F6
KLMNO Heading to the beach on the no-fuss bus bus continued from F1
stay, then for a day trip. I bade my car a good weekend. “This is so much better than stressing the ride down there,” said a Delaware beach-house owner whose car was in the shop and whose wife was already shore- side. “This is a great way to go.” The nearly three-year-old company, whose signature perks include WiFi, free bottled water and democratically select- ed movies, is not the first big wheeler to minister this route. Those with deep memory banks might recall the Rehobus, which launched in 2007 but folded not long after. The bus was known as a party in fifth gear, partnering with restaurants for pre-ride happy hours and serving snacks and sodas that, with some easy mixing, transformed into cocktails. The owners also targeted a gay crowd rather than marketing to a wider population, one of the reasons, some say, that it failed. By comparison, DC2NY has noti- fied its 300,000 customers, in addition to hanging window posters around the Del- aware towns and spreading the news via social media outlets. “I saw an ad for it online on Monday,” said Niki Williams, a Saturday night pas- senger returning from a visit to her boy- friend’s family’s house in Lewes, Del. “We are already telling friends about it.” This season, the company plans to run the bus through Labor Day, with three pickups per weekend at Dupont Circle and Union Station, plus holidays. Pas- sengers disembark behind the fire sta- tion off Rehoboth Avenue or at the Light- house entertainment complex in Dewey. Both locales are a hot-sand hop from the restaurants, shops and, most important, beaches. “In either of these towns, you can’t move in a car,” said DC2NY market- ing director Walter Gill. “It will be a nicer experience riding the bus, reading the newspaper and drinking coffee. And from the stops, it’s a five-minute walk to a beautiful beach. That’s pretty amazing.” Sensitive to the public’s time con-
straints and job demands, the company arranged a Friday departure that allows travelers to work a full day (boarding at 5:30 or 6 p.m., depending on the pickup) and a Sunday evening return that arrives in Washington before curfew (around 10:30 p.m.). The schedule also accommo- dates day-trippers, who can log about nine hours at the beach, thanks to an ear- ly-morning departure. Cost is $39 one way and $70 round trip — less than a rental car plus gas.
“I am legally blind, so I can’t drive.
This is the best option for me,” said a Bethesda man who traveled round-trip to Rehoboth on Saturday. “I walk around, listen to my radio, have lunch and dinner. That’s a good day.” Last weekend, the bus’s drive time matched that of a car — 21⁄2
to three
hours. The drivers were wise to detours, and minus a few backups at red lights, we barely idled. And while we didn’t look as smashing as that red Corvette convert- ible on our left, we did have reason to gloat: Along Route 1 as we approached Rehoboth, the 57-seater bypassed traffic by using a lane designated for buses, bik- ers and autos taking right turns. Eat our exhaust, Corvette. If demand grows, President Asi Ohana said, the company may expand service, adding a Thursday evening departure and a later option to the current 7:30 a.m.. Slow-risers such as Tom Mann, who raced to catch the bus on Sunday, would
eagerly embrace a mid-morning slot. “I don’t need to get to the beach by
10:30,” said Mann, who was carrying a coffee pot, his contribution to the beach house he rents with pals. Nancy Arce was awake enough to re- member her beach essentials, a white cooler and a stack of packaged cookies threatening to topple into the aisle. She and her friends, Erica Scott and Bianca Sanchez, commandeered the back row, using the extra room to fit their compact container, which was stuffed with soda, water, sandwiches and chips. “I had to get a smaller cooler,” Arce said, addressing the space issue onboard.
Scott teased back, “It’s still huge.” When I asked the day-trippers wheth-
er they thought the hours on the ground warranted the hours in the bus, Scott said, “That’s a really long day. That’s probably more than you’d spend if you were on vacation staying in a hotel.” The girls, however, did not want for ac- tivities, filling their time with beach, a Thai lunch, more beach and a second ear-piercing. The cooler still contained a bit of nourishment for the ride home. (For more ideas, I shopped along Reho- both Avenue, rented a bike for a 22-mile round-trip ride toward Bethany Beach and chugged a $2.50 happy hour beer at
the Purple Parrot.) To maximize a weekend beach trip,
many of the Friday evening riders started the festivities as soon as the tires spun forward. To some, a bus is not just a bus, it’s also a bar. “There is nothing enjoy- able about driving to a party beach on your own,” said a 25-year-old Washing- tonian wearing a green visor. “This bus made my Friday even more Friday.” The lone traveler in the headgear joined forces, and supplies, with a pair of brothers, two women and their guy friend, and Toney, who played DJ on an Apple computer. (Sample mix: Lady Ga- ga’s “Bad Romance,” John Mellencamp’s “Jack and Diane,” the Police’s “Roxanne.”) The impromptu soiree, held near the restroom, was stocked with bottles of Smirnoff Ice, Captain Morgan spiced rum, Coke, sweet tea vodka (basically a spiked Arnold Palmer), ice sealed in a garbage bag, a mini-keg of Heineken, plastic Solo cups and dice, quarters, Triv- ial Pursuit and cards, which helped turn the simple act of drinking into a com- petitive sport.
BILL O’LEARY/THE WASHINGTON POST Bus passengers can start their rest and relaxation long before they get to Rehoboth. Other big wheels in beach transportation
This summer, lose the car keys. For a beach retreat along the mid-Atlantic coast, you don’t need to get behind the wheel. Here are some public transportation options from Washington to the ocean. (All fares are one way except where noted.) Virginia Beach: Fly into Norfolk International Airport and catch the Norfolk Airport Shuttle to the oceanfront (804-342-7300, www.onetransportationsolution. com/
norfolk.html; $39). Southwest, for one, offers nonstop service from BWI Marshall, from $155 round trip. The shuttle also serves Chesapeake, Hampton, Portsmouth and Suffolk. For a ground alternative, take Amtrak to Newport News, then hop the Amtrak shuttle to 19th Street and Pacific Avenue (800-872-7245,
www.amtrak.com; from $48 one way). Greyhound also motors to Virginia Beach, with transfers in Richmond and Norfolk (800-231-2222,
www.greyhound.com; from $33).
GotoBus.com, part of the cheapie Chinatown bus network, has a $10 one-way summer special to Virginia Beach. Info: Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, 800-822-3224, www.vbfun. com. Ocean City, Md.: Grab a seat on Greyhound, with transfers in Baltimore and stops in Annapolis, Easton and Salisbury. From $33. BayRunner Shuttle (410-912-6000,
www.bayrunnershuttle.com) picks up from BWI; $95. Info: Ocean City Maryland Convention and Visitors Bureau, 800-626-2326,
http://ococean.com. Lewes, Del.: Take Amtrak to Wilmington (from $43), then grab a DART bus (800-355-8080,
www.dartfirststate.com) to Rehoboth ($7.50) and a local bus to Lewes ($1). Express service on weekends. From Cape May (see below), ride the ferry over (800-643-3779,
www.capemaylewesferry.com) for $10 in peak season. Info: Lewes Delaware Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, 877-465-3937,
www.leweschamber.com. Atlantic City, N.J.: Many bus lines offer service to the casinos, including Greyhound’s Lucky Streak (
www.luckystreakbus.com), from $37.50 round trip, with an open-ended return. The standard Greyhound bus also drops off at its terminal. Cape May and Ocean City, N.J.: From Atlantic City, the N.J. Transit bus (800-772-2287,
www.njtransit.com) serves spots along the shore, including Cape May and Ocean City. The ride to Cape May costs $5.25; to Ocean City, $3.15. Info: Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce, 609-399-1412, www.
oceancitychamber.com; Cape May Department of Tourism, 866-Y-CAPEMAY,
www.discovercapemay.com.
“I could be in a bar or I could be on a
bus,” said Lexi Gray of Mount Vernon Square, who dreads the drive when she is behind the wheel. “It’s the same thing.” By the time the vehicle pulled into the
Dewey lot, the liquor well had run dry and lips had locked between two pas- sengers. While most of the travelers scrambled out, the revelers hung back, exchanging phone numbers and gabbing like barflies oblivious to the cry of “clos- ing time.” Twice, the driver asked them to exit; only after he moved to shut the door did they take their leave. Had they stayed, they would have spent a nice eve- ning in Manassas. As I waited for a taxi to my hotel, I no- ticed a sad brown bag abandoned in the parking lot, an arm’s-length from where the bus had stopped. After about 15 min- utes, the guy in the now backward green visor appeared from the shadows and grabbed it. “I drank too much on the bus,” he said, then wobbled down to the main drag to meet his friends. Despite their lack of discretion, the group of imbibers was not intentionally flouting an alcohol policy. Though the company terms and conditions forbid open alcohol containers on its buses, ap- parently nobody had bothered to read them. A few days before service kicked off, Gill told me that drinking was not al- lowed: “The minute you start partying, things get sloppy, things get spilled, things get loud. We won’t have it.” But on Friday night, the pre-departure an- nouncement covered bathroom etiquette and the film selection: no mention of al- cohol consumption whatsoever. So, kids, read the fine print. Lest you think that the bus is a living tableau of “Animal House,” that’s not the case. Of the four trips, I witnessed only one drinkathon, and, when seated in the front of the bus, I was hardly aware of its existence. On Saturday evening, with only four other passengers on board, the interior was so quiet I could hear my flip- flops scrape the sand against the floor. Sunday morning’s ride left too early
for even bloody marys. Returning that evening, most eyes were fixed on the movie, books or the pastoral landscape darkening under the night sky. In fact, the drive was so peaceful, Avery and her travelmate fell into a restful sleep. They were able to make good time without having to wake up.
sachsa@washpost.com
SUNDAY, JUNE 6, 2010 BED CHECK
BECKY KRYSTAL/THE WASHINGTON POST
At the Grey Swan Inn in Blackstone, Va., southwest of Richmond, the innkeepers give a warm welcome to guests — except wasps, that is.
Ducking in at Virginia’s Grey Swan
by Becky Krystal
What if the beautiful swan had nev- er been an ugly duckling? Would it have been as pretentious as all the other little birds? Not the Grey Swan Inn, a bed-and- breakfast in Blackstone, Va., con- structed as a family home in 1902 by a prominent tobacco seller. Architec- tural flourishes such as a big front porch and high ceilings hint at ambi- tion that could have gotten out of con- trol in less modest hands. Instead, cozy rocking chairs adorn the porch, a plump sofa sits in the living room, and paraphernalia representing the inn’s namesake animal pop up every- where, from a fireplace to glass cabi- nets. Christine Hasbrouck, who bought the inn with her husband, Jim, as a retirement project in 2007, jovially greeted me when I arrived. She took me to my adorable cubby of a room and left me to settle in. I’d chosen these particular quarters for the large bathroom, but as I admired the deep tub, I heard a buzzing overhead. Those high ceilings? They’d become a rather convenient retreat for a few wasps that appeared to have emerged along with the lovely spring weather. Not even bothering to throw on my shoes, I hustled downstairs to inform Christine. We scurried back up armed with fly swatters, which would have been useful only if they’d been about six feet longer. Plan B: Change rooms. This was no problem, as I was the only guest for the night. I found the situation more amusing than any- thing, and I had to give Christine credit for handling it with good hu- mor.
YOUR VACATION IN LIGHTS On the Amazon, far from the snow
Lauren Myrick of Falls Church is the latest contributor to Your Vacation in Lights, in which we invite Travel section readers to dish about their recent trips. It’s a big, confusing travel world out there, and you can help your fellow trav- elers navigate it. You won’t win a million dollars if your story is featured; in fact, you won’t win anything but the thanks and admiration of your fellow readers. To file your own trip report, see the fine print below.
WHEN: Feb. 12-21 WHO: My friend Sandy Brown and I. WHERE: The Brazilian Amazon.
WHY? I have been going on ever- increasing adventures with my friends, but when all but the most adventurous pal dropped out this year, we decided to go to a place that only the two of us would enjoy.
THE TRIP: We departed from Manaus on the Tucano, a motor yacht run by Eco- tour Expeditions, and cruised through the Arquipelago das Anavilhanas, the world’s largest river archipelago. After visiting the Waimiri-Atroari tribal re- serve, we headed up the Rio Jauaperi, and then turned around. On the return, we saw where the black water of the Rio Negro and the cafe-au-lait-colored Soli- moes (Amazon) parallel each other with- out mixing.
COST: The seven-day cruise was
$2,400. With airfare and a little spend- ing, the total cost was around $4,000 each.
ANYONE OUT THERE? Less than a day out of Manaus, we did not see any other tourist boats, just river and jungle.
FAMILY PHOTO
The author shows how close she is to the Equator on a cruise along Brazil’s Rio Jauaperi. With all there was to do, she didn’t have much time for reading.
GETTING THERE WAS .. . heart- pounding. The second gasp of the second blizzard dropped 12 inches of snow less than 24 hours before our departure. Flights to Manaus are not too frequent. Thankfully, our Delta flight was one of the lucky ones to take off from Washing- ton Dulles that day.
IT MADE IT ALL WORTH IT WHEN . . . it
started to pour hot rain the first night, and everyone in the restaurant pushed their tables together, so we enjoyed caipi- rinhas with our new Brazilian friends. . . . Meeting the other guests on the boat and realizing these people are cool! . . . Hot yoga on the top deck, led by Sandy.
STAR LIGHT: With no city light pollu- tion, Orion’s belt was barely visible among the other stars surrounding it.
CABIN CALL: On the all-wood river-
boat, we slept in bunks with plenty of windows, including a big one in the shower that we left open all the time. There was no need to cover up, because there was no one there to peek in.
ACTION CRUISE: Every morning, we
were awakened at 5:10 for the 5:45 bird watch by canoe. Then a walk in the jun- gle, more canoeing, followed by a night cruise. Also, piranha-fishing and swim- ming off a giant sandbar. I read fewer than 100 pages of my book. No time.
HELPING A HAND: A man in one of the
villages had a badly infected hand from a harvesting accident. He asked if anyone onboard was a doctor. No one was, but we invited him to come on the boat and we would take him to the nearest hospi- tal, two days away. He came with us. We may have saved his hand.
BEST SCENES: It was a tie. The giant sandbar near the confluence of the Negro and the Jauaperi, which had beautiful straw-colored sand and scarlet macaws, toucans and parrots flying overhead. And the hunter-gatherers in their small wooden houses, looking to trade fish and plants for cooking oil and clothes.
UNFORGETTABLE SIGHTS: Giant ta-
rantulas, many different kinds; an Ama- zonian boa wrapped around the canoe; and the tiny, sharp teeth of the piranhas. We also were chased by an angry spider monkey, which threw branches at us.
IWISH I’D BROUGHT . . . my rain pon-
cho. The other guests good-naturedly laughed at me for visiting the Amazon in the rainy season without a poncho. For- tunately, it could rain on you all day and you wouldn’t be cold.
ON THE MENU: Fruits you never knew
you’d love, such as cupuacu, which is also used to make white chocolate, cocona, rambutan and mangarataia, also known as Amazonian ginger. Each meal featured a local fish, usually grilled, plus beef or chicken. It was all exceptional and acces- sible to all palates.
DRINK UP: The boat was stocked with
a nice selection of South American wines at very reasonable prices, plus caipirin- has the last two nights. Delicious!
SIDE EXCURSIONS: We visited small river villages and fished. I caught one pi- ranha, and Sandy hooked six. We ate them with lime for happy hour. We also explored Lago Janauari Ecological Park, home of Vitoria Regia waterlilies, whose pads are more than five feet wide. It was like another planet.
FREEZE FRAME: I made a sign that said, “1 degree south of the Equator,” and made everyone pose with it. A nice mem- ory of how far we’d all come.
Want to see your own vacation in lights? We’ll highlight one report each month. To submit, use the categories above as a guide (use as many as you wish, or add your own), and send your report to Your Vacation in Lights, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071; or e-mail
vacationinlights@washpost.com.
What my new room lacked in bath- room space, it made up for in other ways: It was larger, and several win- dows flooded it with afternoon sun. I thought that the comforter on the bed could have used some freshening up in the washing machine, but then again, the Hasbroucks hadn’t expec- ted to put anyone in that room. Lunch at a popular local spot had
left me surprisingly not hungry for dinner, so instead of waiting too late to go to a restaurant, I picked up a sal- ad and stowed it in the convenient guest refrigerator, which was also stocked with drinks. While I was out, Jim had popped into my room to drop off the one thing I’d said I needed, an adapter for my laptop power cord, which wouldn’t fit into the room’s two-prong sockets. I ensconced myself on the front porch for the evening. I read the newspaper and a book, chatted on my cellphone and hypnotically rocked back and forth, just watching the cars go by. It got chillier as the sun went down, but I was reluctant to go inside and break the spell I seemed to be un- der. Until, that is, Jim asked whether I wanted a cup of tea. Yes, please. Breakfast the next morning reaf-
firmed my preference for B&Bs. A lov- er of spartan continental breakfasts I am not. The Grey Swan’s feast in- cluded a yogurt banana split, frittata and biscuits that were the closest to Popeye’s I’ve ever gotten outside the fast-food restaurant (in my house, this is a huge compliment). In addi- tion to pleasant conversation with the Hasbroucks, I enjoyed the com- pany of the house cat, who, Jim in- formed me, likes watching people eat. I thought maybe he was just jealous. I envied him, too, because he didn’t have to leave that afternoon.
krystalr@washpost.com
Details
Grey Swan Inn 615 S. Main St. Blackstone, Va. 800-509-3567
www.greyswaninn.com Rooms from $89, including breakfast.
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