NYC-D.C. Acela--good/bad?

its nice and fast, but not worth the ticket price, imo. i'd rather ride the greyhound

Bolt bus--best value of any method of transportation I've ever taken I think. And it's close enough, stopping in Bethesda instead of in the city so my friends in potomac can pick me up by car.

It is not under 2 hours, it is 2:45 at best. Fares vary widely depending on day/time, but by and large the Acela is 2x more expensive than a regional, and is 20-45 minutes faster. Not worth it if paying for it yourself. If business expense, then, hey, go for it.

Bolt bus is good and they have internet which slows when everyone gets on, but for the ~$35 round trip I can't complain :-P

is this the chinatown bus?

pay the lowest price and just get faded on the bus.

Yea, no way is it under two hours. I take this route probably once a month (though I originate in DC). You might be better off taking the Northeastern ("regular Amtrak") train and paying half as much. Often times, the Acela is only 30 or 45 minutes faster. Not sure why you say Amtrak sucks, it is better than the bus and much more convenient than flying. If you book 2 weeks in advance you will pay about 70 each way regular, 99 Acela. If you wait until the last minute it will probably be closer to 120 regular, 175-199 Acela. 10% AAA discount, or StudentAdvantage discount if you have that.

The cars are quite a bit quieter than the standard Amtrak, and seats are a bit better.

I used to take those Chinatown busses in college, and jesus, they are miserable. Take the train if you have any spare cash at all.

Not worth it unless you are expensing it. If i'm travelling for pleasure I always take one of the nicer buses: Bolt, DC2NY. Vamoose is highly regarded too.

I really, really hate to say it, but flying is actually better than Acela, and no more expensive.

You can go out of Marine terminal (LGA). The flights are every hour or so. Security is quick. You get your ticket and then just hop on the next outbound flight. The Reagan-NYC leg is a bit worse because you have to go through a regular terminal, but you might get lucky and the plane will leave out of a gate near 5-guys.

NYC to DC and vice versa is not a bad ride, but as others have pointed out, it takes longer than 2 hours and is only marginally faster than the standard ride, at double the price. For DC/Baltimore to Boston, I wouldn't even begin to consider it over flying. Not sure how it stacks up vs. flying on the NYC-Boston route. I like the regular trains though for weekend excursions to the city (from Baltimore) - I've never much liked riding the bus. But when more than one person is involved, driving is cheaper and more convenient, even if it takes a fair bit longer.

Megabus is another company doing the same thing. Their buses are nice and new and you can get tickets for less than $5 if you book early enough.

Take the bus unless someone else is paying for it. I swear by Washington Deluxe, but I have heard good things about Bolt and Mega. The "Chinatown buses" have gotten a lot better since their inception.

The most important thing to consider when taking the bus is when you will arrive in the given city. If it will be anytime near rush hour you may have to add an extra hour or hour and a half to your bus ride. All of the sudden paying more for the train will seem very much worth it.