# A Flâneur in New York (and a bit of New Jersey) via Amtrak in COVID mode



## MARC Rider (Sep 15, 2020)

I read that Gov. Cuomo took my home state of Maryland off the New York "list of shame" and we from the Old Line State were now free to enter New York without a need to quarantine. This, combined with the improving weather, seemed to be a good opportunity to see what Amtrak has done to the NEC in these days of Corona and also to play the flaneur on the streets of Old New York.

What's a flaneur? Well, one might call him a "bum," except that he's a little to prosperous for that designation. Rather, he is a man of leisure, who has the opportunity wander the streets of the metropolis with no other purpose than to make acute observations of industrialized urban life. The term got its origins in 19th century Paris. Women can do this, too. The classic French term was "passante," though modern academics tend to use the term "flaneuse." The activity is known as "flânerie." See, isn't this great, all you need is to give something a French name to make "bumming around the city" into a fancy, high class intellectual adventure. I did have a few goals, though -- a visit to the Strand Book Store, a Pastrami sandwich at Katz's Deli, and some rail geekery.

There are only a few cities in the USA suitable for hard-core Flânerie. My home town of Baltimore barely makes the grade. Other East Coast cities that qualify are Washington, Philly, New York, and Boston. Chicago is also good, and on the west coast San Francisco. It's possible Seattle and Portland qualify, but I've never been there. Everywhere else (except for a few smaller neighborhoods) American cities are more built for driving around than walking around. It's a little hard to make "acute observations of industrialized urban life" when you have to watch out for oncoming traffic. 

When I fired up the Amtrak app to get my tickets, the first thing that hit me was how many trains they've cancelled on the NEC. I could either take a 5:30 AM train, or I would have to wait until almost 8 AM for the next one. Well, I've had it with taking 5:30 AM trains, so I opted for NER 172, leaving at 7:50 something. The other thing was that this was the day after Labor Day, so all the morning trains were still at fairly high bucket. I had to pay $128 for a coach ticket. The return trains in the evening were much cheaper. Everything was $69. I decided on 55, the Vermonter (which apparently was only running from New Haven, if the departure board at New York Penn Station was correct), which was supposed to leave New York at 6:45 PM. I made the mistake of splurging for business class for this leg, as I though I might be able to luxuriate in the 2-1 club seating. Of course, I didn't get that, but all business class in the Corona era gives you two seats to yourself anyway. What was interesting is that they don't assign seats for business class on the Vermonter, unlike the Northeast Regional trains. Not that it mattered, in the end.

On the appointed morning, I awoke at the much more reasonable hour of 6 AM, and, after showering and dressing, I went outside and seated myself in our 19 year old 2001 Honda CR-V, which really needed some time on the road, this allowing my wife the ability to use our much newer Toyota RAV4 while I was off being a flaneur. It was actually a bit cool out, but the sun had not yet come up. The traffic into the city was, for it being the morning rush hour, very light. I quickly found my way to Baltimore Penn Station and found a spot in the (empty) parking garage right by the stairs. I then exited the car, donned my mask and went upstairs to the station.



Is this Penn Station Baltimore, one of the 10 busiest stations in the Amtrak system? The departure board shows how the normal number of trains in America's busiest rail corridor has been trimmed back. Well, at least the Silver Meteor is running early ready to discharge arrivals from one of America's top COVID hot spots.  Maybe it really is better that the place is so empty. 



Down on the platform, here's a MARC MP36PH-3c pushing off for Washington.



And, finally, the Amtrak Sprinter heading up train 172. The "corona consist" appears to be 7 cars -- 5 coaches, a cafe car, and a business class car.

--to be continued


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## Asher (Sep 15, 2020)

Don't look like too many Flaneurs around these days. Maybe it's the economy.


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## MARC Rider (Sep 15, 2020)

To ensure maximal social distancing, I took a seat in the first car of the train. This seemed to work pretty well, at least until Philly, where quite a number of people boarded. However, at no time did I have a seatmate, so Amtrak is probably telling the truth about only selling 50% of the seats on the train.




Because the Dunkin Donuts in the station was closed, I was going to need to get some breakfast from the cafe car. As soon as the conductor scanned my ticket (we were still in the tunnel), I popped up and headed to the rear. Of course, wouldn't it be typical that at that point, the power went out. It popped back on again, and then, by the time I got to the cafe car, it was out again.

"Sorry," the very nice cafe attendant said as he was busy doing setup (45 minutes after departure from Washington), "with the power off, there's no coffee, and I can't toast your bagel." He also told me his hours had been cut back, so he wasn't able to do setup until the train left Washington. I waited for a while, and the power didn't come back on, which was a bit weird, because the train was still moving, at times pretty quickly. Usually when the interior power dies, the engine eventually comes to a stop, but we were still moving along. Finally, I decided to return to my seat, and wouldn't you know, when I was halfway through the second coach, the power came back on. So back to to the cafe car, where the nice attendant prepared me a toasted Am-bagel, cream cheese, a strawberry Greek (style) yogurt (made in New York State), and a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee. There was no fresh cut fruit, as has been discussed elsewhere on Amtrak Unlimited. Fortunately, I had been prepared for this eventuality by ingesting some Metamucil before leaving home.




The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful. There was some track work that slowed us down a bit a little beyond North Philadelphia. As we passed the work locomotive (and, apparently the end of the track work), our engineer tooted the "shave and a haircut, two bits" tune on his horn. I don't know whether that's regulation, but it was an amusing entertainment during the ride.

Once we got to Trenton, though, our train became the equivalnet of a NJT express. We stopped at Princeton Junction, New Brunswick, Metropark, Newark Airport, and Newark. I'm surprised we didn't stop at Secaucus Jct.! I'm sure I've taken 172 in the past, and I don't remember it making all of these New Jersey stops. Despite all of the stops and the fact that we mostly loafed along at 100 mph, occasionally hitting 110 and 115, we got into New York on time. In fact, we had to wait in the tunnel a bit until they could clear a platform at Penn for us. All of this explains why this BAL-NYP run was scheduled for 2:50 instead of the usual 2:40.




A view of the monorail at the Newark Airport station.



Ascending from the platform at New York Penn. Seems like we're skating on the edge of the social-distancing protocols, but everyone was masked.




The Amtrak concourse at New York Penn. Looks a bit crowded, but it's nothing like the usual crowd at 10:45 AM on a weekday. There are Labor Day stragglers here, too.



On the other hand, here's the Club Acela. Totally empty. It seems to have recovered from its nadir of the last few years. The coffee machines are working (though it's Dowe Egbert's coffee concentrate), there are cold drinks in the fridge, and an array of pastries in the morning and chips in the evening. I just did a quick pit stop here upon arrival, and then it's time for flânerie on the streets of New York.

--to be continued


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## PVD (Sep 15, 2020)

The D-E machines can be very good if the concentrate purchased is a good one. They sell different blends and it makes a big difference. So does the water.


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## AmtrakBlue (Sep 15, 2020)

The "shave and a haircut, two bits" might have been for rail fan(s) taking pics. Some engineers will toot when they see me with my phone aimed at them on the platform at Newark, DE.


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## caravanman (Sep 16, 2020)

By Jove old chap, what a spiffing start to your New York caper! One can hardly contain oneself for the next wizard instalment!

(I assume you are not averse to a little "flannel" with your flannery…)


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## MARC Rider (Sep 16, 2020)

As I said, the Club Acela at New York Penn has been improved from my visit last year, but I am still eagerly awaiting the completion of the New Moynihan Train Hall or whatever they're going to call it...

Fortified by my pit stop, I headed east through the underground labyrinth (well, it's actually a pretty straight walk from the Club Acela) to the 7th Avenue entrance. Up the escalator, and on to the street

What's this? Midtown, Seventh Avenue at 32nd St. at 11 AM on a weekday? Kind of empty here, but everyone who is out is wearing a mask. (I later found that many people don't wear them if walking alone and with nobody nearby, but compliance inside stores and subways and such is pretty much 100%.)

My plan was to not immediately head for the subway to get where I was going, but rather savor the (less crowded) streets of the city on foot. I was headed for the Strand Bookstore at 12th and Broadway. Google Maps said it was about a 30 minute walk. The temperature was warming up, but it never went above 85. On the shady sides of streets it was quite peasant, but on the sunny side, the brain could get a bit fried. I had packed only 1 small 330 ml bottle of water comped to me the last time I rode the Acela first class. Fortunately, there are lots of places in New York City where you can buy bottles of water.

I headed east on 32nd St and instead of turning at Broadway, I walked another block through Koreatown, as I was formulating a plan to have some Korean cuisine for dinner and wanted to check out what was available,



Lots of places were open with the parking lanes reserved for alfresco dining. Very little was open at this point in the morning. 

I turned south on Fifth avenue...



While gawking at the Museum of Sex at 27th St. (No, I didn't go in), I didn't notice the van parked alongside that appears to be festooned with a nasty ethnic slur, at least not until after I looked at the picture later. There must be an explanation . . . the thought occurs to me that it might be "Geek," and not the word I think it is. After all, I can understand how nasty slurs can propagate in the dark corners of the Internet, but posting such an obvious one on a van in New York City would be inviting vandalism.




Here's the Flatiron Building, across from Madison Square.




Here's Union Square, 14th and Broadway, with the top of the Empire State Building in the background. Almost at the Strand!

I shouldn't have bothered rushing. I arrived at about 11:40, and the store doesn't open until 12. I fiddled around with Google maps to decide that maybe I should just go to Katz's and come back, but it seemed like too much walking, and the subway wan't much faster. So I hung around.



The spaced the book carts 6 ft apart along 12th St, and we lined up, social distancing waiting to enter. They opened on time, and I had a fun time going through the books, even finding a few, fortunately lighter paperbacks, as I was going to have to carry them in my backpack the rest of the day.

Soon it was time to go, but first I needed to attend to "nature's call." But what was this? All the restrooms were closed? For "health reasons?" Uh-oh. Well, on the the street and down 4th Avenue, and then the Bowery towards Katz's. My first though was to get a drink at Starbucks and use the restroom, by, no the restrooms were closed! Then I went into a CVS, and unlike the drugstores in Charm City (aka Baltimore), New York drugstores don't seems to be equipped with public restrooms. You might have thought, what the heck, I'm on the Bowery, why not do it.... but, no, the Bowery is actually kind of gentrified these days. Yes, it seems like parts of Manhattan have problems with restroom availability, which is a bit of a downer for a guy who is not only getting older, but who is also taking diuretics for treatment of blood pressure. More on this pressing issue later in the day.

All I could do was soldier on to Houston Street, past the Yonah Shimmel knish bakery and the Russ and Daughters appetizing store. The knish shop was closed, and there was a socially distanced line out into the sidewalk at Russ and Daughters. Another block, and I arrived at Katz's. Finally to sample the trifecta of New York Delis, specifically their pastrami.

I have already sampled The Second Avenue Deli in Midtown and Liebman's Deli in Riverdale, the Bronx. These two are kosher; Katz's is not. All of them have really good pastrami, pastrami that beats anything I can get in Baltimore or even Philly, Chicago, Miami, whatever. (Not that the other stuff is bad.) The next best pastrami I can think of is from Loeb's NY Deli in downtown Washington. 

The Katz experience has been a bit altered because of COVID. The large dining area is now empty, and there are some tables on the sidewalk, though I think most patrons are just doing carryout. They also now have online ordering, which means that their long tradition of cash only has ended -- I paid with a credit card. But otherwise, it still works the same. You enter and are given a ticket and are directed to a "cutter" for your sandwich.




You order your sandwich, "pastrami on rye with mustard" (_never_ mayo!), and the cutter cuts the meat. By hand. With a knife. None of these fancy circular deli slicers here. He gives you a couple of pieces of cut meat on a small plate for you to sample. Mmmmm-good. After he puts the sandwich together, he takes out half the pickle barrel, and you get 2 half-sours and 2 well-done pickles. He takes your ticket marks it, wraps everything up, and sends you with your sandwich to another person who gives out drinks. I got a can of Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray Tonic, the only thing to drink with a pastrami sandwich. Then over to pay. At this point, I found out that Katz's restrooms were, indeed open, a great relief for me!

On the way out, I surrender my ticket to the doorman and show him the credit card receipt. In the traditional Katz's experience, you'd eat first in the dining room, then pay (cash only) on the way out. Don't lose your ticket! I went out and was lucky enough to find an empty table on the sidewalk that was even in the shade. Here I enjoyed my sandwich. At $23 a sandwich, I'd better enjoy it!




The pastrami was really, really good, but boy do they give you a lot. I couldn't finish the whole thing, so I wrapped it up and had it the next day. I think Katz's pastrami is the best, but just to be sure, I'll have to go back up and retry the Second Avenue Deli and Liebmans again.

Now, with a full belly, I was fortified and ready to start the next stage of my flânerie, New York railfan geekery.

-To be continued.


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## PVD (Sep 16, 2020)

Geek Squad vehicles are from the "Best Buy" electronics stores....Love Katz's, my need to reduce sodium intake keeps me away more than I like. There are a number of places that still have very good corned beef, but the purveyors of really good pastrami are few and far between. Miss my trips into Manhattan just to wander around. For many years I worked out of offices either on 34th or 35th street, and have had NY Rangers tickets at MSG for 39 years, so I used to be in that area all the time. Also not far from NYP is B&H Photo/Video, one of the best stores around. (they have a great website, but actually have an enormous selection on display and available to handle)


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## Bob Dylan (Sep 17, 2020)

MARC Rider said:


> As I said, the Club Acela at New York Penn has been improved from my visit last year, but I am still eagerly awaiting the completion of the New Moynihan Train Hall or whatever they're going to call it...
> 
> Fortified by my pit stop, I headed east through the underground labyrinth (well, it's actually a pretty straight walk from the Club Acela) to the 7th Avenue entrance. Up the escalator, and on to the streetView attachment 19093
> 
> ...


We all were saddened when Katzs New York Deli closed here in Austin!

For some reason Delis just cant stay in Business here, but the Bagel places seem to do OK since Austin has so many imported " Yankees"! 
This makes me think of last years Gathering in Dallas when so many AUers ate @ Cindis Deli across from Union Station.( I know its not as good, but you said it was OK!)


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## trainman74 (Sep 17, 2020)

PVD said:


> Geek Squad vehicles are from the "Best Buy" electronics stores...



Agreed, that van appears to show the new version of the "Geek Squad" logo, like this one (not my photo, found online:


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## Barb Stout (Sep 17, 2020)

MARC Rider said:


> On the way out, I surrender my ticket to the doorman and show him the credit card receipt. In the traditional Katz's experience, you'd eat first in the dining room, then pay (cash only) on the way out. Don't lose your ticket! I went out and was lucky enough to find an empty table on the sidewalk that was even in the shade. Here I enjoyed my sandwich. At $23 a sandwich, I'd better enjoy it!
> 
> View attachment 19101


Wow, I don't think I can open my mouth that wide to eat that.


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## PVD (Sep 17, 2020)

I'm thinking about sending a shipment out to my sister in Phoenix. They ship overnight. Not cheap, but who cares. There are a couple of decent Kosher style delis in Phoenix, they aren't cheap either, they have the market top themselves. I used to teach Solar and Alternative Energy for electrical apprentices at a satellite facility we had just North of the Trade Center site. I used to drop off one of the other instructors at his apt near Katz's just so I had an excuse to stop.....(if Glenn wasn't teaching, I used to go home a different way and stop at a deli on Queens Blvd that was almost as good. They even had a segment on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.. (Owner retired, they are sadly gone.)


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## railiner (Sep 18, 2020)

PVD said:


> I'm thinking about sending a shipment out to my sister in Phoenix. They ship overnight. Not cheap, but who cares. There are a couple of decent Kosher style delis in Phoenix, they aren't cheap either, they have the market top themselves. I used to teach Solar and Alternative Energy for electrical apprentices at a satellite facility we had just North of the Trade Center site. I used to drop off one of the other instructors at his apt near Katz's just so I had an excuse to stop.....(if Glenn wasn't teaching, I used to go home a different way and stop at a deli on Queens Blvd that was almost as good. They even had a segment on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.. (Owner retired, they are sadly gone.)


Are you old enough to remember the "Host" and the "Royal" in the neighborhood?


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## PVD (Sep 18, 2020)

Host was Kissena Blvd, and where Napoli Pizza is now was the other deli, was that Royal or Star?


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## railiner (Sep 18, 2020)

PVD said:


> Host was Kissena Blvd, and where Napoli Pizza is now was the other deli, was that Royal or Star?


You got it! Napoli was Royal...
Not in the league of Carnegie or Stage....but a lot closer and cheaper...


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## PVD (Sep 18, 2020)

Ben's Best on Queens Blvd was a pretty good deli. Used to stop sometimes when I taught at 25 Park Pl. Got bonus miles on AA when I went their. Losing the parking lane killed them.


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## Dakota 400 (Sep 18, 2020)

Barb Stout said:


> Wow, I don't think I can open my mouth that wide to eat that.



Me neither! Anymore, most burgers and other sandwiches that are available at restaurants are so thick that they are nearly impossible to eat as a "sandwich". What's the point of making so large?


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## Trollopian (Sep 19, 2020)

Barb Stout said:


> Wow, I don't think I can open my mouth that wide to eat that.



I think you have to unhinge your jaw, like a snake.


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## PVD (Sep 19, 2020)

Thank you to all who gave me the idea....Just pulled the trigger on the gift box for my sister and brother in law...1 lb brisket w/gravy 1lb of pastrami, 1 lb nova lox, 6 bagels box of rugelach, 4 knishes, qt of pickles, and a half a loaf of rye bread...


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## jiml (Sep 20, 2020)

PVD said:


> Thank you to all who gave me the idea....Just pulled the trigger on the gift box for my sister and brother in law...1 lb brisket w/gravy 1lb of pastrami, 1 lb nova lox, 6 bagels box of rugelach, 4 knishes, qt of pickles, and a half a loaf of rye bread...


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## PVD (Sep 20, 2020)

$150 with the guaranteed overnight for delivery (I scheduled for Friday) There are other options, that one looked about right for them...


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## jiml (Sep 20, 2020)

PVD said:


> $150 with the guaranteed overnight for delivery (I scheduled for Friday) There are other options, that one looked about right for them...


To a devout deli fan that sounds like a bargain! Dunn's in Montreal used to do something similar (and perhaps still do), but some of their key items are sporadically available at Costco here.


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## railiner (Sep 20, 2020)

Since this has morphed into a deli delights thread, there's this chain....
I see they have one in nearby Boca Raton ....used to patronize the one in Bayside...



https://www.bensdeli.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/2020_Sept_QLFS_DiningRoomMenu.pdf


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## Dakota 400 (Sep 20, 2020)

railiner said:


> Since this has morphed into a deli delights thread, there's this chain....
> I see they have one in nearby Boca Raton ....used to patronize the one in Bayside...
> 
> 
> ...



What a menu!


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## PVD (Sep 20, 2020)

To bring this back to walking around NYC, there is a Ben's location at 38th St just West of 7th Ave, no indoor dining for a few more weeks...takeout and delivery...


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## railiner (Sep 20, 2020)

Dakota 400 said:


> What a menu!


Yeah....all "health food"....


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## jiml (Sep 20, 2020)

railiner said:


> Since this has morphed into a deli delights thread


Let's face it - it's a combination of cabin fever and starvation (from things we all like).


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## MARC Rider (Sep 21, 2020)

With my belly now full to bursting, it was time to continue my jaunt through the streets of New York.




Down Ludlow St. from Katz's to the subway, here's the Lower East Side in it's classic glory. Except that 120 years after its heyday, it's a lot cleaner and quieter, especially with Covid keeping a lot of people off the streets. Imagine it full of people, pushcarts, large families crammed into the small tenements, the noise, the smell.... A way of life that's gone forever, and I suspect my grandparents, who lived a little of it (though in Baltimore) would say "good riddance!"


Delancey Street, looking towards the Williamsburg Bridge that connects Manhattan with Brooklyn. Several subway lines cross the river using the bridge. I was heading for Essex St. to take the J train to Lower Manhattan.




It appeared that all trains were running on roughly 15 minute headways. This is definitely not typical for New York on a weekday. The crowds were very sparse, and it was easy on both my subway rides to get a socially distance seat.

I took the J train to Fulton St. From there a couple of blocks walk took me to the "Occulus," the beating heart of the new rebuilt World Trade Center. 



Whoever designed this underground very upscale shopping mall must have been channeling Isaac Asimov's Caves of Steel and description of the planet Trantor in his Foundation series.



At one end of the Lower level, the PATH trains to New Jersey can be found. I paid my fare and descended to the platform.



The interior of a PATH car. No problem with social distancing today!

I got off at Exchange Place, and the only way out was via an elevator that I had to share with four other people. But we were all wearing masks, and the 4 people squeezed into the 4 corners of the elevator car, and I stood in the middle.

I went out on the street and quickly found what I was looking for, the station for the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line. Despite the name, the line does not (yet) serve Bergen County, though one branch does serve a part of Jersey City called "West Bergen." Building the line has resulted in a major development of the Hudson River shoreline between Bayonne and Hoboken. My first wife was from this area, but as soon as her father made some money, he moved the family north into the nicer suburbs. Jersey City was considered a pretty beat up washed-out place back then, though in the late 1970s I remember watching something in the very late 1970s on either the CBS Evening News or 60 Minutes about how Hoboken was starting to get revitalized, and for a lot less money than a place in Manhattan you could get an apartment with a nice view of the Manhattan skyline, whereas for much more money, you could get an apartment in Manhattan with a view of . . . Hoboken! 

The light rail platforms are a bit elevated above the tracks in the manner of the DART trains in Dallas. However, the cars themselves are only on one level, so one has totally ADA-compliant level boarding for every seat on the train. The senior fare was $1.10, a great bargain. One thing about this service, you can't call it a "high speed line." The tracks snaked in and around buildings, and the trains had to go pretty slowly, though most (but not all) of the route was grade-separated. Lots of highrises right along the river, new shopping districts. I consider this to be one of the largest transit-oriented developments I've seen, though some of the urban design was still a bit large in scale and maybe a bit too dominated by cars. I'm not sure what flânerie would be like in this area.

After a while the train crossed over the approaches to the Holland Tunnel (definitely not transit oriented development!), around a corner and a view of one of the largest passenger rail yards I've ever seen, full of every kind of New Jersey Transit railcar and EMU that I could recognize. This of course, was the New Jersey Transit (nee: Erie-Lackawanna) Hoboken Terminal, the only New York area commuter rail terminal I've never visited. (Well, I guess I have now.)



Here's the light rail at Hoboken Terminal.

more to come


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## MARC Rider (Sep 21, 2020)

Approaching the old Lackawanna Terminal.



Here's a view of lower Manhattan from the Lackawanna Terminal. Note the air shaft for the Holland Tunnel off to the right.

This is one of those great classic railroad stations that you never hear about. It's definitely worth a trip to see. The best think I liked about it was the nice restroom. (The fact that the restroom was open at all was, of course, the nicest thing about it.  )





Metro-North equipment, ready for the run to Port Jervis.


Waiting room seating is closed off, due to Covid. I think that most passengers don't wait around here, the just get off the ferries or PATH trains and right on to their commuter train. In its heyday, it must have been nice to wait here for the _Phoebe Snow _to take you to Buffalo or Chicago.




This place got hammered during Sandy. That floodmark is at about my eye level.

I took the ferry to go back to New York, which was the traditional way it was done before the Holland Tunnel and PATH trains were built. NY Waterways runs the service, which is a lot more expensive than the NYC Ferry that connects to Brooklyn and Far Rockaway. $7.00 for the ride to Brookfield Place/Battery Park City ($6.50 for seniors) vs. $2.75 for the NYC ferry (or a ride on the PATH train.) I'm not sure why commuters would use this, though perhaps they sell monthly passes at a discount.

The ferry docks are right outside one of the doors from the waiting room. It's all covered over and wout of the weather.






The ferry slips from the water side. 

And now, over the river and back into New York. Farewell, New Jersey!


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## PVD (Sep 21, 2020)

Beautiful day for this, cool and clear.....Whenever I think of Baltimore and the immigrant experience, I think of Barry Levinson's "Avalon"


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## MARC Rider (Sep 21, 2020)

A nice little Hudson River cruise:








After landing on the Manhattan side, a walk along the North Cove yacht harbor to see how the other half lives:








Brookfield Place, another glitzy shopping mall, though of a more conventional design than the Occulus in the World Trade Center. I was getting a bit dehydrated at this point and wandered around looking for a place to buy something to drink. A marketplace-type food court in Brookfield place was closed, then I thought I'd try the Amazon Go concept that Google maps located for me in Brookfield Place, but that was closed. Finally, after wandering a couple of blocks the other way, I found a Gristede's (a local grocery chain) and found some nice cold water and coconut water. After stoppoing in a shady spot to rehydrate myself, I headed back to the World Trade Center, walking around the perimeter of the 9/11 Memorial, which appeared to be closed off by (hopefully) temporary barricades. It appeared that people could enter, but only through a few checkpoints. I don't know whether this was due to Covid or because this was Sept. 8, and I suppose they were getting ready for some kind of commemorative event on Sept. 11. I didn't inquire, as I have seen the memorial before, and it was getting late, and I wanted to have time for dinner before my train departed.

Upon entering the Occulus, I realized that I needed to use the restroom again. Aha! I say direction signs for such, but as I approached them, I saw a maintenance worker put up a "Closed" sign at the door. Apparently some sort of major plumbing disaster, might be a few days before they get it fixed. And as far as this person knew, that was the only restroom in the whole humongous fancy shopping center! Well, there was nothing to do, but soldier on and find a subway train to Midtown.

I decided to take the R train up Broadway to Greeley Square. (33rd st.) 




At some point, we seemed to be stuck behind another train, and were barely moving. So I got off a stop earlier, at 28th St., and walked the 4 blocks up to 32nd st. It was about 5 or 10 minutes after 5 PM. When I got to Greeley Square, I spied a public restroom. Halleluyah! No quite. As I approached, I saw a park worker locking the place up. Apparently, the restrooms close at 5 PM. Oh well, nothing else to do but look for a place to eat. Maybe they have restrooms.

After a short cruise down the outdoor dining establishments on 32nd St., I decided on the Five Senses Korean Restaurant. I had a very nice socially distanced table to myself on the street, and, thank goodness! they had a restroom. The outdoor menu was a little stripped down, as they all are, these days. The BBQ meat entrees (bulgogi, galbi, etc.) were a bit expensive at arounf $35-$40, but a nice seafood bibbim-bap, including a bunch of Korean Side dishes was available for $18.







Thus sated, I was ready to return to Penn Station and my train home.






Yes, these are views of 7th Avenue at 32nd. Street on a weekday evening at about 10 after 6 or so. In other words, the New York rush hour in the age of Covid.

Now, the epic conclusion as Amtrak does it again.


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## PVD (Sep 21, 2020)

The Museum associated with the memorial re-opened on 9-12 with appropriate precautions. The exhibit had reopened with controlled access.


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## Bob Dylan (Sep 21, 2020)

Boy, even for NYC, the food prices seem High! I've not had any Korean BBQ that was worth $40, nor any $23 Sandwiches anywhere except in San Francisco,Vegas and Tokyo!!  

And the $7.50 Ferry rides are only found in the Bay Area far as I know.( the Staten Island Ferry is still the Best Transportation deal in the World!)


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## MARC Rider (Sep 21, 2020)

Hello Penn Station!






The famous New York rush hour in America's busiest passenger train station. (about 6:10 PM)



OK, there were a few more people down at the LIRR level, but still, for 6:10 PM.....

After my quick tour of the station, I found the Club Acela, and settled in. A quick glance at the departure board showed that train 55, the Vermonter was "on time." Oh, how they like to tease us....

I called home and let my wife know I was at the station and ready to come home. Then I did a wiki-walk on my phone looking up something or other to kill time and distract myself from the CNN political blather emanating from the TV in the lounge. When I glanced up at the departure board (maybe it was 6:30 or so by then), my heart sunk, as I saw what every Amtrak traveler fears, yet expects -- the word "delayed."

A quick check on the Amtrak train tracker showed that Northeast Regional 137, which should have left quite a while earlier was stuck somewhere in the Bronx. Train 55, the Vermonter was stuck around Stamford. Both were recording speeds of 0 mph, not very good showing for America's "higher speed" rail service. An inquiry to the lounge attendant revealed that the reason for the delay was the actions of a major class 1 railroad that shall remain nameless, but is sometimes colloquially referred on Amtrak Unlimited to as *C*rash, *S*mash, and e*X*plode." Apparently there was a derailment of a freight train in the Bronx, and the Northeast corridor was completely shut down.

My mind went back to a train ride in North Carolina the previous year, when a delayed Carolinian was once again, somewhere between Cary and Greensboro, held for a passing freight. "Next time I'm taking the freight train," one of my fellow passengers had said. Apparently, that wouldn't have worked in this case.

Curse these Class 1 railroads! Not only do they mess up Amtrak trains running on their tracks, they mess up the Amtrak trains running on Amtrak's tracks.

Time passed. There was no word at how long this delay would be. I was starting to think about whether I should compare the prices of New York hotel rooms with those of a one-way car rental to Baltimore. Then I overheard a guy sitting in the lounge talking to the attendant about how Governor Cuomo put Maryland back on the "list of shame," and that would have to cancel his next business trip. By rights, I should thus be quarantined! (Not that anybody cared when we passed through New York in July, and even spent a night in a motel in Albany.)

Finally, the word came out that they were going to combine 137 and 55. I'm not sure which train set was used, though I suspect that 137 had finally managed to make it around the derailment and creep into Penn Station.

Finally, they announced the track, and out we went into the concourse.




After a little bit of confusion, which included an _Amtrak PD officer_ serving as a gate dragon (and not knowing anything about what track the train was on), They finally let us down to the platform and on the train we boarded.

As I mentioned earlier, I had purchased a business class ticket for the trip home. Now business class seats are assigned on Northeast Regional 137, but for my train, 55, it's open seating. so I wondered how they would handle that. As it turned out, there were so few people in the business class car, it didn't really matter. We settled ourselves in, and the train pulled out at 8:50 PM instead of the original 6:45.

As soon as we got out of the tunnel and were in New Jersey, I called home with an estimated ETA. Then I went forward to the cafe car for a stiff drink.




Well, sort of stiff drink. The cafe attendant offered me two of the little bottles (though I'd have to pay separately for each), but I did realize that I was going to have to drive home from the station, so only one would have to do.

The southbound train also made more stops than usual, but at least we skipped New Brunswick and Princeton Junction.

Once I left New York and I was no longer in danger of being dragged into quarantine, I was also able to swap masks and show my Maryland pride.




We had no further delays, and the train arrived in Baltimore at 11:25 PM for a travel time of 2:35. 
It was late, but usually, even that late, there are more trains on the departure board than what was showing there. I'm not sure if it was because trains were cancelled due to the derailment or that the Covid cutbacks have eliminated all the later departures out of Boston. 




A quick walk out to door, over to the garage paystation to pay for parking, down the stairs, into my car, out the garage, and a rather fast ride home in almost no traffic, and that was my day of flânerie in New York. I'm glad I did it when I did. Our case counts per 100,000 are bouncing around 10, and while that doesn't make us a Covid hot-spot, I guess we're still on the New York State "list of shame," so it might be a while before I can return to New York without a guilty conscience. But there's no reason I can't zip up to Philly and do some flânerie there as well as monitor the level of service Amtrak is providing on the NEC. I'm just worried, my last two NEC trips have involved big delays on the return, is this going to be a pattern?


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## MARC Rider (Sep 21, 2020)

Bob Dylan said:


> Boy, even for NYC, the food prices seem High! I've not had any Korean BBQ that was worth $40, nor any $23 Sandwiches anywhere except in San Francisco,Vegas and Tokyo!!
> 
> And the $7.50 Ferry rides are only found in the Bay Area far as I know.( the Staten Island Ferry is still the Best Transportation deal in the World!)


2nd Av. Deli pastrami sandwich is about the same price; Liebman's Deli in the Bronx is $19.50. There's a place called Ben's Deli where the pastrami sandwich is $15 (in Manhattan) and $14 (in their other locations.) I may have to try them.

The most similar place in Baltimore, the Essen Room sells pastrami sandwiches for $18, but they also sell half sandwiches for $14. I guess deli food is now expensive. I certainly don't eat it every day.

As far as the Staten Island Ferry being a good deal, it sure is if you want to go between Staten Island and Lower Manhattan, but not such a good deal if you're anywhere else. The best ferry ride in New York, in my opinion, is the NYC ferry from Rockaway to Wall St. The cost is $2.75, the same as a subway ride, the ride is a little over an hour, and you get to see the Lower Bay, views of the ocean, Coney Island, the Verranzano Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.


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## MARC Rider (Sep 21, 2020)

PVD said:


> The Museum associated with the memorial re-opened on 9-12 with appropriate precautions. The exhibit had reopened with controlled access.


Do you have to pay or anything just to see the memorial? (not the museum, just the memorial.) When I was there 2 years ago, the memorial was just open with uncontrolled access.


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## PVD (Sep 21, 2020)

I'm pretty sure the Memorial is free, the Museum is not.....





Homepage | National September 11 Memorial & Museum







www.911memorial.org


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## mcropod (Sep 22, 2020)

Thanks for taking me along for the adventure! I like flannering when I'm in a new place and it's heaps of fun just following one's nose, so good on you!


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## jiml (Sep 22, 2020)

Great report and pictures. Thanks for posting, including the restroom searches for those of us with similar challenges.


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## hlcteacher (Sep 22, 2020)

and all the time i thought i was "touristing"! thank you for taking us with you, this is not an experience i would have as i (1) do not care for nyc-been there, did that and (2) my walking is limited now...so thank you!


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## Dakota 400 (Sep 22, 2020)

I enjoyed reading your report and viewing your photos. Thanks for posting it!

Your links to the various restaurants were interesting to access. Really impressed with Katz's menu. Such a huge variety of items! I hope to patronize them when I am next in New York. I think it would be fun.


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## PVD (Sep 22, 2020)

Katz's is a classic.....what I love about NYC (or at least in better times) is that it's long history of settlement by groups from so many countries means that food of any culture is available.... from simple street food to the fanciest establishments. The earliest coal oven pizzerias in the US to the latest Asian Fusion cuisines....


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## trainman74 (Sep 22, 2020)

I used to have relatives along the Morris & Essex Lines, so I passed through Hoboken Terminal a number of times in my younger days (before the Kearny Connection was built).

It used to have a Solari board in the waiting room, as well as auxiliary arrival/departure displays located throughout the terminal -- those other displays were merely black-and-white TV monitors showing a feed from a camera permanently aimed at the Solari board. That was quite the Rube Goldberg-ian solution.


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## Sauve850 (Sep 22, 2020)

Thanks for the adventure! I enjoyed it.


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## Michigan Mom (Sep 25, 2020)

Thank you for the travelogue, and the pictures of the city and station.... really enjoyed the eye candy!


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## MARC Rider (Sep 30, 2020)

Bob Dylan said:


> Boy, even for NYC, the food prices seem High! I've not had any Korean BBQ that was worth $40, nor any $23 Sandwiches anywhere except in San Francisco,Vegas and Tokyo!!


So I posted my Katz' experience on a Deli group on Facebook, and someone commented something to the effect of, "don't think of it as a $23 sandwich, think of it as 2 $11.50 sandwiches." Someone else pointed out that the sandwich has 10 ounces of pastrami, which is a lot of meat in the first place, but it's also hand cured, hand smoked, and hand carved, so that might account for some of the expense. After all, it's pretty common for 10 ounce steaks to be on the menu for $25 - $30, so why not 10 ounces of pastrami?

That said, I wouldn't mind if they started selling a junior-sized sandwich at a reduced price, although the uneaten half sandwich kept pretty well wrapped up in my backpack all day and in the fridge when I got home. The bread wasn't quite as fresh the next day, but it was still good.


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## Asher (Oct 2, 2020)

That $23.00 Sandwich may sound expensive. But it came with an opportunity for taking a whiz and that alone allowed for a much more comfortable journey.
Thank you, it was fun bumming around and enjoying the sights.


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## NEPATrainTraveler (Oct 17, 2020)

Great trip report! Makes me nostalgic for the Amtrak trips I have taken. Also reminds me of the NYC trips I take by myself. Walking around the city, visiting a bookstore, railfanning and getting something to eat is what I do on my trips to NYC too and I love doing that. Interesting to see how the places I have visited look during COVID times. BAL looks so empty now. Sad to hear that the Dunkin' Donuts in BAL is closed due to COVID. I used to get my breakfast from there while waiting for my train. NYP still looks busy, but somewhat less so than normal. 

I have visited the Strand bookstore before. It's a cool place.

I really like Hoboken terminal as well. I wish I still had passenger rail service where I live. Hoboken would have been my arrival station instead of Port Authority Bus Terminal. Then I could have taken PATH to Manhattan.


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## jruff001 (Oct 17, 2020)

That was great! Thanks for taking the time to post.


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