling at people than I am.)
It wasn't all bad, though. When I got to Philly the weather was nice, although the sky was overcast. I went to my favorite yarn store near Rittenhouse Square - which is lovely this time of year, with all the flowering bushes - and found that they were selling small skeins of Koigu yarn for fifteen cents an ounce. For those of you who aren't total yarn addicts, Koigu is a really nice wool sock yarn. I got two skeins of a stormy purple-gray color, with which I can make a pair of crew socks, for $11.50. Normally I'd need to spend twice as much on enough Koigu to make full-size socks, so this was a good deal. Buying yarn also cheered me up after the whole Greyhound fuckwittery.
I had a grilled cheese sandwich at a Midtown cafe - Midtown is a kind of Philly institution, as restaurants go. On Monday, before I return home, I'll visit Reading Terminal Market, and maybe pay a surprise visit to my old office in Queen Village too, just to say hello. I know my boss and supervisor will still be there, but I'm not sure who else from my work days will still be around (turnover there is kind of high).
Anyway, I have May Day and dinner with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tempus_aeterna to look forward to tomorrow! But the weather report says it's going to rain. Perhaps I should get an umbrella.
1 Amtrak used to have unreserved tickets and oversell them from time to time, so you'd end up standing for part or all of the way, but at least you got on the damn train. Now they only sell tickets for the seats they actually have.
See, I purchased a non-refundable round-trip ticket between D.C. and Philadelphia. I picked up my ticket and was on line for the bus at 8:45, with the departure time at 9 AM. They let people board the bus, but then closed the door on the two people before me, without an explanation. It soon became evident that we were not getting on the bus we'd bought tickets for, even though it wasn't full (we later found out that they were leaving spare seats for people who got on at the next stop). Some of the other would-be Philly passengers made inquiries at the ticket desk: first I heard that the next train to Philly would be at 10:45 AM, which was acceptable if annoying. Then I heard 2:45 PM. The alum who is generously hosting me was expecting me in the late afternoon, so that would not do. I left the bus station.
I ended up buying an Amtrak ticket to Philly, which is a heck of a lot more expensive, but at least I knew I'd get a seat if I got a ticket.1 I'm still not sure if I'll use my return Greyhound bus ticket, because I'm so mad at them. When I get back Dad will help me demand my money back. (He's better at yelling at people than I am.)
It wasn't all bad, though. When I got to Philly the weather was nice, although the sky was overcast. I went to my favorite yarn store near Rittenhouse Square - which is lovely this time of year, with all the flowering bushes - and found that they were selling small skeins of Koigu yarn for fifteen cents an ounce. For those of you who aren't total yarn addicts, Koigu is a really nice wool sock yarn. I got two skeins of a stormy purple-gray color, with which I can make a pair of crew socks, for $11.50. Normally I'd need to spend twice as much on enough Koigu to make full-size socks, so this was a good deal. Buying yarn also cheered me up after the whole Greyhound fuckwittery.
I had a grilled cheese sandwich at a Midtown cafe - Midtown is a kind of Philly institution, as restaurants go. On Monday, before I return home, I'll visit Reading Terminal Market, and maybe pay a surprise visit to my old office in Queen Village too, just to say hello. I know my boss and supervisor will still be there, but I'm not sure who else from my work days will still be around (turnover there is kind of high).
Anyway, I have May Day and dinner with
tempus_aeterna to look forward to tomorrow! But the weather report says it's going to rain. Perhaps I should get an umbrella.1 Amtrak used to have unreserved tickets and oversell them from time to time, so you'd end up standing for part or all of the way, but at least you got on the damn train. Now they only sell tickets for the seats they actually have.
