Chinatown bus: pray for us
Published by Becky S February 25th, 2005 in travels, philadelphia, wtf?
Because of some PGW love* that arrived in this week’s mail, I am feeling thrifty. Thrifty enough to brave the Saturday 7:00 AM Philadelphia to New York Chinatown bus, despite the warnings of Sassy J, Sam, and others.
So I am not sure what to make of Benny’s World: According to the Chinatown Bus, a new weekly feature on Philebrity:
Benny loves himself the Chinatown bus. Not only is it an economical means of inter-urban transportation, it also offers its riders critical insight into the workings of major social, cultural and economical phenomena. It is in essence the adult version of an Electric Company skit, replete with important lessons that we should all carry beyond our 2 - 5 hour Chinatown bus experiences.
Even as I type this, Superwoman is making her way to New York on the same bus. Godspeed, Superwoman. I pray for our safe reunion tomorrow morning.
* $277 for a month of gas in a one bedroom apartment? WTF?
new york Philadelphia sassy j superwoman travels wtf?
Gas companies are the devil! Our January bill was $380, which prompted this post.
My PGW bill was $65. Of course my landlord pays for heat so the $65 was only because I cook alot.
Wow, $65 worth of cooking! I’m on electric heat/range and it’s running me around $110 so far this winter. I do a good amount of cooking as well.
Spring is just around the corner! After all this snow that is.
Becky: Although a bit embarassing to admit, I will anyway, because it somewhat funny.
When I first read this post, I misread PGW as PGN, which is that Philly Gay Network or something. And I was wondering what on earth you were doing to get a $277 bill from a Gay organization. “Is Becky gay?” “But I thought she had all these boyfriends” “Maybe she realized things late or something”.
My gas bill is usually $12 a month, but I have electric heat, but I often keep my apartment very cold to keep things cheap.
And plus I have my sweet, sweet books to keep me warm.
But $277 for one month for your apartment seems WAY too much. You should have PGW come out and check out the situation. Or perhaps someone from the PGN.
Oh, and I forgot to say this, “The chinese bus? You’re one brave woman!”
Scott–I thought $277 was way too much too. I’ve long suspected that the house meter is running on my bill, though the landlord denies it. However, when Jen said that she got a $380 bill I thought, “well, maybe this is normal.” Jen lives in Georgia, so I think she wins for most outrageous gas bill.
Dragonballyee, I envy your low bills, but there’s nothing like cooking with gas. Sam is doing some serious cooking for $65.
Thanks for the confession, Sam–I am laughing my ass off. At the risk of upsetting Viggo, Jude, and Max…sometimes men make me mad enough to at least consider the possibility of broadening the field. However, $277 is too expensive to switch. My neighbor told me that all it takes is a few drinks, really.
I should add that the $380 bill was from heating a house, not an apartment so you should probably get your shit straightened out. We’ve been living off of space heaters sicne that bill and our electric bill hasn’t been anywhere NEAR our gas bills, which are still too high for my liking.
$277!!! Our last bill was for $215 for a 2500 sqft house. Plus we have a gas stove and dryer. I guess Philly gas is better than Reading gas.
I have to agree with everyone else Becky.
Unless you keep your apartment at 95 degrees 24/7 there is no reason your gas bill should be that high. That is insane.
Yeah, I know there’s a problem with the gas (especially since I put the thermostat to 50 before work), but neither PGW nor my landlord will believe me. It’s frustrating to have to take their word that everything is configured as they say it is.
Now that I’ve survived the Chinatown bus adventure, perhaps I should start kicking some landlord ass.
As a test, try turning your heat off for a month and see what your bill is. You’ll want to do it now because the rates change at the end of winter.
Can you have them look at the usage for the same month last year? I’m trying to remember what it was I read recently that made me think the gas company in your area was being investigated for fraudulent charges.
Now I feel the need to Google. Maybe I was dreaming.
We did have a similar situation here in Jersey a year ago with the gas in a secondary dwelling and couldn’t get a history because it was too new. Turned out that when a neighbor had called to get their service switched on, the meter numbers had been reversed on the accounts accidentally and we were being charged for their apartment. They had more space, it was their primary dwelling, etc.
Food for thought?
Never in my wildest dreams have I ever imagined that YOU would be a passenger on my sworn enemy, the Chinese gambling bus. Have I not written enough about the perils of sharing the road with these careless brutes? Did you not read my woeful tales of seeking out the safe harbor of the berm to avoid having my car being mashed by a Chinese bus? And still, you got on one. Brave woman.
I like to imagine that these Chinese buses you speak of look something like this — maybe that’s just the “magical realist” in me.
Those busses rule! If the DC–>Philly–>NYC busses looked like that, I would’ve tried them years ago.
Suzette, you have done your bloggerly duty by warning us about the busses. And I agree–when I encounter them on the highway, I stay far away. However, they do get you to New York pretty damn quickly.