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US Tour: August 2007

 
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purplechair
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 2:00 pm    Post subject: US Tour: August 2007 Reply with quote

Hello!

Nothing is booked yet, but this is my plan for the summer, by some combination of buses and a forum-arranged convoy.

Firstly: If anyone is on the route, I'd be up for stopping by and saying hello and things, if I have time.

Secondly: Does anyone have any advice on things to see, and stuff?

And would I be crazy to travell about 3000 miles by Greyhoud bus? I don't seem to have many options (flying would be no fun), but what few reports I've heard from friends have all been pretty negative.
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Nana Komatsu
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 4:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Allow me to be (more) shameless (than usual) for a moment.

You may not know this but I work for a travel website. I would highly recommend our trip planning tool for this sort of thing!
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Shapermc
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 4:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, if you wanted to hop up to St. Louis, MO between WV and TX then I would be. Wes too.
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Mister Toups
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 4:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would recommend going through mississippi/louisiana much more than arkansas. there's plenty more to see (including me) plus you will have a chance to eat some fucking awesome food. I live in lafayette which is kind of far south so it would add an extra day or two but would be well worth it!
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GSL
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 6:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm on the route! I-5 about 14 miles north of the California border!

As far as Greyhound, I'll be blunt: You meet some damn weird people on Greyhound. It's possibly the cheapest means of long distance travel, and not to sound like some sort of classist jackass, cheap sometimes means lower-class sometimes means really really weird. Granted, I've only done 5-hour, 180 mile trips, so I'm not sure how the cross-country thing will work, but I did learn that if you have headphones on and are absorbed in a book or game console of some sort, people tend to leave you alone. Though I'd be a bit hesitant to advertise that I have a game console in my carry-on. I've never had problems where I felt in danger, it's just that some of the people get overly chatty and I have no tolerance for things like hearing how some lady's boyfriend just got out of prison and though he hits her sometimes she still loves him, or helping some wino find a decent bar on the next meal stop.

The other concern is, of course, the bus seats and whether or not you're a person who can comfortably sit for long periods of time. Greyhound seats are good as far as coach seats go, but they're still coach seats.

All that completely aside, if you have the time I think it could possibly be the most rewarding way of travelling cross-country short of using your own vehicle. Some of the drivers tend to get quite good at the whole tour-guide thing, and can be entertaining if that's your first time through an area. Also, with Greyhound it's a bit easier to buy last-minute tickets than say, Amtrak or the airlines, so you have a bit more freedom should you decide to spend a day or two in various locations and end up staying a bit longer than planned.
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Shapermc
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 6:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

About transportation: I've actually done quite a bit of travel by Amtrack and will say that it's pretty good for the price. If you are going to be on one overnight I highly recommend getting a sleeper car because it costs about the same as a regular seat + dinner, but the sleeper car includes dinner.
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Scratchmonkey
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 6:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Be forewarned that the route you've selected up California's gut is going to be hot and boring. There's pretty much nothing along the I-5 once you get out of LA. Of course, that's how the Dog does it, so you might not have many options.

I would suggest getting over towards the coast. If you can travel up the coast on 1, that's the most ideal route, although it takes longer and you'd pretty much have to cadge a ride with somebody. The real "gem" of the coast is Monterey Bay and the stretches to the north and south of it. It's one of the most distinctive and beautiful portions of the country. Again, I don't know of any public transportation that runs in that area, beyond the bus systems that run out of Monterey and Santa Cruz, neither of which are real trustworthy.

If you're into neat cities, I would definitely suggest that you take a side-trek over to the Bay Area and check out San Francisco.
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dessgeega
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 6:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i'm in new york. you knew that though.
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dhex
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 9:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
You meet some damn weird people on Greyhound


that is one way of putting it.
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Scratchmonkey
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 11:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another way of putting it: when people get out of correctional institutions, they have a right to transportation to where they need to be going. This is usually a Greyhound ticket.
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Nana Komatsu
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 4:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

California One is arguably the most beautiful drive in all of the US. Rent a car and drive from LA to San Francisco, it will totally be worth it.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 8:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Except that driving on I-75/I-85 north into Atlanta and seeing the bright, tacky yellow billboard that says "Welcome to Atlanta, home of So So Def Recordings" is even more beautiful.
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Lestrade
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 8:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

D'oh! I am in Toronto, and thus not on your route. But this sounds like fun; upload lots of photos!
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purplechair
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

dhex wrote:
Quote:
You meet some damn weird people on Greyhound


that is one way of putting it.


Well... I could TRY not pestering people...

Also, I haven't really chosen anything about the route - it's just what Google Maps spat out. The specifics are all down to where the bus routes go, or the guys who are driving me around, or whatever.

I'm considering amtrak (or just a nicer coach line, or whatever) for some bits - like the long stretch from Dallas to Vegas. I'm torn between saving money on accomodation by sleeping in transit, and staying awake for the duration of the journey so I don't miss anything. My mp3 player is worth about $50 and will probably be the most expensive item I take - by far my biggest concern is getting robbed when travelling about on my own, so I'd like to minimise potential losses.

Edit: Also, I can't drive. ALTHOUGH: I ought to learn.
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ApM
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 12:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My wife took a 2-month cross-Canada trip on Greyhound and loved it. Canadian Greyhound is better than American Greyhound, but, you know, Canada is bigger.

One thing to note about Amtrak: Apparently in the US, trains carrying cargo take priority over trains carrying people. There are some routes (California to Seattle, for one) that will just always be atrociously, mind-bogglingly long. I've heard horror stories of people being over a day late before being shunted off into a bus and driven the rest of the way because the train had to go back and pick up people from California again. Generally my train trips between Vancouver and Seattle have gone well, though.

Also: TGQ Squad Seattle Meetup: Yes! I will personally make this happen.
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GSL
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 6:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

God's own truth. America's passenger railway system is almost an afterthought to the established commercial lines, and somehow neither organization has figured out how to create a decent schedule. Amtrak is comfortable and reasonably cheap, and as long as you don't mind waiting 2 to upwards of 8 hours for a late train to get in, it's not a bad way to go.

purplechair wrote:
dhex wrote:
Quote:
You meet some damn weird people on Greyhound


that is one way of putting it.


Well... I could TRY not pestering people...


It's definitely less an issue of you pestering people and more about people pestering you. Your tolerance for that may vary depending on the type of person.
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xvs07
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 1:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I realize I'm late to this party, but I'll throw in my vote:

On Amtrak, I saw beautiful country, had acres of leg room, not an ounce of fear for person or possessions, and arrived at my destination early.

On Greyhound, I saw nothing but the headrest in front of me while I sat pretending to be Britishly stoic while being regaled with cheery enthusiastic tales of fireside defecation by the reeking, toothless meth addict in the seat next to me.

Moral: While in the Pacific northwest, take the damned train.

Also, I live in Seattle and would be so very up for forming another TGQ PAX posse if the timing were right. Last year was intense, and this year's going to require a month of physical conditioning just to make it around the venue.
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Nana Komatsu
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

For the record purplechair, I would gladly host someone who uses a Hide avatar at my apartment if you'd want to hang out in SF for a few days this summer.
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purplechair
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 1:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hah! Excellent. I'd have checked back sooner, but I've been doing other things.

One important change to the plan is that I now have a friend coming along.

I'm currently running over some of the expenses and stuff. I haven't heard much back about the whole road trip thing, so I think I'm just going to take the train along New York - Washington - New Orleans - Dallas. I've yet to figure out the journey through the desert (edit: I think it will involve planes), but then it's still LA - SF - Seattle.

I'm totally down for PAX and would most gratefully accept some sofa/floor space in SF, Nana! I can assure you that we're both quite stereotypically English, so you don't need to worry about noise or mess or anything.
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purplechair
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PostPosted: Mon May 14, 2007 2:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, I bought our flights out and back, and some travel insurance, and immediately froze my credit card. We leave on the 25th July and fly back on the 29th of August, but the rest is still a bit of a blank slate. I think the next step is to arrange accommodation for each night, and then reserve train tickets to link it all up. Then go through the list of things to do and see and check what we have to do to visit Disney World.

Now that I've got a few hundred quid invested, I'm feeling a lot more confident that this is all going to happen. Exciting!

Oh, and Alice (although it feels a little strange to use your real name), we're planning on visiting SF between the 14th and the 19th of August. Or thereabouts, anyway... it's not set in stone or anything. Would that be okay? We don't take up much room, and we're awesome.
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ApM
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 1:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey, purplechair or someone else who may know: Are you in Seattle yet?
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purplechair
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 11:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes'm. Staying with a friend a little north of Green Lake.
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ApM
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 1:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You still thinking of doing PAX?

Over at SelectButton there's a meetup being scheduled for Thursday (tomorrow! Holy shit!), and you should totally come! It's looking rather like a TGQ meetup anyway.
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Shapermc
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 2:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ApM, have you received your paperwork yet? I was assured it would get to your house by tomorrow.
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-Robert E. Howard in a letter to a friend circa Decmber 1932

"There is no place in this enterprise for a rogue physicist!"
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ApM
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 2:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not yet -- was starting to get a bit antsy -- but if you were assured it'll be here tomorrow then that works for me.

(God there's like nobody at PAX I want to talk to. I'm not cut out for the games journalist life.)
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Shapermc
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 3:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ApM wrote:
Not yet -- was starting to get a bit antsy -- but if you were assured it'll be here tomorrow then that works for me.

Yeah, I put it on my table to mail out after I emailed you about it, then it got covered up later that day. I didn't clean the table until last saturday and found it and then froze thinking "OH SHIT!" but the post office said it was still good to get there by thursday. I got delivery confirmation, but realized that this doesn't do me any good for tracking to make sure it's on time :(
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“The average man has a secret desire to be a swaggering, drunken, fighting, raping swashbuckler.”
-Robert E. Howard in a letter to a friend circa Decmber 1932

"There is no place in this enterprise for a rogue physicist!"
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ApM
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 10:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It was waiting in my mailbox this evening! Worry not.
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ApM
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 24, 2007 10:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

purplechair you were missed last night Sad

How long are you in town? Team TGQ Squad is sort of booked this weekend if you're not doing PAX, but Six is in town until Wednesday, so we should make something happen.

(I don't blame you if you've decided to flee to Vancouver, though.)
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purplechair
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 10:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

!!! Surprised

I totally forgot! Well, my poor net connection and the convoluted process I have to go through to log in also contributed.

My friend and I are in town until Wednesday night. What does this mean? I don't know. But Virtua Fighter 5 is 'wikkid sick'.
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