New T-shirt: I rode BoltBus and all I got was this sore neck

Ok, that’s extreme.  I got to my destination safely.  Not on time, but safely.

A quick summary of my first day (roundtrip) of riding BoltBus (Philly to NYC and back):

• My cellphone is dead so I’m clock-less.  This bus is mad late though.  And its quite chilly out this morning.  Gotta have been 30-40 minutes late.  Was thinking the next P2P Circulator bus was going to show up before it. UPDATE!  As I had said, my cell phone was dead.  I just checked voicemail (yes, very late) and I had a voicemail that morning from Boltbus telling me that the bus was running late and what its approximate arrival time would be.  Very nice.
• And it arrives…. brand, shiny, new bus.
• Boarding is easy.  Surprised how little of us who were there actually have tickets printed.  Isn’t that the main advantage of BoltBus’ pricing?
• Leather seats….wherever I saw that wasn’t lying.  And that extra 3 inches of leg room feels huge. Feels like your own private space on the bus.
• Smooth jazz CD playing very loudly….turned off by driver before we got rolling
• Electrical outlets on back of ‘aisle’ seats.  Cool, but nobody is paranoid about EMF health effects?  Guess just me.  I made sure to sit by the window both times.  Don’t know if it was necessaary or if it would’ve helped but hey.
• DVD put in….a movie called “Stardust” – actually engaging….good actors…found myself watching this more than i wanted.
• Why the sore neck?  The seats barely recline.  I mean…. the ’standard position’ feels like a negative incline and the fully reclined position feels almost like sitting up straight.  This coupled with the height/shape of the seat (I guess) provided me with very uncomfortable sleep. Parent company Greyhound is going to keep more of my money it seems.  Commuting 3 days a week, I need the time to sleep on the bus.  This was a problem both going and returning.  We’ll see if MegaBus is any different.
• Drop off location was very convenient.  Pretty much right at an A/C/E entrance (at 34th Street).
• Arrival time – 20 minutes late.
• The ride home was more on time.  Arrival time in Philly, 8:36 (estimated arrival 8:30).  Cloth seats on way home and no music/movie, which was perfectly fine.  
• Both trips, the bus was super new and clean.
• The drivers and staff I encountered were very nice, professional, and friendly.  One of the best parts of the experience.

Overall, I don’t think its for me because I really could not sleep well.  If sleep wasn’t a factor, seems like a great option.