Chinatown/Washington Deluxe bus

For DC:

Washington Deluxe is my preferred way to go to and from DC/NYC.
Clean, usually on time, organized, movies ( most times) and usually a rest stop.

If you don't get the assh*le driver that won't let you drink coffee, then you are fine.( some incident happened where coffee spilled on a wedding dress and he got in trouble, so now no one can drink coffee anymore. Tea, hot chocolate, chai, coke, ice cream,grape juice, yes. Coffee, no-Whatever)
Most times they do check for reservations ( so make them online) and bring the print out with you. The shorter, bearded guy is really good about that and he is a stickler for the rules.

They also radio/phone drivers from company HQ to avoid known traffic and accidents and instruct drivers to take other roads en route. I have seen this operation grow over the past 4-5 years to a real great business. If you have more time than money to spare, go with Washington Deluxe to DC/NYC.

When I took Chinatown to Philly the bus was so dirty and smelled sooo bad!! The toilet was backed up. there are so many operating down there, all you have to do is start walking around with luggage and people will sometimes ask if you need a bus... I get the feeling they are really fly-by-night type operations and would be surprised if they were even insured or legal in some cases. It will get you there and every bus is different so I am sure popele have varied experiences they can share.

The Chinatown buses are really shady operations and they have gotten into some bad accidents over the years. The only advantage: they're cheap!!

The last time I had to go to Boston, I discovered Limoliner. http://limoliner.com/ They've been talking about adding a run to Washington, so it will probably happen eventually. For the amount of service you get on the bus (meals, beverages, a really comfy seat you can sleep in, cell phone free area if you want it, movies, tv, wifi service) it's quite a bargain. I think their fares went up to $90, but it's still cheaper than Amtrak with a lot more amenities. It's a really comfortable ride.

a few months ago i discovered that the extra money for the train to providence or boston or western mass was worth it --- but i also can't read on the bus without getting bus sick! however, now that everyone seems to take the chinatown bus, greyhound and peter pan seem SO empty... so nice!

I try to avoid Greyhound if I can. I had a trip from New York to Cincinnati that was just heinous.

And yeah, I prefer the train because I can read and do other stuff that I can't on a bus. However, I'm definitely doing the limoliner thing next time I have to go to Boston. It's cheaper than the train, less fuss, and it's a really comfortable ride. I may not be able to read, but sleeping is definitely easier. Plus, I can check my email if I have to.