Info and reservations: 800-USA-RAIL; www.amtrak.com
You wanna go there, Amtrak will get you there. Slowly. Amtrak trains criss-cross the country and offer especially extensive service between cities in New England and up and down the East Coast, making the train a popular option for traveling somewhat shorter distances. The NortheastDirect routes connect various combinations of Boston, New York (Penn. Station; 4-5hr; around $66 one-way), Philadelphia, Washington, and Baltimore; expect to pay about $30 more for Acela Express service (takes about an hour less). You can even get down to Miami for a whopping $220, if you so desire, though it will take you 3 days to get down and back (or, the entirety of Harvard’s Thanksgiving break). 15% SA discount.
For slightly less money and often slightly less time, you can take advantage of Boston’s bus lines. The absolute best deal around are the “Chinatown” buses, still referred to as such despite their relocation from the streets of Chinatown to cleaner, nicer, and much more boring South Station. But at $15 for a one-way trip, Fung Wah and Lucky Star continue to run the cheapest, no-frills ride to and from New York City, departing hourly. For tickets see www.fungwahbus.com or www.luckystarbus.com, or purchase at their South Station booths. Greyhound also leaves from South Station, connecting Boston to the rest of the country. Thanks to increased competition from entreprenurial Chinese people and the wonders of free market economy, round-trip tickets to New York are a mere $40, half the price of what they were a year ago. Peter Pan, at South Station, goes to Western Massachusetts and other destinations in New England. Peter Pan buses have hourly departures on a first-come first-served basis. Peter Pan Bonanza departs from South Station with service to NYC, Providence, Hyannis, Woods Hole, and other regional destinations. Concord Trailways provides service from South Station to Bangor and Portland, ME, and Concord, Manchester, and Conway, NH, among other cities. C & J Trailways (800-258-7111) heads to Dover and Portsmouth, NH. Vermont Transit (800-552-8737) sends buses to Burlington, Montpelier, Brattleboro, and other spots in Vermont, as well as the rest of the country.
