Hickory Creek excursion

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I saw the Hickory Creek go speeding past on the southbound run today as I was driving on the parallel Route 9J between Hudson and Albany. Definitely did a double take, as I had not known about the excursion in advance. I could see another vintage car ahead of it. Nice to see it on its classic route.
 
Here's the rest of the story.

I let on Saturday morning and took the Vermonter up to New York. My sister from California was in New York visiting a college friend, but we planner an afternoon outing. The trip up was pretty uneventful, except of a 10-15 delay due to a bridge opening (planned or not?) of a bridge over the Bush River in Maryland. The Silver Meteor had actually arrived in Baltimore ahead of us, about a half hour or so early, but they let us pass it when we were both delayed by the open bridge.

In any event, I had a nice afternoon with my sister. We went to Staten Island, as that's a part of New York she had never been to, riding the ferry and a bus to visit the Sailor's Snug Harbor cultural park. We saw the Staten Island Museum and an artists' open house. Then we went back to my hotel, where I checked in. One thing I will say about New York, is that it has certainly become crowded again. I noticed that on my last visit in December, and now that the weather's nice, it's even worse. We went out for dinner with my sister's friend at a good Indian restaurant in the Upper West Side at 100th and Broadway. I did some subway ridinbg, on this trip, all restricted to the 1, 2, and 3 trains. These are older cars, they don't announce the stops, so you have to pay attention as to where you are. It was pretty crowded, too. Not quite Tokyo-attendants-pushing-passengers-in crowded, but getting close.

I stayed at a Marriott Fairfield Inn on 36th St., as it was a good bit cheaper than the one on 33rd St., closer to the station. The walk over was only about 5 minutes, so it wasn't much of a big deal. They told me when I checked in that they were giving me a "room upgrade" to an "executive suite" because of my loyal membership in the Marriot Bonvoy program. Well, if what I got was an upgrade, I'd hate to think what closets their regular rooms are. But it was clean, the bed was comfortable, and the plumbing worked. And I got a random view ot the city skyline, looking south, not a view of an air shaft.

Off to bed, and then up for breakfast, which was a typical full free hotel breakfast, but I couldn't believe how crowded it was. Lots in international visitors, too. I heard so much French being spoken, I thought maybe I had somehow been transported to Paris. The family sitting across from me was speaking Italian, though. I got my stuff together, and then off into the streets of New York for my rendezvous with Hickory Creek.
 
MARC Rider said:
Here's the rest of the story.

I let on Saturday morning and took the Vermonter up to New York. My sister from California was in New York visiting a college friend, but we planner an afternoon outing. The trip up was pretty uneventful, except of a 10-15 delay due to a bridge opening (planned or not?) of a bridge over the Bush River in Maryland. The Silver Meteor had actually arrived in Baltimore ahead of us, about a half hour or so early, but they let us pass it when we were both delayed by the open bridge.

In any event, I had a nice afternoon with my sister. We went to Staten Island, as that's a part of New York she had never been to, riding the ferry and a bus to visit the Sailor's Snug Harbor cultural park. We saw the Staten Island Museum and an artists' open house. Then we went back to my hotel, where I checked in. One thing I will say about New York, is that it has certainly become crowded again. I noticed that on my last visit in December, and now that the weather's nice, it's even worse. We went out for dinner with my sister's friend at a good Indian restaurant in the Upper West Side at 100th and Broadway. I did some subway ridinbg, on this trip, all restricted to the 1, 2, and 3 trains. These are older cars, they don't announce the stops, so you have to pay attention as to where you are. It was pretty crowded, too. Not quite Tokyo-attendants-pushing-passengers-in crowded, but getting close.

I stayed at a Marriott Fairfield Inn on 36th St., as it was a good bit cheaper than the one on 33rd St., closer to the station. The walk over was only about 5 minutes, so it wasn't much of a big deal. They told me when I checked in that they were giving me a "room upgrade" to an "executive suite" because of my loyal membership in the Marriot Bonvoy program. Well, if what I got was an upgrade, I'd hate to think what closets their regular rooms are. But it was clean, the bed was comfortable, and the plumbing worked. And I got a random view ot the city skyline, looking south, not a view of an air shaft.

Off to bed, and then up for breakfast, which was a typical full free hotel breakfast, but I couldn't believe how crowded it was. Lots in international visitors, too. I heard so much French being spoken, I thought maybe I had somehow been transported to Paris. The family sitting across from me was speaking Italian, though. I got my stuff together, and then off into the streets of New York for my rendezvous with Hickory Creek.
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Nice trip Joe!

Good to see that The Apple ( my favorite City to visit in the US)has recovered from the Pandemic Lows and that the Crowds are back!( and the Staten Island Ferry is still one of the Best Deals in the World!)

As most of us know, the Rooms in New York City tend to be Small, even in the Up Scale Hotels, but Clean,Safe and Convienent @ a Reasonable Price is still a good Deal!

Good to see Real Breakfast is back, instead of that Gross " Breakfast in a Bag!" that had become the Norm during the Pandemic!😊

I've stayed @ both those Fairfield Inns and still can't figure why the Prices can be so Widely different, has to be Supply and Demand due to the proximity to Penn Station and MSG!
 
Continuing the story....

I didn't have to check in at the Metropolitan Lounge until 10 AM, so I had some extra time on my hands. I used it to check out what's been happening to the old Penn Station. There sure seems to be a lot of construction going on over there.

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This is 7th Ave at 33rd. St. The empty space over the Verizon sign is where the old Hotel Pennsylvania used to be. They still have a bit more work to do with the demolition, which is being done pretty neatly. It's going to be replaced with a 68 story office tower -- just what Midtown Manhattan needs right now. I stayed at there as a kid when it was called the Statler-Hitlon, and then with my family back in 2010 when it was starting it's slide downhill.

I headed down the new escalator built a couple of years ago..
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And, look, the LIRR concourse work has been finished! The shops haven't opened yet, but they should soon, as it looks like pedestrian traffic is recovering. Not bad for a Sunday morning.

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Here's the old Penn Station concourse.

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And the Amtrak-NJT ticked passengers waiting room. This is where you wait if your train leaves when Moynihan is closed in the wee hours. Or you may want to access the gates here to the platform if you want to avoid the cattle line at Moynihan.

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After checking this out, I skipped over to Moynihan and off to the Metropolitan Lounge.

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I got my Hudson Rail Excursion ticket scanned, first by the lounge attendant and then by the folks running the excursion. Then, we could wait. I could have gotten my breakfast at the lounge, they had several types of breakfast sandwiches and pastries. I did get a cup of coffee, self serve, but with real ceramic coffee cups. AAs I've said before, nicest lounge in the Amtrak system.

Finally, it was time to board. The two excursion cars were hooked on to the back of Empire Service #233, leaving at 11:20 AM. This trainset turns around in Albany and becomes #244, leaving Albany at 4:30 PM. We were led out of the lounge in a real authentic "Kindergarten walk," down the escalator, and across the concourse to the gate. There were already passengers waiting at the cattle line, but they took us first, and down another escalator to the platform we went. Of course, being that Moynihan is located at the far west end of the platforms and our cars were at the rear (east) end of the train, we walked down the whole length of the train on the platform until we got to our excursion cars. The "riff-raff" were riding NYC Tavern-Lounge 43, while those of us on Hickory Creek were greeted with a red carpet on our approach to the car door. Our car attendant greeted us as we boarded and got ourself settled for the trip to Albany.

...more to come
 
They prefer to keep the trips limited to day round trips that is why they do just upto Albany. I think it would be neat if they could do a round trip to Montreal. But the logistics gets complicated with the need for additional food service and all that.
 
Montreal would be amazing, although will never happen because of immigration delays, amongst other reasons. I've seen more than one person taken off the train at Rouse's Point. I've even had my own run-in with US CBP there, but that's another story.

However if they ever (in fantasy) went to Montreal, they could book the sekrit trainspotter rooms in the Hotel Bonaventure adjacent to the station, with this fabulous view:

train.jpg
 
Hickory Creek has 2 bedrooms, a small galley, a restroom and, of course, the famous "Lookout Lounge" at the rear of the car. There was table seating for 8 people, so the 16 passengers were served in 2 lunch seatings.



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The bedrooms were set up as exhibits, showing some memorabilia from 1948, the year the car entered service. (It's 75 years old this year.)
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The bedrooms looked smaller than modern Superliner or Viewliner bedrooms, but they had more or less the same facilities, including an en-suite bathroom.

After we left Yonkers, it was time for the first lunch seating.

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First course: a Cheese plate:

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Next, the New York Central Green Salad.

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The main course. I ordered the short ribs.

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Finally, dessert: home-made cherry pie.

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Everything was prepared on-board, including the pie. Very tasty food. This was accompanied by an open beer-wine bar for the whole trip. I had an off-menu Montepulciano (an Italian red variety) which was very good. I also had, later on, some Cremant de Loire Brut Rose ("pink Champagne"), which was also good. They also served a few appetizers on the return trip.

After all that chowing down, here's a satisfied customer relaxing in the Lookout Lounge.

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For most of the trip, we were riding along at 75 - 85 mph, but for a short stretch north of Hudson the train hits 100-110 mph. That 75-year-old railcar handled the high-speed running very well, with a smooth ride that allowed me to sit the wineglass down on the ledge without having to worry about it falling off.

We rolled into Albany on time ready to enjoy our 2-hour layover.

--stay tuned...
 

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A few pictures at the Albany station:

Empire Service arriving from New York
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Tavern-Lounge 43 and Hickory Creek waiting for return passengers.

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The interior of Tavern Lounge 43

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Riding the Tavern-Lounge is a lot cheaper. There are a lot more passengers than Hickory Creek, and you get catered sandwiches, not a full-course meal.

The layover in Albany was a bit rushed. When all is said and done, you really shouldn't count on more than an hour and a half to visit anything there. If you don't rush up right when the train gets in, there won't be any cabs left, and Uber/Lyft seems to be a bit thin on the ground up there. I had to wait 10-15 minutes for a ride each way, and they were expensive for such a short ride. As I had already seen Empire State Plaza (i.e. "Starfleet HQ"), I opted for the New York State museum, which is certainly worth the price of the free admission and contains an eclectic collection of cultural and natural history objects.

Back at the station, I got my picture taken at the tail end of the train, and soon, we were off for our return trip, which was uneventful.

Even at 110 mph (between Albany and Hudson), the ride was amazingly smooth, and this wineglass stayed in place. I was pretty impressed about how well they did the cosmetic restoration, but I think they must have also put a lot of effort into the mechanical stuff, too. In all, not bad for a 75-year-old railcar.

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All too soon, we were back in Penn Station.

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After dropping my stuff off at the hotel, I went over to 32nd St. ("Koreatown") and go myself some Korean Barbecue.

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The next morning, I was up and had breakfast atht he hotel, which fortunately wasn't as busy as it was the morning before. When I got to the Metropolitan Lounge at Moynihan, I realized that I could have had breakfast there with a little less bustle. I did get a coffee and a fruit cup to supplement what I had at the hotel. One thing about the Met Lounge food, though. I was taking an 11:20 AM train with a 1:45 PM arrival in Baltimore, and I had thought that I might be able to stock up on lunch items at the lounge. That was not to be, Even as late as 11 AM, the food items in the lounge were all breakfast things -- hot breakfast sandwiches, fruit salad, pastries, coffee, etc. I'm not sure when the start putting out the lunch stuff. In the end, as I've mentioned elsewhere, I had to buy my lunch from the cafe car en route.

I had bought a Saver coach seat on a Northeast Regional for my trip home; a real bargain at $50. Once I saw that the train (93) was close to New York, I checked with the desk attendant at the lounge about the gate of the train. He let me know before it was publically announced, but when I got down to the gate, there was already a pretty long line. I told the gate guard that I had come down from the lounge, and she let me cut right in front and be first down the escalator. I don't know whether this was standard operating procedure, or that I just had enough brass and exuded enough confidence that I got what I wanted. When I ride the Acela or business class or sleeper, I normally don't care about being first down the escalator -- after all, my seat or room is reserved, but this trip I was in coach, where it's first come, first served.

The front car of the train was closed off, although it was opened up later in the trip. Even though I was first down the escalator, I was surprised at how full the coaches were already. Apparently there are more passengers passing through New York than there used to be. I found a seat pair to myself, and despite the warnings from the conductor that the train was full and to keep the seat next to you clear, I had two seats to myself all the way down to Baltimore.

We pulled out on time, and the trip south was uneventful. I picked up some lunch in the cafe car after we left Philadelphia, and we arrived in Baltimore on time. I had a good time on this trip. My next trip, I think, will either be a jaunt up to New York to ride the NJT/Metro North service to Port Jervis or a trip up to Vermont to try the Ethan Allan service from Burlington.
 
I’m glad you got to the New York State Museum—I was there a few years ago and loved it.

For your next trip, I’d do the Ethan Allan over NJT. I’ve gone as far as Albany on the Ethan Allan, and I would imagine it’s even nicer farther north with the Vermont scenery. Of course since I live in New Jersey, others may see the charm in NJT that I don’t,😊
 
MARC Rider said:
A few pictures at the Albany station:

Empire Service arriving from New York
View attachment 32619

Tavern-Lounge 43 and Hickory Creek waiting for return passengers.

View attachment 32620

The interior of Tavern Lounge 43

View attachment 32621
Riding the Tavern-Lounge is a lot cheaper. There are a lot more passengers than Hickory Creek, and you get catered sandwiches, not a full-course meal.

The layover in Albany was a bit rushed. When all is said and done, you really shouldn't count on more than an hour and a half to visit anything there. If you don't rush up right when the train gets in, there won't be any cabs left, and Uber/Lyft seems to be a bit thin on the ground up there. I had to wait 10-15 minutes for a ride each way, and they were expensive for such a short ride. As I had already seen Empire State Plaza (i.e. "Starfleet HQ"), I opted for the New York State museum, which is certainly worth the price of the free admission and contains an eclectic collection of cultural and natural history objects.

Back at the station, I got my picture taken at the tail end of the train, and soon, we were off for our return trip, which was uneventful.

Even at 110 mph (between Albany and Hudson), the ride was amazingly smooth, and this wineglass stayed in place. I was pretty impressed about how well they did the cosmetic restoration, but I think they must have also put a lot of effort into the mechanical stuff, too. In all, not bad for a 75-year-old railcar.

View attachment 32622

All too soon, we were back in Penn Station.

View attachment 32623

After dropping my stuff off at the hotel, I went over to 32nd St. ("Koreatown") and go myself some Korean Barbecue.

View attachment 32624



View attachment 32625
View attachment 32626

The next morning, I was up and had breakfast atht he hotel, which fortunately wasn't as busy as it was the morning before. When I got to the Metropolitan Lounge at Moynihan, I realized that I could have had breakfast there with a little less bustle. I did get a coffee and a fruit cup to supplement what I had at the hotel. One thing about the Met Lounge food, though. I was taking an 11:20 AM train with a 1:45 PM arrival in Baltimore, and I had thought that I might be able to stock up on lunch items at the lounge. That was not to be, Even as late as 11 AM, the food items in the lounge were all breakfast things -- hot breakfast sandwiches, fruit salad, pastries, coffee, etc. I'm not sure when the start putting out the lunch stuff. In the end, as I've mentioned elsewhere, I had to buy my lunch from the cafe car en route.

I had bought a Saver coach seat on a Northeast Regional for my trip home; a real bargain at $50. Once I saw that the train (93) was close to New York, I checked with the desk attendant at the lounge about the gate of the train. He let me know before it was publically announced, but when I got down to the gate, there was already a pretty long line. I told the gate guard that I had come down from the lounge, and she let me cut right in front and be first down the escalator. I don't know whether this was standard operating procedure, or that I just had enough brass and exuded enough confidence that I got what I wanted. When I ride the Acela or business class or sleeper, I normally don't care about being first down the escalator -- after all, my seat or room is reserved, but this trip I was in coach, where it's first come, first served.

The front car of the train was closed off, although it was opened up later in the trip. Even though I was first down the escalator, I was surprised at how full the coaches were already. Apparently there are more passengers passing through New York than there used to be. I found a seat pair to myself, and despite the warnings from the conductor that the train was full and to keep the seat next to you clear, I had two seats to myself all the way down to Baltimore.

We pulled out on time, and the trip south was uneventful. I picked up some lunch in the cafe car after we left Philadelphia, and we arrived in Baltimore on time. I had a good time on this trip. My next trip, I think, will either be a jaunt up to New York to ride the NJT/Metro North service to Port Jervis or a trip up to Vermont to try the Ethan Allan service from Burlington.
Click to expand...
Nice trip and pics, thanks for sharing!

As wonderful as Hickory Creek is, the Tavern-Lounge looks like a nice ride too. I have fond memories of riding on the NEC Corridor in Lounge Cars like this back in the day.

As for $50 being " a Bargain" for Coach from NYP-BALT, it's 187 Miles.
Dallas-Austin is 210 and the Saver Coach Fare is $15, so I can see why people are looking @ Acela Biz Class, which have some good Saver Fares, when they ride on the NEC!
 

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