Pimp My Bus Ride: Hip Intercity Motor Coaches

I can count on one hand the number of times I have traveled between cities on a bus. And let's just say that when I think back on those hulking motor coaches--from sullen rides to sleepaway camp to a terrifyingly fast tour abroad with an unpleasant-smelling driver--none of the memories are very nice. So when my ultra-cool 29-year-old cousin started raving about her regular bus trips from New York City to Philadelphia, where her fiancé is in grad school, I figured maybe it was time to review my old bias.

Turns out that bus travel, at least in the Northeast and...