Never sit in the back, especially when spending 21 hours riding the same bus. The bathroom is something to stay away
from, unless you’re stranded on a frozen mountain in the middle of Wyoming for 3 hours. Even in such extremes and
with 32 ounces of soda in my system, I considered what another passenger suggested, “grab onto your boyfriends belt
and squat, that’s how we do it in Georgia!” But after I heard a passenger, Amber, slipped on black ice when smoking her
overdue cigarette, I decided to take my chances on the restroom just once. It was common to be given a nonverbal hint
from a passengers when walking toward the restroom and to be urged by the driver to use the restroom only in
emergency. Understandable once a funky odor would fill the cabin. Beforehand we stopped at another McDonald’s for a
travelers dinner from the dollar menu, the last time I would purchase a meal from the golden arches to this day.
Greyhound considers McDonald’s a regular meal stop, Matthew (my boyfriend) chuckled at me as I cried, “McDonald’s
again?! I’ve been here on this trip more than I have gone in 5 years!” Thankfully we stocked up on spicy instant noodle
bowls and granola bars.


Despite its uncomfortable seats and lack of legroom, Greyhound will get you there—eventually. The newest buses
have outlets and a screwy wi-fi connection to help pass time, but it’s almost excruciating to pass 21 hours on new
buses because they had less legroom and harder seats made of leather. The new buses were a favorite to
Greyhound stations on the East Coast. I gazed out the window most of the time trying to see every sight possible. I
had never been on the Greyhound prior, so a 15-day Discovery Pass leaving San Francisco with a destination to and
from New York City did not sound bad. Once spending 3 days on a bus to get to New York and 3 and a half days to
return to San Francisco my perception of time has made me more conscious of how I make use of time. The trips
starting and ending points unify my birth and current life. This book contains selected photographs from our journey;
documenting the pit stops of middle America, Greyhound stations and rushed visits to cities and towns unexplored by
us.