I have to travel
Greyhound quite a bit because of Internet Boyfriend, so here are some updated notes about stations.
Portland, Oregon: This is one of the places in which you might have your bag randomly searched. I have seen people get harassed and searched for no reason. If you leave the station, as
Glowing Fish said, it's not really safe for just walking around... but if you are not deterred by that (or by open
drug deals going on) there is an
internet cafe a few blocks away called Backspace. They have LAN games and
coffee.
San Francisco, California: The station is on the second floor of a drafty concrete building, above a parking garage/bus station. The location is Mission and First, which puts you in the middle of the
Financial District. If you get hungry, there are not a lot of options, aside from
vending machines and the
Starbucks across the street. If you walk south-west a bit you will be right in the middle of the Tenderloin, which is shady at night but has good places to eat.
Eureka, California: A very small, clean station that is closed on a seemingly random basis. There's no food, but an Indian restaurant called Samraat is only a block away. It is not unheard-of for stabbings to take place here, especially at night. The Eureka Library is only three blocks away and that's where the
hookers hang out. If you need to use a
payphone, use the inside one, as the two on the side of the building are frequently
vandalized and broken.
Willits, California: This is the halfway point between Eureka and San Francisco. There is no bus station, but there is a
sign that says "Greyhound" on a side street on the south side of town. The bus stops between a
Taco Bell and a
McDonald's, so those are the food options. Do they have a contract or something?