I'd always heard rumors about the Chinatown bus, like how they occasionally catch on fire or try to run competitors off the I-95. But ever since I've become a semi-frequent user of its NYC-Boston route, I've had no problems. Sure, there was that time we got lost in Queens and I thought the driver was copping drugs after he kept stopping, inexplicably disembarking and sidling up to random livery cabs at gas stations, when really he was looking for directions. But at $15 each way? I mean, it costs me about $20 just to take a cab downtown from my apartment.

This past weekend, I had to go to Boston for work and took the opportunity to try out the Acela express train. Duh-yamn that ride is sweet. Plug-in outlets for your laptop. Amply-reclining seats. Coastal views. A snack cart. No irritating Cantonese-speaking dude running his cell phone out. Instead, waspy guys in suits quietly reading best-selling hardbacks on economics. The damage? About $200. The end.