NEPATrainTraveler
Service Attendant
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2018
- Messages
- 200
So, I meant to post this before Xmas, but stuff happened and I never got around to it until now. Last year, I took my semi-annual trip to Milwaukee for a convention in November, but this time I wanted to do it completely by train, no planes this time. My westbound itinerary was “supposed” to be bus to NYC -> 49 LSL NYP to CHI -> Hiawatha CHI to MKE, but thanks to a crumbling parking garage I had to take a Metro North detour going from Grand Central to CRT, then CRT to ALB via the Ethan Allen and THEN get on 49 to CHI. I had to book this new itinerary myself because the only options Amtrak gave me when they cancelled my NYP to CHI ticket was rebooking for a different day or a refund, so I went with the refund. My initial NYP to CHI ticket was in coach because I thought maybe this time it will be different and I’ll have a good time in coach. I even brought a neck pillow and noise cancelling headphones. Well, the closer my day of departure got, the more I began to have doubts about trying overnight coach again. When I had to cancel and buy the ALB to CHI ticket, coach was sold out on 49, but there were still some coach seats left on 449. Could I have saved money and bought the coach ticket for 449? Yes. Did I want to ride coach anymore? After the aggravation of having to cancel and buy new tickets combined with my own doubts on overnight coach and knowing this was the only big trip I was taking in 2023, I splashed out on a roommette, my first time doing so.
Bus to NYC was typical Martz ride. Seats that are comfortable at first, but feel cramped after awhile and legroom that pales in comparison to anything I’ve experienced on Amtrak. Was only a few minutes late arriving at PABT. Now, I had initially envisioned having a bunch of time in Manhattan, but thanks to the Metro North detour I now had to take, my time in the city was significantly reduced. After leaving PABT, I visited my favorite NYC park, Union Square, and bought a cold little bottle of apple cider from the greenmarket and sat in the park for a bit before going to a nearby comic book shop. When it came time for lunch, I decided to just go to Grand Central and have lunch there. I had lunch at Shake Shack, where I had an amazing burger, but the whole ordering process was confusing and it was unclear whether the pickup line was for dine-in customers too or just take out.
I killed time after that just walking around the station. I love Grand Central and always try to visit it whenever I have one of my solo adventures in NYC. I could see Xmas decorations going up in various places in GCT including the transit museum/gift shop. Eventually, it was time to hop on board Metro North to CRT. There was supposedly a sign posted somewhere telling you which Hudson line train to get on to connect with a specific Amtrak train at CRT, but I never found it. There were Amtrak employees at GCT who were there to answer questions like that, but in the end I decided to just wing it and take the next train to CRT. I boarded a Hudson line local which terminated at CRT. It was nice to sit down given that there are no places to sit in GCT aside from some of the restaurants. The train was an M7A, with the interior and seats being exactly the same as the LIRR M7s. So pretty comfortable with the typical commuter rail legroom. I had already covered most of the Hudson line during my 2018 LSL trip, so the only new mileage for me was the stretch from GCT to Spuyten Duyvil. Comparing this stretch to the Empire Connection, I think the EC is a bit better since you get to see the George Washington Bridge. The ride to CRT was still nice though and the Hudson river views were great. Slow ride due to being a local, but I didn’t feel like waiting around for an express.
I arrived at CRT about 20 minutes before the Ethan Allen’s scheduled departure. CRT is a pretty basic commuter rail station. Unlike GCT though, they had a place where you could sit and wait for the train. Just plain metal seats, but they did the job. The Ethan Allen pulled in on time, so I hurried over to the platform where there were quite a few people boarding here too. The line was split in two with Vermont/BC passengers going to the right and upstate NY passengers going to the left. We departed about 40 minutes late since we had to wait for the Hudson line train that Amtrak wanted people to take. Seats were typical Amfleet I seats, so basically like being on a Northeast Regional. I ended up sitting on the wrong side of the train though and I didn’t want to mess with the seat check, so I didn’t get a good view of the Hudson anymore. No one was sitting in the aisle across from me though, so every so often I would look across the aisle to see the river. Still, the views on the “wrong” side weren’t terrible either. There was still plenty of beautiful fall foliage to be seen. It was getting pretty dark by POU and completely dark by Rhinecliff, so no more visible scenery. In a way, I’m glad for this Metro North detour because if I had left NYC at 49’s scheduled time, it would have been dark way before POU.
(To be continued...)
Bus to NYC was typical Martz ride. Seats that are comfortable at first, but feel cramped after awhile and legroom that pales in comparison to anything I’ve experienced on Amtrak. Was only a few minutes late arriving at PABT. Now, I had initially envisioned having a bunch of time in Manhattan, but thanks to the Metro North detour I now had to take, my time in the city was significantly reduced. After leaving PABT, I visited my favorite NYC park, Union Square, and bought a cold little bottle of apple cider from the greenmarket and sat in the park for a bit before going to a nearby comic book shop. When it came time for lunch, I decided to just go to Grand Central and have lunch there. I had lunch at Shake Shack, where I had an amazing burger, but the whole ordering process was confusing and it was unclear whether the pickup line was for dine-in customers too or just take out.
I killed time after that just walking around the station. I love Grand Central and always try to visit it whenever I have one of my solo adventures in NYC. I could see Xmas decorations going up in various places in GCT including the transit museum/gift shop. Eventually, it was time to hop on board Metro North to CRT. There was supposedly a sign posted somewhere telling you which Hudson line train to get on to connect with a specific Amtrak train at CRT, but I never found it. There were Amtrak employees at GCT who were there to answer questions like that, but in the end I decided to just wing it and take the next train to CRT. I boarded a Hudson line local which terminated at CRT. It was nice to sit down given that there are no places to sit in GCT aside from some of the restaurants. The train was an M7A, with the interior and seats being exactly the same as the LIRR M7s. So pretty comfortable with the typical commuter rail legroom. I had already covered most of the Hudson line during my 2018 LSL trip, so the only new mileage for me was the stretch from GCT to Spuyten Duyvil. Comparing this stretch to the Empire Connection, I think the EC is a bit better since you get to see the George Washington Bridge. The ride to CRT was still nice though and the Hudson river views were great. Slow ride due to being a local, but I didn’t feel like waiting around for an express.
I arrived at CRT about 20 minutes before the Ethan Allen’s scheduled departure. CRT is a pretty basic commuter rail station. Unlike GCT though, they had a place where you could sit and wait for the train. Just plain metal seats, but they did the job. The Ethan Allen pulled in on time, so I hurried over to the platform where there were quite a few people boarding here too. The line was split in two with Vermont/BC passengers going to the right and upstate NY passengers going to the left. We departed about 40 minutes late since we had to wait for the Hudson line train that Amtrak wanted people to take. Seats were typical Amfleet I seats, so basically like being on a Northeast Regional. I ended up sitting on the wrong side of the train though and I didn’t want to mess with the seat check, so I didn’t get a good view of the Hudson anymore. No one was sitting in the aisle across from me though, so every so often I would look across the aisle to see the river. Still, the views on the “wrong” side weren’t terrible either. There was still plenty of beautiful fall foliage to be seen. It was getting pretty dark by POU and completely dark by Rhinecliff, so no more visible scenery. In a way, I’m glad for this Metro North detour because if I had left NYC at 49’s scheduled time, it would have been dark way before POU.
(To be continued...)