NYP after hours...

[JackieTakestheTrain]

I am thinking of going home for NYE and taking the last train out of Boston to New York to catch the Cardinal the next day.

I know the Acela Lounge doesn't open until 5 a.m. or do, but can someone confirm for me that I can actual wait in the station until then?

I don't want to ride to DC and wait for 4 hours when I can wait a shorter time in NYP and get into my sleeper sooner and sleep and get breakfast.

Thanks!

 

[greatcats]

I have not been there recently, but Penn Station is open all night and I read that there is a designated waiting area for Amtrak passengers. I can see your point, but if It was me I would rather arrive in DC, have a leisurely breakfast, and hang out in the Acela lounge.

 

[JackieTakestheTrain]

Greatcats, yes, but unfortunately, I don't sleep very well in coach overnight. If I managed to get to sleep my snoring would be bothersome and I probably would be kicked off somewhere around New Haven.

 

[greatcats]

I have not ridden coach overnight in a while, but when I do in a few months, will plug in my CPAP machine, otherwise I might suffer the fate you mention. I have used it on transatlantic flights, but slept poorly or not at all. Good luck.

 

[the_traveler]

NYP does have a designated waiting area and you must be a ticketed passenger to wait in those seats overnight. BTW - There is an Amtrak train that departs NYP ~ 3 am, so there will be others waiting to board in that area also.

 

[JackieTakestheTrain]

Traveler, thanks. I thought I caught a train going back to Boston in the wee small hours of the morning...but that was a long time ago.

 

[afigg]

I am thinking of going home for NYE and taking the last train out of Boston to New York to catch the Cardinal the next day.

I know the Acela Lounge doesn't open until 5 a.m. or do, but can someone confirm for me that I can actual wait in the station until then?

I don't want to ride to DC and wait for 4 hours when I can wait a shorter time in NYP and get into my sleeper sooner and sleep and get breakfast.

Thanks!

Of all the stations to wait overnight in, NYP should be among the safest. The station never closes, Amtrak and LIRR trains run all night albeit with much reduced frequencies, and there is always a substantial security presence in the post-9/11 era in the main waiting and boarding areas.

 

[mlhughes0522]

I am thinking of going home for NYE and taking the last train out of Boston to New York to catch the Cardinal the next day.

I know the Acela Lounge doesn't open until 5 a.m. or do, but can someone confirm for me that I can actual wait in the station until then?

I don't want to ride to DC and wait for 4 hours when I can wait a shorter time in NYP and get into my sleeper sooner and sleep and get breakfast.

Thanks!

From the amtrak app/website NYP open 24hours that maybe just lounge hrs

 

[jis]

I am thinking of going home for NYE and taking the last train out of Boston to New York to catch the Cardinal the next day.

I know the Acela Lounge doesn't open until 5 a.m. or do, but can someone confirm for me that I can actual wait in the station until then?

Jackie, you can wait in the Amtrak Seating Area. I have done that in the middle of the night in transferring from a very late Cardinal to a surprisingly late 67 to get to Metropark. I preferred doing the wait in New York Penn rather than Newark Penn and everyone at Amtrak agreed. I had no problem at all. There were several dozen people, legitimate passengers around all the time. There are a few short intervals of less than two hours each when there is no train incoming or outgoing from the Amtrak/NJT side. The LIRR side is busier than that at night.

 

[railiner]

New York's Penn Station is probably busier at 3:00 AM, then 90% of the rest of Amtrak;s stations are at 'rush hour'

What with Amtrak's, NJT's, LIRR, and the 8th and 7th avenue subways lines all contributing traveler's to the mix, it's no wonder...

The LIRR also has a 'ticketed passenger" waiting area for their passenger's, and the entire complex is patrolled by Amtrak, MTA, and NYPD police departments, in their respective area's.. Sometimes even NJT police ride in and out on their night trains.

There are also several eateries and shops open for "the city that never sleeps"......

 

[Shanghai]

I have waited overnight at the Amtrak Waiting Area at NYP due to a late arriving Cardinal.

The area is regularly patrolled by police. I slept for a few hours and then took the 5:15am

NJT train home.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Any chance we can get a trip review of NYP After Hours after you've completed your visit, preferably including some photos and additional exploration beyond the waiting room?

One of the more unusual situations I've ever witnessed while traveling occurred at London's Heathrow airport. Due to various delays I ended up walking through several lonely and deserted areas in the middle of the night. During the day these areas were a gritty hive of endless activity but that night there were no passengers, no staff, no cleaners, and no police. There were no windows or televisions or audio announcements and the only sound to be heard came from the omnidirectional hum of the moving walkways. It was one of those experiences that was both spooky and calming at the same time and ripe for mind games. I got turned around a couple times and found myself wondering how it would be if the entire population of the world had vanished and I was the last person on Earth. Eventually I made it out of there and onto where I was going but upon returning home I wished I had taken the time to snap some photos of the spookiest airport I'd ever seen.

 

[Triley]

If you're interested in having some food, whenever I work 66/67 I go to the lower concourse and get something from there. Rose's Pizza is very good. There's Hot and Crusty which has some good pastries that's opened too. If you want fast food, there's a McDonalds at the end of the concourse. There's more that's opened, but those three places are the ones I prefer to visit, that are open at that time of night. There may be places open on the Amtrak concourse, but honestly I'm not sure.

And if security and safety is a concern, I can tell you that just while spending 10 minutes on the lower concourse in the middle of the night, I'll see probably at least five police officers.

 

[JackieTakestheTrain]

Great! Thanks for all the good information. As usual, I can always count on all of you! Happy New Year to all!