![]() ![]() States instead built modest parks with bathrooms and picnic tables known as safety rest areas. A few early freeways also opened service plazas, but even today, it is generally a toll-road phenomenon.īut the service plaza concept didn’t expand along with the American Interstate Highway System, which was authorized in 1956 and constructed westward over the two decades that followed. State authorities built the stations so that motorists wouldn’t have to exit and reenter the tollway to obtain gas or food, ultimately paying more for the same trip. Service plazas - which are different from other highway dining locales - are rooted in the network of toll roads that preceded the Interstate Highway System. It would be another 50 years before Big Macs were available at seemingly every stop. ![]() McDonald’s was only founded a few months before the first toll-road service plaza - the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s South Midway stop - opened in 1940. Roadside dining hasn’t always been dictated by the chains. Why is that - and could change be coming down the pike? For most toll-road drivers, lunch still ultimately amounts to a choice between Popeyes and Roy Rogers. Maryland even added the crabcake-slinging Phillips Seafood, a Baltimore-based chain with several airport locations, to one of its service plazas.īut those are exceptions. Some states have opened small farmers markets and displays hawking local food products. “These are not your grandfather's rest stops,” USA Today declared in 2014, writing that service plazas in states along the Eastern seaboard have undergone renovations to provide Wi-Fi, electric-vehicle charging, and other amenities. Yet things are changing at highway service stations. There’s no chef-led revolution in roadside dining. David Chang hasn’t opened Fuku on the New York State Thruway. ![]() ![]() You won’t find Federal Donuts on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Stop in at any service plaza - a combined gas station, convenience store, and food court typically found on the median or shoulder of a toll road - and there will likely be a mix of chains like Pizza Hut, Cinnabon, Starbucks, Burger King, and, of course, the Golden Arches. National chain restaurants are ubiquitous along American highways. And yet road-trippers are still mostly stuck with McDonald’s. Shake Shack has invaded both airports and train stations. Respected local restaurateurs have reinvigorated Denver’s Union Station. Well-known chefs like Rick Bayless, Michael Voltaggio, and Mike Isabella have casual concepts in major airports across the country. You'll need to take your under the bus baggage with you to the next bus too.We’re in the midst of a golden age for dining while traveling. The time you'll wait depends on the schedule you choose. When you need to get off one bus and onto another, we'll stop at a Greyhound station (or, occasionally, another partner station) for your transfer. (Remember to take your carry-on baggage off the bus when you stop for a layover). You can use the station facilities and have a proper break, then a driver will bring the bus back for you to re-board. LayoverĪ longer break at a Greyhound station (or another partner station on your route) while your driver takes the bus to be serviced and cleaned. As the name suggests, this stop is somewhere that definitely has food. Usually around 30 minutes - enough time to get a meal from a fast food restaurant along the route. Rest stops are at designated rest areas along highways, places like truck stops and service centers, or a Greyhound station. Here are the different types of rest stops: Rest stopĪ quick break (around 15 minutes) to stretch your legs, use the restroom (if there's one at the stop), or have a smoke break. Your itinerary will give you all the details. Your bus will make scheduled stops throughout your journey so that you (and your driver) can get off the bus and have a break. ![]()
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