After helping a friend move from Ohio to Iowa, I took the bus back home. There was a 4 hour layover in Chicago and, after walking around the city a bit, I got to talking to some of the passengers. About half were commuters who rode the bus from Cincinnati or Columbus to Chicago Sunday evening, spent the week in a hotel or a second apartment, and went home on Fridays. That's two 6+ hour bus rides sucking up what's supposed to be your weekend! The whole deal just blew my mind. It's not a plane ticket, but $100 bus fare a week is still a lot, not to mention keeping a second home in one of the most expensive cities in the country.