\n<\/p>\n
And while the free bag of Goldfish crackers and water the Jitney provides will do in a pinch, the pricey Streamliner ticket comes with premium amenities, like soft blankets hanging on the back of each motion-sickness-prevention seat, and gourmet sweet-and-salty popcorn. Another is the by dria<\/a> dopp kit given to passengers when they board, filled with fancy goodies like Kiehl\u2019s sunscreen,<\/a> Saie Glossybounce lip gloss oil, Symbiome serum<\/a>, and hangover-curing Superieur Electrolyte powder, all packed in a Paravel<\/a> toiletries bag. The kit also includes a three-pack of condoms\u2014intentionally or accidentally setting the Streamliner up for success as this summer\u2019s new place to find love (even the temporary sort).<\/p>\n As they\u2019ve been dubbed<\/a>, HENRYs\u2014High Earners Not Rich Yet\u2014are Blade helicopter passengers-in-waiting. Weller says the CEO of Blade, Rob Wiesenthal,<\/strong> calls the bus \u201cBlade for kids.\u201d<\/p>\n Since Google and HSBC headquarters are both close to the Hudson Yards pickup spot, Weller said they\u2019re seeing a lot of repeat customers from those demographics\u2014young women and men working in tech and finance. One of those young guys was so hungover last week that he missed the bus. Weller offered to upgrade him to the helicopter for $500, which he accepted.<\/p>\n Friedman, who works in finance on 42nd Street, laughed at the mention of this summer\u2019s TikTok-inspired anthem<\/a>. \u201cNow it\u2019s cool to be in finance again apparently,\u201d he says, adding that proximity to the stop, a guaranteed seat, and an okay price, prompted him to try the Streamliner. He aspires to one day fly via Blade, but until then, given the bus\u2019s young demographic, he said he\u2019d consider the bus again.<\/p>\n To be clear: The Streamliner is still, at the end of the day, a bus, and from a luxury-service standpoint, it has some kinks to work out. Like the Jitney, it can also get stuck in soul-sucking weekend Hamptons traffic. But, as for the bus being better than a dating app, Weller said it organically cultivates the prospects\u2014like-minded people who enjoy the beach, the Hamptons scene, and have enough money to skip the LIRR in favor of \u201cfree\u201d espresso martinis, Sweetgreen salads, and warm cookies.<\/p>\n Young people in the Hamptons used to meet their future partners and one-night stands in person, at share houses\u2014home rentals that were parceled out by quarter, half, and full share that often put a dozen renters under one roof. Susan Spungen,<\/strong> Susanality newsletter<\/a> and cookbook author, had a rather famous one in Sagaponack that she coordinated for seven years in the \u201990s.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an affordable luxury then,\u201d she said, as Amagansett had a lot of old, unrenovated \u201ccheap rentals.\u201d She said young people, many of whom are priced out of this kind of communal-living situation today, could come out on the train and bike and walk everywhere without a car. \u201cThere was a lot of hooking up. It was easier if you were young to come out then and be part of the scene. It was less expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n Kristin Guattery,<\/strong> who bought in as a weekend guest at a share house in the \u201990s, also remembers the scene being about hooking up, though she recalls a couple of people who paid for a share one summer specifically to find a spouse. \u201cI think it was a viable option in those days,\u201d she said. \u201cThe irony is that my future ex-husband was at the same house a different weekend, and we met at work at the copy machine.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n