(I don’t mind, I love me some hijack)
If you want to really see the country instead of flying over it (or driving past on a freeway), Greyhound or Amtrak is the way to go.
Even before Covid, I was trying to avoid planes (and the demeaning TSA/check-in/seating experience) , and trying not to put any more money in airlines’ pockets. I even turned down far-flung conferences in favor of ones I could drive to.
But I’ve found that when I drive, I don’t get to just stare out the window like I’d prefer, AND the quickest route is around cities on generic-looking freeways.
But bus and train stations are often in the more colorful parts of town… or at least the more industrial (in which case the color is rust). I loved taking the train cross-country and seeing a lot of cities “from the backside”.
And now I’m spoiled since I started taking the bus to Chicago on weekends… or sometimes bussing as far as Harvard, IL and grabbing the train (Metra line). See the city, no worries about wandering then having to get back to the car… and hey, no crazy parking fees!