It can be nice (and convenient) to take the bus in NYC, although the subway is always faster. But a few busses are really slow and infrequent. The M8 comes so rarely (going across the Village along 8th Street and 10th Street) that you can walk almost all the way across town and not have one pass you by. And the M23 (across 23rd street) is so slow you could practically walk there and back in half the time.