Port Authority Bus Terminal - Personal Safety (New York, Newark: hotel, buy)

[ibking]

Hi,

I will be visiting the US for the first time next week from Australia.
I will be landing in New York in the night, and then plan to head to Boston.

I wanted to ask if the Port Authority Bus Terminal is generally safe?
I will be arriving there at about 8pm on a Monday night (maybe a bit later if there is a flight delay). I am also conscious of the fact that i will definitely look like a tourist and will be wheeling 2 bags.
I plan on taking the 9pm or 10pm Greyhound service to Boston.

(Maybe it would be better to stay in a hotel for the night and catch the greyhound service earlier in the day rather than at night?)

Thanks for any comments from Down Under (Australia)!

[mead]

I haven't found the Port Authority to be particularly unsafe, however there are lots of sketchy characters/transients always hanging around there. I think you should be alright, but just stay alert and don't listen to anyone who walks up to you and is asking for money or help. Tell them to f* off and leave you alone, I wouldn't be surprised if some scammers are operating around there.

Also just be careful of your stuff while on Greyhound. Greyhound buses are kind of at the lower end of the spectrum of transportation in the USA, so you'll get all of the people associated with that on the bus. Last time I was on a Greyhound bus coming out of the Port Authority (about a year or so ago), I was walking down the aisle to the bathroom in the back and brushed against this guy's leg (didn't step on his foot or anything mind you) and he got all ghetto on me telling me that I should apologize to him and everything. Just avoid getting into any confrontations with these types of people.

If this wasn't such a short bus ride, I'm guessing it will be around 4-6 hours to Boston, I would reccomend that you take the train. Amtrak is nicer than Greyhound because more normal middle class people ride Amtrak than take the bus, however the prices are more expensive on Amtrak than on Greyhound.

Now of course the cheapest way to get to Boston would be to take one of the Chinatown buses, however that would probably be a little bit too complicated for you to figure out after just getting off a long international flight.

[Viralmd]

You can also take the train from Penn Station to Boston. You can get to Penn Station via NJ Transit via its Newark airport connection....I would avoid taking a bus at all costs.

[straight outta camden]

Originally Posted by mead

I haven't found the Port Authority to be particularly unsafe, however there are lots of sketchy characters/transients always hanging around there. I think you should be alright, but just stay alert and don't listen to anyone who walks up to you and is asking for money or help. Tell them to f* off and leave you alone, I wouldn't be surprised if some scammers are operating around there.

Also just be careful of your stuff while on Greyhound. Greyhound buses are kind of at the lower end of the spectrum of transportation in the USA, so you'll get all of the people associated with that on the bus. Last time I was on a Greyhound bus coming out of the Port Authority (about a year or so ago), I was walking down the aisle to the bathroom in the back and brushed against this guy's leg (didn't step on his foot or anything mind you) and he got all ghetto on me telling me that I should apologize to him and everything. Just avoid getting into any confrontations with these types of people.

If this wasn't such a short bus ride, I'm guessing it will be around 4-6 hours to Boston, I would reccomend that you take the train. Amtrak is nicer than Greyhound because more normal middle class people ride Amtrak than take the bus, however the prices are more expensive on Amtrak than on Greyhound.

Now of course the cheapest way to get to Boston would be to take one of the Chinatown buses, however that would probably be a little bit too complicated for you to figure out after just getting off a long international flight.

Nonsense. Greyhound / Trailways is perfectly safe, and the trip to Boston (I've done it several times) is exceptionally so, being full of college kids. I once did a 40-hour trip to New York and, while it was pretty boring, never once did anyone go "ghetto" on anyone else.

Buses have--gasp!--working-class people on them. I'm sure you can cope with that. If you're a woman, sit next to a woman. And in the very unlikely event that someone causes trouble, tell the driver. They will fling the miscreant off the bus.

Port Authority at 8pm is perfectly OK. Buy a copy of the New York Daily News, affect an air of boredom (that should come easily if you're reading the Daily News) and you will blend in, more or less. You'll be fine.

[Viralmd]

I didn't say the bus isn't safe. It just takes FOREVER.

[mead]

I used to ride Greyhound all the time, haven't been on one for a while though. I know more than a few people who have had their bags or other belongings stolen off of a Greyhound bus while they were asleep or during a break.

I've never ridden the bus up to Boston, but have taken the bus down South to Florida many many times, and this is a fairly long 20 hour ride.

Greyhound has more than just working class people onboard, it has a lot of weird people. People who are afraid of airplanes, people who have had their driving license suspended, random old people, really poor (welfare/pj's) type people, and crazy people who like to talk to random strangers. This has been my experience on Greyhound.

There is nothing worse than being stuck on a Greyhound bus for a 20hr+ ride and having to sit next to some crazy man mumbling on about nonesense at 2 am. I've had this happen to me, be careful who you sit next to, it could make for an awful ride.

Originally Posted by straight outta camden

Nonsense. Greyhound / Trailways is perfectly safe, and the trip to Boston (I've done it several times) is exceptionally so, being full of college kids. I once did a 40-hour trip to New York and, while it was pretty boring, never once did anyone go "ghetto" on anyone else.

Buses have--gasp!--working-class people on them. I'm sure you can cope with that. If you're a woman, sit next to a woman. And in the very unlikely event that someone causes trouble, tell the driver. They will fling the miscreant off the bus.

Port Authority at 8pm is perfectly OK. Buy a copy of the New York Daily News, affect an air of boredom (that should come easily if you're reading the Daily News) and you will blend in, more or less. You'll be fine.

[scatman]

Just be aware of your surroundings, don't talk to strangers (even when someone is asking directions), and you'll be fine!

[Moth]

Avoid the dark corners, nooks and crannies of Port Authority. And do not use the bathrooms if you can avoid it.

You should be fine.

[grazfather]

Port Authority is very safe, clean, bathrooms are fine. NYC's finest are very visible. I've by through here dozens of times, never, never a hint of problems. You are safe, unless of course your looking for trouble.

[NYCAnalyst]

Everyone at the Port Authority Bus Terminal looks like a tourist - because most of them are tourists! I mean you can't expect locals to hang around there.

As a student, I've taken 8hr red-eye trips on Greyhound from Pittsburgh to / from NYC. I would advise sitting in the middle of the bus. If you sit close to the wheels, any bumps / potholes could make for a very uncomfortable ride. As for the people that ride these buses, many people are lower-income, so just keep to yourself and you will be fine. There are some really really poor people riding these buses. I talked to a guy who was taking a 2-week bus ride from NYC to San Diego because he couldn't afford the plane fare! Also saw a guy going from California to Vermont, he packed about 200 Peanut Butter / Jelly sandwiches for his trip.

P.S. Chinatown bus is much much cheaper than Greyhound Bus for NYC <--> Boston trips. Take a look into that.