Vonlane
Stylish Ride
Upon returning to Memphis after seeing Shawn Colvin at City Winery in Nashville, I decided to ride on a Vonlane bus for the first time. After a previous trip on a Greyhound bus where a fat guy literally used me as part of his seat to sleep on, I made sure that didn't happen again. My friends told me good things about Vonlane, the luxury bus service that serves select cities throughout America. With the option of purchasing a single seat that's not paired with another as opposed to buying two seats together (something that I'm doing whenever I ride on Greyhound again), I liked the thought of being by myself without having some annoying asshole sit next to me. Although it was the obvious choice, it ultimately revealed both benefits and disadvantages.
As an upscale bus service, Vonlane uses luxury hotels as its terminals between cities. That's quite a departure (no pun intended) from a typical Greyhound Bus Station that's crowded and bereft of amenities. In Nashville, the Vonlane buses are parked along the side of the Omni Nashville Hotel in a designated area for tour buses, something that my hometown of Memphis doesn't do for its downtown. Technically, the hotel doesn't support Vonlane as far as services are concerned, but the buses are parked near the hotel's cafe (operated by the same people who own Fido, a cafe in Nashville's Hillsboro Village neighborhood) where people can get drinks and snacks while waiting for their bus. It's a far more comfortable and relaxed environment than its Greyhound counterpart that's a few blocks away in the Pietown neighborhood.
As for the bus, Vonlane uses Prevost and Motor Coach Industries (MCI) luxury buses that consists of 22 large "captain" chairs that mostly are in rows of two and one, giving travelers the option of having a companion or traveling alone. I chose the latter, for I wanted privacy and the relief of not being bothered by a rude passenger. Having the single seat had its upsides like privacy, but the negatives outweighed them. The single seat doesn't allow a passenger to put anything on the side of it, meaning that he/she has to constantly bend over to access any belongings. That wasn't convenient for me, for I was constantly bending over to get stuff that I needed. While my seat was comfortable, in some ways it wasn't as spacious as I would've liked. In particular, the cup holder next to my seat was designed in a way that exposes anything in it to be easily knocked out of it. I knew it was a bad omen when I dropped a bottle of water when my knee accidentally bumped it out of the cup holder. By the way, this was a 12-ounce bottle measuring about three inches wide. Putting something smaller than that in it would be precarious as I later discovered.
As for the food, Vonlane offers wraps and sandwiches along with various snacks like candy bars and chips. I got a roast beef sandwich with lettuce and tomato along with jalapeños and horseradish. The sandwich was fresh and overall decent even without the "sides" that spiced it up a bit. To wash it down, I got a skinny can of Perrier although other beverages were available including beer.
SIDE NOTE: As food blogger, it's my job to have opinions. Although it's mostly about food, I occasionally weigh in on other subjects. Especially on this "mini-blog" platform, I have opined on topics like grocery delivery, Hooters' dress attire and even politics. However, one subject that I'm more knowledgeable in than most is beer. More specifically, drinking beer of all types and varieties from all over the world. I've had beers that rate among the best to the absolute worst. So, as someone who could be a beer sommelier, I want to advise Vonlane that its choice of beer to serve its customers might not be in its best interest. The Narwhal from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is the kind of beer that most aren't accustomed to. The beer is an Imperial Stout that is 10.2 ABV (Alcohol By Volume), more than twice for an average alcoholic beverage. Something that potent might be a bit much for casual drinkers who are traveling. Also, most people in America are accustomed to drinking beer that is similar to a Bud Light, which is golden in color with a decent presence of barley malts with a small amount of hops flavor. I’m not sure if a beer with a somewhat chocolate-ish flavor (typical for a stout) that’s heavy on alcohol is what the casual drinker is looking for. Instead, I suggest a more “normal” beer that I believe fits Vonlane’s profile. It’s a beer that’s one of my favorites, something that has robust flavor and is smooth going down. The beer that I recommend is Stella Artois, a great Belgian lager that is marketed to affluent demographics who are more likely to use services like Vonlane. After all, if it’s good enough for Carrie Bradshaw, it’s probably suitable for Vonlane passengers. By the way, I’m not a paid spokesman for either Stella Artois or Vonlane, just a guy who loves to travel responsibly.
Website: StellaArtois.com
In eating my sandwich, I had to be careful in how I did it. Because the bus was hauling ass down I-40, the turns and braking of the bus didn't foster a stable dining environment. For example, when I was putting horseradish on my sandwich, the turning motions of the bus made my hand somewhat shaky. I'm not saying the ride wasn't smooth, just that the bus's fast speed undercut an otherwise routine action. It is different from eating on an airliner that is going much faster but designed to deal with wind turbulence. Overall, eating lunch on a Vonlane bus is manageable with patience.
As far as drinking beverages go, that can be trickier. Earlier, I mentioned that my bottle of water slipped out of the cup holder that was next to my seat. With this obvious flaw in the cup holder's design (two wires crossed at the bottom and connected to a ring at the top), you definitely wouldn't want to put anything smaller that could be more prone to falling. An example of that is the small can of Perrier Mineral Water with a width similar to a Red Bull can that's two inches wide. I was hesitant in taking the Perrier from the stewardess..., er, attendant, fearing that an open can could easily fall through the cup holder and onto the bus's floor. Sure enough, it only took a slight tap of my knee to make the small can drop and spill mineral water on the bus's floor. Needless to say, I was embarrassed and did everything I could to clean the spill. Fortunately, the mineral water was easy to wipe with a lot of paper towels. The cleanup was aided by the luggage in front of my seat, preventing the spill from spreading so no one else was affected. If there's anything to take from this, it is good planning ahead of time as far as knowing the bus's layout and how to function in it. Despite the bigger seats and more room, the type of seat that one gets can influence the experience on a Vonlane bus. For me, I will likely get one of the two tandem seats on my next trip and hope no one sits next to me. That should allow me to put my bags, snacks, iPad or whatever else I have in a convenient place to access. And I will definitely consume beverages that can be capped so there is no risk of accidents. It seems that Vonlane is something that I have to get accustomed to if I continue to use it for travel.
Eventually, I arrived in Memphis in about three and a half hours without any stops along the way. Unlike Nashville, Vonlane's Memphis terminal was at a Hilton hotel far from its downtown. Unless you're staying at that particular hotel, you will need either a rental car or Uber/Lyft to get to your final destination if you don't have your own transportation. Overall, my first bus ride on Vonlane was positive, for it was very accommodating despite the "spill" and other things. The bus crew was very professional and treated me well. Despite room for improvement, I will recommend Vonlane to anyone looking to travel in style and luxury while getting to his/her destination on time.
Website: Vonlane.com