4th of July morning, from the bus

My day starts at 830 with a taxi ride from farmington to Hartford Union station, with a Pakistani driver who does not bucle the belt. He has been in the US for 20 years he tells me, but he complains: no matter how much money you make, no social life. I ask if he has tried to go back to his country, two times, he answers, but with no success.

So this is my first time on a bus in the US, at the very end of my trip. The ride from Hartford to Boston on the Greyhound bus, costs 32$. If you buy the ticket online it would be 22, but then you have to come and pick it up one hour before depart, a clear way to discourage online ticketing. If you buy from the Peter Pan Buses web site, the african american lady at the counter explains me, you can print the ticket yourself, but they are not very strict with the greyhound rules either.... This is a tip for everybody travelling by bus in the US.

The 9 15 Boston bound bus (they do not call them coaches on this side of the atlantic) is a Peter Pan bus, evidently the two companies Peter Pan and Greyhound have now joined forces. A normal bus with 52 seats, a bathroom, and a black dust bag in the front as common bin. We are about 20 25 people on board, difficult to see who they might be, normal people, of different ages, races etc. The driver welcomes us onboard through the speakers and reminds us that smoking and alcohol are federally prohibited on buses, with the accent posed on the federal. Restrain from the use of cellphone as a courtesy to your fellow traveller etc, and there is free wireless on the bus. Thus I am writing this very note from my seat at the front. I have been to Boston less than a week ago but I was too tired, I hope today is going to be better. I have found a guide book, not very good, but informative. Now I remember a movie, a bad romantic comedy (I am not good judge of romantic comedies, I do not watch them) Everybody wants to be Italian, which is set in the north end district of Boston, the one traditionally lived by Italians immigrants. Really I do not know much else. It means that I will learn a lot today.