With malice toward none, with charity for all

Lincoln's greatest speech.

I'm on a bus heading up to NYC, after spending 4 great days in Washington D.C. The bus comes with free wifi, among many other conveniences, the foremost of which that it is very very cheap. But surprisingly comfortable. And you really can't beat the free wifi.

Rishi the Tour Guide note: If you want travel anywhere in Northeast/Eastern Seaboard North America, your best bet is bus travel. There's quite a few low cost bus services that all utilise yield management systems, with fares starting at $1(!!), if you book early enough. It's more likely your fare will cost 19-25, but that's still a really great price on these sorts of things. There's no hassle of customs, you can use a phone, most come with free wifi, you can get up and walk around, and they have toilets. And the scenery is much better than a plane.

Though, rail isn't a bad idea either. It's usually more expensive than bus, but less than flying. I've ridden on Amtrak a few times, and it's very romantic. Usually, you're going through picturesque countryside, and there are actual snack cars available on most trains, and some even come with full dining (and beds even!) cars. And the operators and conductors are almost always bound to be fun people, who seem to love announcing things in that great old-timey singsong announcement voice, and being generally funny people. Example:

"We're coming to Albany now, and we're going to have short 20min break to change crews. If you want to get and stretch your legs or grab a bite to eat, feel free to do so. Those of you participating in the smoking olympics should also use this opportunity to do so, as this is our last stop before New York City."

So, now you know.

Anyway, back to NYC. Having come from Washington, where politics is big (seriously, everybody talks about it, and as commonplace as 'what are we having for lunch' talk), i've been fascinated by this State Senate crisis that's apparently just been resolved. New York has had a bit of tumultuous political period in its recent history, what with the Eliot Spitzer scandal and Paterson's abysmal approval ratings and Democrats getting a hold of the State Senate for the first time in four decades and Bloomberg spending $36 million of his personal wealth (so far) into trying to secure a third term as mayor, among other things. It's classic backroom dealings and machinations and manuvering, and totally engrossing stuff.

I'm genuinely missing you guys, which is actually a little weird given that I usually don't give a shit. Love, all.

EDIT: I got new shoes. They are teal/aquarmarine and ZANY. Oh so zany.