Tell Me About NYP Station

[Montanan]

Excellent advice so far, particularly about seeing Grand Central and going down to the Staten Island ferry. They're both easy subway trips from Penn, though to get to Grand Central you'll need to connect at Times Square.

And I'll add my two cents about the Hotel Pennsylvania. It's definitely a bit down at the heels ... and since there are so many rooms your experience is partly the luck of the draw. Some rooms are larger than others, and some have newer decor than others. But it's clean and comfortable and safe, and overall it's a great value for Manhattan. And of course, for the rail traveler both the location and the legacy can't be beat. I'd have absolutely no hesitations about staying here again.

 

[AlanB]

About half the lounges have no PA's so they come to tell you your train is ready. In all other lounges they announce the trains via the PA and I've always had that happen in NY. I've had a few late announcements in NY, which means that you get out after the line has already started to form at the gate and you're not first, but I've never had them fail to announce a train.

I have never had anyone tell me, nor has there ever been a PA announcement, for my train at NYP. However, the only time I'm using NYP is for the Vermonter, and possibly, that is unusual enough that the Lounge staff doesn't bother at all.

This is quite different, than the very friendly and attentive staff at the Philly lounge. Possibly, Philly's lounge just has spoiled me.

How are you gaining access to the lounge? Select Plus, or connecting from another first class train, or coupon and ticket? If the first two, are you telling them what train you're catching when you check in at the desk. So for example, if you're just flashing a Select Plus card and not telling them that you're on the Vermonter, they won't announce it unless someone else in the lounge is on the Vermonter and they know it.

But again, I spend a lot of time in that lounge and I'm always hearing announcements for Regionals, Acela's, LD's, and even on a few occasions when I've been there at the correct time, the Vermonter.

 

[GG-1]

Thayer,
You're going to need to reconfirm about that hog dog vendor, as 42nd Street is no where near Penn Station. Penn Station sits between 31st Street and 33rd Street and 7th & 8th Avenues. If indeed it's 42nd Street and near a train station, that would have to be Grand Central Terminal.

I think I'll avoid challenging the directions to the hot dog vendor. I don't know if the tech's error was in the street number, or if she was talking about another station, but I'll find out when we get to the station.

To give the tech credit, if she was indeed referring to GCT, prior to the early 1990's, ALL trains coming from ALB and upstate NY ONLY went to GCT! All other trains went ONLY to Penn Station! Now ALL Amtrak trains use Penn Station only!

Let's give the tech a name. Let's call her Irma, and she's one of the best techs that I've ever worked with.

Irma has ridden the LSL from ROC to New York City and back several times in the last few months, having just moved to Rochester from New York City. Rochester is her original home, although her husband shuttles back and forth on the LSL 'cuz he's staying with, and caring for, his very ill father.

When I asked Irma to tell me about NYP, she immediately told me about the hot dog vender that was right outside the station on 42nd Street, and was a "must do." I really don't know of she was talking about GCT or NYP. I'll check that out when we get to New York City.

Unless things have changed there are carts and vender's all over the city

Aloha

 

[nferr]

About half the lounges have no PA's so they come to tell you your train is ready. In all other lounges they announce the trains via the PA and I've always had that happen in NY. I've had a few late announcements in NY, which means that you get out after the line has already started to form at the gate and you're not first, but I've never had them fail to announce a train.

I have never had anyone tell me, nor has there ever been a PA announcement, for my train at NYP. However, the only time I'm using NYP is for the Vermonter, and possibly, that is unusual enough that the Lounge staff doesn't bother at all.

This is quite different, than the very friendly and attentive staff at the Philly lounge. Possibly, Philly's lounge just has spoiled me.

They definitely announced the LSL when I was in the lounge this past October. They announced it a couple of minutes before it was posted on the boards for the coach passengers. Of course the savvy coach passengers hurried over to the gate as soon as they saw people with luggage start lining up from the Club Acela.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

My wife and I have taken the Lake Shore Limited (Train 49) west, from ROC (Rochester, NY) to CHI several times, bound for places west and south, We're planning a couple of trips east and south now, but we've never been in the NYP station. We're going to take a quick trip east from ROC to NYP on the LSL (train 48), just to check out the station, and the Pennyslvania Hotel just across the street from the NYP station.
I was talking to one of my technicians today about the NYP station, and she told me about a hotdog vendor very near the 42nd St entrance to NYP, and said that that's a "must do."

Does anybody have a favorite place around the station? We'll only overnight at the Pennyslvana Hotel. That way (assuming both trains are traveling on time) we'll have some time upon arriving [6:25 PM] to look around, stay in the hotel overnight, then scope out the station, its surrounding area, visit that hotdog vendor around noon, and then get to the Acela lounge (yes, we're going in a bedroom) and then board the train [3:15 PM] back to ROC.

My favourite place to eat in Penn station, and its a lot better than many of the overpriced joints throughout it, is the Papaya down on the LIRR level. Its a greasepit, but its a GOOD greasepit, with the food prepared fresh in front of you. And cheap. Breakfast is cheap on the level of "How the heck do they turn a profit at this price?" 2 eggs-to-order, home fries, bacon, and coffee, $2.00.

I was born and raised in Flint MI, back in the day when the steam engine that had pulled the train to Flint appeared to be as big as the station itself. It's hard for this country boy to imagine any station having three levels below street level.
That having been said, thanks for the tips. We can still navigate stairs, one at a time, so I now know that there's a way to get to the hotel without being outside too much, if necessary. Our luggage will be minimal as it's only a two day trip. I think I'll avoid challenging the directions to the hot dog vendor. I don't know if the tech's error was in the street number, or if she was talking about another station, but I'll find out when we get to the station. I'll try that 7th Ave exit and see what we see when we get to the top of the escalator.

Is there some place I can google up a diagram of the NY Penn Station? I found an Internet place for Chicago's Union Station, but I've got "CUS" committed to memory now. Or at least I can get from point a to point b in there now without a map.

And finally, is that poster correct in that Club Acela does not offer early boarding for first class passengers? I was figuring that it operated much the same as the Metropolitan Lounge in CHI.

First of all, of the crowded areas, there must be 5 or 6 discreet levels. They aren't really one-on-top-of-the-other. Its more staggered. Penn is the basement from the rubble of the original station, with various concourses built at different times. Its a-maze-ing. Fortunately, signage is pretty clear. As for a diagram of the whole station, I respectfully suspect that even Amtrak doesn't have one anywhere. I would be shocked if there is a any person on this planet that knows every corner, nook, and cranny of the station.

There are corridors running this way and that, some of them dimly lit and seemingly heading to nowhere. Don't worry about this, though- there is no reason for you to ever enter any of them. Someone who knows her well can use it to get just about anywhere quickly, including entrances to tracks most people don't know about.

Actually, if you are a tourist, I'd suggest not exploring. A lot of the more obscure areas of the station are homes to various colonies of homeless people. I know they leave us natives alone, and I've never had a problem with them- I actually know a few of them personally- but I have no idea what they are like when tourists bumble around.

I know I paint a dim picture but... when you take architecture out of the equation, NYP is second only to Newark on my list of favourite stations. One of my favourite places to be period, actually.

 

[rail_rider]

... , and then get to the Acela lounge (yes, we're going in a bedroom) ...

 

I am sure that a lot of this is simply personal opinion, but I found the Acela lounge at NYP to the worse. It tends to be pretty packed (undersized). While other lounges I have been in maintain a good snack spread, NYP seems to ration out only a few items at a time, which are quickly snatched up.

 

And unlike other lounges, no one came to tell me that my train is available for boarding. Oh, and the NYP lounge doesn't have any direct access to the platform, to allow you to skip the long coach passenger lines.

 

About half the lounges have no PA's so they come to tell you your train is ready. In all other lounges they announce the trains via the PA and I've always had that happen in NY. I've had a few late announcements in NY, which means that you get out after the line has already started to form at the gate and you're not first, but I've never had them fail to announce a train.

 

As for direct access to the platforms, Boston doesn't have it, New Orleans doesn't have it, Miami doesn't, and I don't believe that St. Louis does either. The lounge in Minneapolis-St. Paul sort of looks like it doesn't either, although I understand that they bring the sleeping car pax out first before releasing the coach pax. And while Philly does have direct access to most platforms, it doesn't have direct access to all platforms. Additionally, while you avoid the line at the concourse level, since all passengers are sent down in advance of the train's arrival, if you stand in the wrong place you may still not have dibs on a good seat.

 

Your right about St. Louis Alan. The lounge is just down the hall from the main waiting room, across from where tickets are checked. To reach the platforms you have to either take two escalators or two elevators to reach the platforms as they are below station level.

 

[AlanB]

Your right about St. Louis Alan. The lounge is just down the hall from the main waiting room, across from where tickets are checked. To reach the platforms you have to either take two escalators or two elevators to reach the platforms as they are below station level.

Thanks for the info, I thought as much but wasn't positive since I haven't been to St. Louis since the new station opened.

 

[ThayerATM]

Is there some place I can google up a diagram of the NY Penn Station? I found an Internet place for Chicago's Union Station, but I've got "CUS" committed to memory now. Or at least I can get from point a to point b in there now without a map.

It might still be available at your local bookstores and newsstands. The January 2010 issue of Trains magazine has a 8 page article on NYP with a map of the tracks & platforms under NYP and basic floor diagrams of the 2 levels above the tracks. The maps show where the streets are, so they can help you figure out the packed multi-level complex (maze? rabbit den?) that is NYP.

Late last year, I starting traveling to NYP after a gap of many years. In the past several months, I have since starting taking Amtrak from WAS to NYP and then LIRR out to Long Island every several weeks. It is still new enough experience that I find NYP to be this wild place full of vast streams of humanity pouring through there after getting off their train, waiting in large crowds for the track assignment for their train to be posted, or huddling in lines to get on their train. The floor maps in Trains magazine finally gave me a better grasp of the floor layout. The first times going through NYP, I just followed the signs to Amtrak, street exits, or LIRR concourse. There are many, many signs in NYP. So many that I had to stop and search to pick out the signs I was looking for. On a future WAS-NYP trip, if I am not carrying too much gear, I may book a later train back just so I can spend an hour or two exploring NYP, just so I can figure out where everything is.

The biggest and best magazine seller (World Wide News) in Rochester NY didn't have a copy of the January 2010 issue of Trains Magazine. A call to the Borders Book store in Victor (about 30 minutes away by car) told us that they have a copy of it. My wife is on her way there to get it, even as I type.

This Board is a lot like a certain credit card: "Never leave home without it!"

Help comes from everywhere!

Thank You very much.

 

[ThayerATM]

Is there some place I can google up a diagram of the NY Penn Station? I found an Internet place for Chicago's Union Station, but I've got "CUS" committed to memory now. Or at least I can get from point a to point b in there now without a map.

It might still be available at your local bookstores and newsstands. The January 2010 issue of Trains magazine has a 8 page article on NYP with a map of the tracks & platforms under NYP and basic floor diagrams of the 2 levels above the tracks. The maps show where the streets are, so they can help you figure out the packed multi-level complex (maze? rabbit den?) that is NYP.

Late last year, I starting traveling to NYP after a gap of many years. In the past several months, I have since starting taking Amtrak from WAS to NYP and then LIRR out to Long Island every several weeks. It is still new enough experience that I find NYP to be this wild place full of vast streams of humanity pouring through there after getting off their train, waiting in large crowds for the track assignment for their train to be posted, or huddling in lines to get on their train. The floor maps in Trains magazine finally gave me a better grasp of the floor layout. The first times going through NYP, I just followed the signs to Amtrak, street exits, or LIR^ concourse. There are many, many signs in NYP* So many that I had to stop and search to pick out the signs I was looking for. On a future WAS-NYP trip, if I am not carrying too much gear, I may book a `ater train back'just so I can sxend an hour or two exploring NYP, just so I can figure out where everything is.

OK, my wife found the magazine and brought it home. Frankly, I was stunned at the complexty of the station, and how much goes in to moving 1,290 trains a day over 21 tracks. I'll try and digest the article, and report back. Meanwhile, I'll subscribe to the magazine for a year and see what I have to learn. I'm not sure if I have enough years left to learn everything that I should know about trains. :blink:

 

[Shanghai]

I was in Penn Station today going from my home in New Jersey to my daughter's home on Long Island.

NYP was more crowded than I have ever seen. The main level was almost inpassable. I went down to the

mezzine to walk from NJT to LIRR.

As for Club Acela, it may not be the nicest of the lounges, but I'm thankful we have it.

I have always been able to find a chair, get a drink and snack, use the computer and

get to my train. There are announcements made and most of the time the attendant

will tell you the track number before it is announced to the general population in the station.

I usually walk down to the mezzine and walk down the steps there.

I do like Philadelphia, Boston, Washington and Chicago lounges. They are nicer than New York,

but New York is fine for me.

 

[wayman]

OK, my wife found the magazine and brought it home. Frankly, I was stunned at the complexty of the station, and how much goes in to moving 1,290 trains a day over 21 tracks.

Last week I saw three old Pentrex videos (1992) about the NEC which included tours of A Tower at NYP, ZOO Tower (back when it was still operational), and ... some tower at Washington. Amazing stuff. Totally different now, of course -- in 1992, A Tower was still mechanical hand cranks and levers to throw all the switches and signals. The levermen never got to stand still, and made it look like a choreographed ballet.

 

[ThayerATM]

I was in Penn Station today going from my home in New Jersey to my daughter's home on Long Island.NYP was more crowded than I have ever seen. The main level was almost inpassable. I went down to the

mezzine to walk from NJT to LIRR.

As for Club Acela, it may not be the nicest of the lounges, but I'm thankful we have it.

I have always been able to find a chair, get a drink and snack, use the computer and

get to my train. There are announcements made and most of the time the attendant

will tell you the track number before it is announced to the general population in the station.

I usually walk down to the mezzine and walk down the steps there.

I do like Philadelphia, Boston, Washington and Chicago lounges. They are nicer than New York,

but New York is fine for me.

I suspect that as airport security gets tighter (it HAS to), airline travel is going to slack off a bit. Since people will still have to get from point A to point B, they're going to have one less option. If I want to get from ROC to LAX without going through an X-ray machine and/or body cavity search, I'm going to left with: Amtrak, Driving, or Walking. Teleportation hasn't been invented yet, so that's out of the question. Guess which mode of transportation I'm going to take.

I'm not about to complain about Club Acela in NYP. As you suggest, it might not be the best of the lounges, but I feel that it sure beats sitting in the bullpen. The Magnolia Lounge in New Orleans wasn't much to brag about, but again, it beat sitting in the bullpen.

As long as I'm addressing the subject of lounges, I've got a hunch that Seattle is going to come up with something at the King Street Station that will be impressive. There's no lounge there now, but I'll bet they come up with something that will impress us.

 

[the_traveler]

Meanwhile, I'll subscribe to the magazine for a year and see what I have to learn.

If you do subscribe, remember that you can get Trains via Magazines.com - and it is on the AGR Points for Shopping and gets IIRC 16 AGR points per dollar!

 

[ThayerATM]

Meanwhile, I'll subscribe to the magazine for a year and see what I have to learn.

If you do subscribe, remember that you can get Trains via Magazines.com - and it is on the AGR Points for Shopping and gets IIRC 16 AGR points per dollar!

Thanks for the tip, Traveler.

You'll probably think I'm stupid, but I don't do the AGR thing. If I want something, I just go out and buy it. I do the same thing with hotels. I probably have six guest reward cards in my wallet, and I never use them. I just make the reservations for the hotel, and check in. I'd prefer to spend my time and money on having fun; studying the AGR stuff takes time that I'd rather spend on planning the trips.

 

[Konrad]

Stayed at the Hotel Penn last year as we were catching the Cardinal (06:45 departure). Location can't be beat with Macys virtually next door.

We took a Penn 5000 room as the rooms are supposed to be superior and you get access to their breakfast/business lounge. The room was one of the smallest I've ever had, but you eaxpect that in NYC. Situation wasn't helped by having a king-size bed shoehorned into the room. And the dedicated check-in for the Penn 5000 rooms was closed when we checked in so we had to joint the very slow regular line. I'd only stay at the hotel again if I had an early morning departure - a taxi from uptown would be a cheaper and better option.

I've completely given up on navigating NYP. Just request a redcap at the Club Acela when you check in and you'll be on the train well ahead of the other passengers. It's well worth the tip for the trip through 'secret' routes.

 

[GAT]

Great idea about the redcap, Konrad. Is it a long walk from Acela Lounge to the NE Regional? And what would you tip a redcap carrying one smallish shoulder bag? I wouldn't want to get one of those New Yorker glares by tipping too little (or too much!)

 

[AlanB]

The length of the walk depends on what track your train loads from, but it's not like the lounge is miles away from the gates. In fact the lounge door is literally 10 feet away from one of the two gates for tracks 7 & 8. But if you happen to get stuck with say track 15 and the East gate, then maybe it's two to three dozen paces depending in just how big your stride is.

 

[the_traveler]

You'll probably think I'm stupid, but I don't do the AGR thing. If I want something, I just go out and buy it. I do the same thing with hotels. I probably have six guest reward cards in my wallet, and I never use them. I just make the reservations for the hotel, and check in. I'd prefer to spend my time and money on having fun; studying the AGR stuff takes time that I'd rather spend on planning the trips.

I hate to say it, but - you're stupid!

To be honest, I don't usually use the AGR Mall, but I certainly do AGR. It's very easy just to give your AGR number when you make your reservation - just like you give your name or credit card number!

And I do have the AGR MasterCard. I mainly use it for "luxuries" - like food and gas! (I also use it for almost anything else.) The only difference is that when I reach into my wallet, I pull out a card instead of a dollar bill! And as long as you pay in full every month, there is no interest! And there is never an annual fee!

Most months, my credit card bill is like $1,000-$2,000. That means I earn 1,000-2,000 AGR points every month! And that's not even stepping on a train - and for doing what I normally would do! And if you multiply the 2,000 per month for a year - guess what? :huh: That's more than a FREE 1 zone roomette award every year! Or for a Northeast Zone award, you could get 5 FREE one way awards ROC-WAS every year!

I had some other points also, but between October 2008 and August 2009, I went cross country KIN-PDX (at least) 3 TIMES - all for FREE in a roomette or bedroom courtesy of AGR!

Since you said that you would rater spend time on planning the trips, you're going to spend the time planning anyway. I would rather spend $-0- than spend $1,500! And with an AGR award, it doesn't matter if you get low bucket or high bucket - the award is the same "cost"!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Since I'm not a "Yankee" I'll say it a little more polite, the traveler is right about AGR and the AGR Master Card! It's really easy to keep track, all the work is done for you on the computer, AGR has special agent to call/make reservations etc. And the card has no annual fee, a bonus of at least 5,000 points for getting it and like the man said you spend the $$ anyway, why not join up, it;s actually part of the fun of planning FREE trips on Amtrak! (And there are other benefits also, check out the AGR website for yourself!)

 

[the_traveler]

I multiplied wrong!

2,000 points per month for a year would get you a FREE 2 zone roomette, a FREE 1 zone bedroom or 8 FREE Northeast Zone awards per year!

Since I'm not a "Yankee" I'll say it a little more polite

Jim's probably biting his tongue! :lol:

 

[wayman]

To be honest, I don't usually use the AGR Mall, but I certainly do AGR. It's very easy just to give your AGR number when you make your reservation - just like you give your name or credit card number!

You don't even have to do that, if you reserve online -- enter it once, and it gets stored in your Amtrak profile and shows up automatically.

I rarely bother with the AGR Mall, but that's mostly because I rarely order from any of their participating retailers. On the occasions I'm about to order something of reasonable cost and I realize it's from an AGR retailer, it only takes about four extra mouse clicks and I'll get AGR points for it. Two pair of trousers from Jos.A.Banks last month, for about $170? For an extra minute and a few mouse clicks I'll pick up about 1020 AGR for the purchase. That's a third of a Northeast Corridor trip. It's stupid to pass that up.

 

[Tony]

I rarely bother with the AGR Mall, but that's mostly because I rarely order from any of their participating retailers. On the occasions I'm about to order something of reasonable cost and I realize it's from an AGR retailer, it only takes about four extra mouse clicks and I'll get AGR points for it. Two pair of trousers from Jos.A.Banks last month, for about $170? For an extra minute and a few mouse clicks I'll pick up about 1020 AGR for the purchase. That's a third of a Northeast Corridor trip. It's stupid to pass that up.

I have tried the AGR Mall a couple of times. Each time, within some reasonable time, I got the points posted on my AGR account.... then a few months later, they were always subtracted back away.

I emailed AGR. They said they don't handle that, and forwarded my question to their Mall/Retailer support people. That was two years ago, and I haven't gotten a reply yet.

 

[Bill631]

I think the Hotel Pennsylvania is a good choice, especially for it's location. No, it's not the newest or the fanciest, but it is perfectly OK for one night.

And I too would recommend going over to Grand Central Station. It is very easy to get to. You can walk it if you are up to it. Just get to 42nd street, and go east. It's about 8 or 10 blocks, I believe.

It is also easy to get a cab, or you could even take a NY City crosstown bus, which goes across 42nd street east to west.

I wouldn't worry too much about the hot dog vendor, as they are all over the place, and most are about the same.

I have been in the Acela lounge many times, and have never heard them announce my train's departure. There is a TV screen behindthe front desk which shows the departures and gates.

They tend to not announce the gates until about 10-15 minutes before departure.

I have never used a redcap, so I am not sure how that works.

Just be aware that trains tend to depart right on time, so make sure you are there well before your departure time.

Have a wonderful trip, and make sure to post details!

Bill

 

[ThayerATM]

I think the Hotel Pennsylvania is a good choice, especially for it's location. No, it's not the newest or the fanciest, but it is perfectly OK for one night.And I too would recommend going over to Grand Central Station. It is very easy to get to. You can walk it if you are up to it. Just get to 42nd street, and go east. It's about 8 or 10 blocks, I believe.

It is also easy to get a cab, or you could even take a NY City crosstown bus, which goes across 42nd street east to west.

I wouldn't worry too much about the hot dog vendor, as they are all over the place, and most are about the same.

I have been in the Acela lounge many times, and have never heard them announce my train's departure. There is a TV screen behindthe front desk which shows the departures and gates.

They tend to not announce the gates until about 10-15 minutes before departure.

I have never used a redcap, so I am not sure how that works.

Just be aware that trains tend to depart right on time, so make sure you are there well before your departure time.

Have a wonderful trip, and make sure to post details!

Bill

I'm in the process of getting some pretty good leads on what to see, and where to go in Downtown Manhattan. I think that part is going to be pretty well covered. It's Penn Station that I'm interested, and I think that the previous poster pretty much solved that problem, and it DOES involve the use of Red Cap service. Red Caps are Amtrak employees, as I understand it, so upon arrival Sunday at Penn Station (NYP) I'm going to hail a red cap (or have the car attendant do it) and have the red cap deliver us to the Club Acela. I think our ticket stubs will get us in. If not, at least I'll know where it's located, and we can then head to the hotel.

After three nights, and two full days in Manhattan and enviorns, we'll head back to Club Acela on Wednesday, well ahead of time, check in, and arrange for the Lounge to get us a red cap to take us to the train in time for departure. On a good day my wife can out-walk me, but can really affect a pathetic looking limp. On a bad day, she really does need red cap service, 'cuz the limp isn't affected. It's real. And we never know if it's going to be a good day, or bad day.

Anyway, it's $20 well invested in getting us from the train to the lounge, and from the lounge to the train, with minimum hassle. They definitely know the secret routes, and the times.

See? It's a senior citizen entitlement program. We've learned how to use the system. :lol:

 

[Idon'tFly]

I have found a map of Penn Station.

It shows the three different levels...I have no clue how I came across it...please let me know if this link worked.

NY Penn Station Map:

http://jasongibbs.com/pennstation/

Enjoy your trip!!