It's the posh posh travelling life, the travelling life for me.

I am on my way home from New York City. Second weekend in a row. Why, you ask? Because I was responsible for getting the hotel room for the girl's weekend in NY. Which I did...for the wrong weekend. So rather than tossing $270 to the wind, I tossed a hundred more and came back to the city.

It is convenient to get to NYC from DC these days. There are a multitude of busses that range from awesomely fancy to downright scary. Let me tell you about the scary. That was the bus line I took yesterday. While I am at it, I will tell you why I spent a hundred+ bucks to travel to and fro.

I bought my ticket to leave from Dupont circle at 9:15am yesterday. I think I was going to take the Washington Deluxe Bus. For some bizarre reason, I decided to drive and then leave the car in a lot overnight. I figured it could not be more expensive than taking a cab. Boy, was I wrong. I couldn't find parking! I drove and drove and found only one open lot which was closed on both Sunday and Monday. So I commenced to looking for valet parking at a hotel. I mean, c'mon! It's Dupont. There has to be something. Nothing. Frack. So time is ticking away and I am freaking out. I parked at my church (which is way uncool as we have something like six spaces). I ran, hoping a cab would come by. One did and just waved at me, his backseat filled with lucky tourists. I gave up. Never would have made it. Stopped into the lamest Starbucks in the world, (Marci knows which one I am talking about) and got myself a pity latte. It only took them half an hour to take my order, make my drink, let me pay, and give me my drink.

I went home, booked a ticket for the noon Chinatown bus. I then had some breakfast and called a cab when it was time. Actually I called a cab before it was time and they dispatched it right away forcing me to call and cancel the cab which then got me lectured by the dispatcher. I still love RedTop, though. So, now I have paid $21 for the missed bus, $30 for the Chinatown bus, and $20 for the cab.

My driver is awesome. His name is Rafiq and he is from Afghanistan. He also owns a framing store which may be the location I finally get my super cute drawing of a bunch of birds that I got in Oregon framed. He is going to Afghanistan to help out. I thought he was cool.

I get to the bus locale and see a bus. So, even though it is 11:15 am, I figure I will see if I can get on an earlier bus. There is a guy who is yelling because he has been there for three hours and has just watched all of the full busses leave without him. The guy yells at him to get out of line. I am nervous because I too bought my ticket on line. But the guy stamps my receipt and we both sign it. That bus I saw is the 10 am bus that has not left yet. Yikes. Everyone is stressed out. I go and get in line. The guy who had been told to get out of line is now in line in front of me. Some Asian guy walks by and tells us to get on the bus. So the guy tries and is yelled at so hard by the Asian girl on the bus. I am scared to say anything. But I get on without any drama directed at me. Dunno what happens to that guy, but now I am sitting with all these people who are so grateful to be on this expensive and decrepit bus. I get on my iPhone to rebook my trip for Sunday because I had booked my return on the Chinatown bus which I have no plans to ever be found on again. So original home ticket $30 and new ticket on DC2NY bus $25. Gah!

Until we get to Philly, I am sitting next to a young Asian girl who is sound asleep before we leave. Her head rolls as if on a swivel and I am afraid it might break off. We get to Philly and she gets out and I am forced to sit next to this young black girl who is chatting with her friend across the aisle and she keeps elbowing me. Grr. Then the bus randomly stops when the driver sees three Asian people standing on a corner (not a usual stop, I'm sure) and gets them. Weird. This happened somewhere on our way out of Philly, back to the NJ turnpike. Then I am dumped out in Chinatown. Crap. I hail a cab and $20 later I am at my hotel.

There are two St. Giles next to one another on 39th. I tried to check into the wrong one. Sheesh. I move over to the right one. The hotel room I booked had two beds, which I told them I didn't need. They upgraded me to an awesome king suite. Rock on! Finally something goes right. So I put some makeup on and head to the Gerschwin Theatre with Defying Gravity playing on repeat in my head. Alas, they are sold out. I wander about, but no one else has tickets for me either, so I return. I wait in the extra tickets line. I wait...and wait. Nope. Nothing for me. But the ticket guy gave me the box office number and his name, so I can call and get tickets.

Sauntering around outside, I must look desperate because a fortune teller seeks me out. I must BE desperate because I actually pay her to tell me my fortune. Which basically turns out to be that I am creative (Yay) and lonely. I don't sleep well and she sees numbers. Sigh. I blame this turn of events on my old company that gave me tickets to see Marvin Hamlisch who introduced me to Kristin Chenoweth at a NSO Concert at the Kennedy Center, who then turned out to be awesome and star in Wicked! which I could not see.

I went to a shoe store to buy pity shoes. As I stood in line to buy them, this Russian girl kept hitting me with the body bag she was carrying. Seriously, the thing was huge, but not so huge as to justify hitting me when we where the only people in the store and I was a good ten feet behind her. Then her credit card did not work and they had to call it in and I was ready to walk out, sexy pity shoes be damned. But I was so sad, I needed them. So I just snarled in silence. I was ready to punch her though.

I went and had myself some dinner (yum) while eavesdropping on a couple who were married either to each other, or others. Did not quite get it straight. The woman was haranguing the guy in a massive way, but whenever I looked up at her, she had a pleasant look on her face.

I then moved on to the hotel and had a beverage at the bar while chatting to some boys from Ottawa. (That place!). They asked me to come along and I said thanks but no thanks. I went to my room and crashed while watching Maxim's hottest 100 on E!

This morning I had breakfast at some random place. Then I stopped into Pink Berry and had a mango/original fro-yo cone and it was delicious. Now I am on a fancy bus that left on time and is showing 500 Days of Summer. I don't even have a seat mate! Yay. And I have internet. It's madness!

Last week the bus we were on just suddenly stopped on the highway. We were concerned, but the driver said nothing. He just looked repeatedly into the rearview mirror. We were sure that we were gonna be robbed, or sold into slavery. We were all too chicken to ask what was up. After 10 minutes, someone finally yelled about it. The driver, in his best pissy voice, said, "for those of you who HAVE to know why we stopped, I am resetting the bus's computer". Seriously? He couldn't have just said that?

Naptime. (Or maybe I will watch Up! I won it at the Oscar party and brought it along).