Can't afford to fly?  Ready for an adventure?  Take a Greyhound.  Most people absolutely cringe at the thought of taking a bus.  Who wants to sleep in a Greyhound bus station?  Not to mention, they're not usually located in the upscale part of town.  Grey hound bus stations are usually located somewhere on the corner of “get murdered” and “buy drugs here” streets.  However, that isn't always the case.  Think of the wonderful and colorful characters you can meet at a bus station.  A grey hound bus station is an experience in itself. 

My first time in a Grey hound bus station was when I went to visit a boyfriend of mine that was in basic training down at Ft. Benning, GA.  We arrive at the bus station very early in the morning and were welcomed by an array of colorful characters, mostly homeless or drunk.  I was 17 and fascinated by it all.  Perhaps even more fascinating in this stinky, small homeless shelter was the unbelievably chipper woman behind the counter.  I loved her and her smiles and her Ralph Lauren perfume.  She convinced me that anyone can take a bad situation and make it better.

My next Grey hound bus station stop was in Minneapolis, MN.  This was back when downtown Minneapolis was full of prostitutes and drug dealers.  I've been by that same Greyhound bus station since then and I have to admit it's not so bad anymore.  However, when I was there it was a little scary.  But in the midst of the creepiness, my best friend and I met the sweetest old couple traveling to New Orleans to celebrate their 60^th wedding anniversary.  They were lovely and in love with not enough money to fly.  Since they met in New Orleans, they were going back.  Even if going back meant sitting on a Grey hound bus for three days. 

The rest of our trip continued on in a similar fashion.  We stopped at several gritty Grey hound bus stations but always seemed to get something good out of it.  In Chicago, the station isn't that far from Sears Tower so we went.  In Nashville, we went to the Grand Ole Opry, something we would have never been able to do with an airport layover.

If you asked me if I would rather fly than spend the night at a Grey hound bus station, the answer will always be yes.  But if I had to do it again, I would.  If you have to, don't be angry about it, just put on a smile and some Ralph Lauren perfume and make the best out of a bad situation.