Washington - New York Questions

[Chunkylover2400]

Hello everyone....

I have a lot of questions about Amtrak and such

I'm planning to go to NYC at the end of the month....I evaluated my options and Amtrak seems like the best way to go since I don't want to pay for a hotel and just planning to spend one day in the city.....

Since this is the first time I'm riding a real train (Of course I've been on subways) I have lots and lots of questions.........

This is the trip I'm planning to take.....

Now for the questions........

1.)How are the loadfactors for this service (specially for the late night one) 2.) What exactly is a snack car? 3.) Do they have AC outlets for laptops? (I'm taking coach) 4.)How is parking at Union Station do they always have space? 5.)How much is it? (the parking) 6.) Is it safe driving up there at 2 and 4 in the morning and walking around the station to the parking lot? 7.) How is the New York Subway system? 8.) How is the scenery for this trip? somebody told me that it's all industrial 9.) How safe is Amtrak? 10.) Exactly how many stops does it make and for how long? 10.)How punctual it is? 11.)I probably will come up with more questions (I have OCD i think)

And please tell me things that you think a complete newbie should keep in mind.......

THANKS!!!

You don't have to answer all of them at the same time

 

[MrFSS]

This link will give you the schedule between WAS and NYP, showing where each of your trains will stop. It is pretty industrial between NYP and WAS but there are some areas out in the countryside. I enjoyed seeing Baltimore and Philadelphia skylines, to the east of the train, as you approach those cities.

 

[AlanB]

1) I'd expect that the early morning train would get quite full at/north of Philadelphia. Boarding at DC though you should have your pick of seats. The evening train I'd expect to be far less busy.

2) It's a car where you can go and purchase ready made sandwichs, pizza's, hamburger/cheese, snacks like cookies, chip, fruit, and drinks from soda to coffee/tea to juice to liquor. There are also tables in the car for you to eat at, or you can bring what you buy back to your seat and eat it there.

3) Hit or Miss. Some cars will have outlets at each seat, other's won't. So you may have to check a few cars before you find one with outlets to sit in. Upgrade to business class and the odds of finding an outlet go way up.

7) The NY Subway system is just fine. It's much more complex that the DC Metro, with many more trains going many different places. However, it only costs $2 to ride it and it's not distance based like the DC Metro. If you plan to do a lot of riding, then buy a one day Fun Pass from the vending machines for $7. The machines take cash, credit, and debit cards. The Fun Pass is good for all NYC Subways, as well as all MTA buses all day long, as many times as you want. Each person will need one fun pass though.

8) Quite a bit of the run near the major cities is indeed either industrial or rundown neighborhoods. However there are also plenty of streches along the way where you will see lots and lots of trees. There are even a couple of nice bodies of water that the train crossed on bridges that provide a nice scenic view, if brief view.

9) Safe in what regard? Getting robbed while on board? Or safe as in crashes?

10) Trains on the corridor are usually pretty punctual, with typically over 80% arriving on time. Those that don't are usually not more than a 1/2 hour late. Note however, the Department of Transportation who monitors these things considers a train that late by 14 minutes to still be ontime.

11) We'll be waiting. :lol:

 

[The Metropolitan]

Well, I can try...

1) Your trip up will likely be pretty well patronized by business commuters bound for NYC, but since you're boarding at the first stop, you shouldn't anticipate a problem getting a pair together. Can't speak regarding the trip back, since I usually connect to Amtrak via public transit, I personally would book my return earlier.

2) Oops, looking below at your questions, I see Alan already answered some! :blink: Let me see if I can fill in the blanks then...

4) I think you should be ok for space at Union, but I board at Baltimore so can't be sure.

6) I think you should be ok. There is some of a club crowd that hangs near the station entrance at night, but most of them should have petered out and gone home when you plan to arrive.

Probably your best scenery will be East of Baltimore near the Susquehanna River, including the river bridge that is more than a mile in length.

 

[Chunkylover2400]

Typically on the night trips how many people are there in one car?

Are there hobos that hang out, or gangstas like on the subways (I'm talking about the late night trip) So safe as getting rob on board is the question I'm trying to ask

And around 2 am how many people are there on the station?

Thanks guys....

 

[AlanB]

Typically on the night trips how many people are there in one car?

I have no clue, never having taken a train that late at night except in a sleeping car. I suspect that the conductor will keep some cars closed, or it will be a shorter train, so that most passengers will be consolidated in two or three cars.

Are there hobos that hang out, or gangstas like on the subways (I'm talking about the late night trip) So safe as getting rob on board is the question I'm trying to ask

On Amtrak, no. You don't ride Amtrak without a ticket and most hobo's can't afford an Amtrak ticket. You should be quite safe on Amtrak.

The subways and NY's Penn station however is another matter. You may find a few bums wandering around. However the train station is well policed and you should be perfectly safe. Most subways in Midtown should be safe as well. Start venturing outside that area after 11:00 PM and you might get into trouble. But even then the odds are in your favor that you'll be ok.

 

[Chunkylover2400]

Couple more:

1. The basic What if I miss the train?

2. I am a planefanatic and I have a radio scanner are there frequencies that I can set my thing to so I can hear the communications and stuff like that?

Thanks again fellas

 

[Trogdor]

Well, Homer, if you miss the train, you can use the value of your ticket as credit towards another one (which may or may not be the same fare, depending on the situation). Just exchange it at the ticket counter.

For the scanner, check here for scanner frequencies.

 

[George Harris]

It has been 10 years, but I spent a few months in have suitcase will travel mode working a few days to a few weeks at a time in various offices in DC suburbs, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Newark NJ and New York City. I rode in and out of Penn Station New York, and Newark, at all kinds of hours and basically used the New York Subway everywhere I went in NYC.

Unless you are one of these people that carry an invisible "I am a vicitm" signs, you should have no problem if you take reasonable precautions in the subway. You should avoid the same parts of town underground that you would avoid on the surface. Get a subway map, and plan before you go. Don't worry about staring at the route maps on the walls of the stations and cars. Locals do that too. Remember that most New York lines are 4 track, with local trains on one set of tracks and express trains on the other. When you get into late evening there may be certain sections shut down for work, but that is seldom more than one track out of the four.

In Amtrak, it should be about as safe as your own living room. Other than obnoxious cell phone motor mouths there is usually nothing on the train to bother you. (I would pay extra to ride in a car that had cell phone access blocked.)

If the day on your post is the day you will go, you will be arriving at Penn Station on the early end of rush hour. Expect a mob scene. You will understand the origin of the term rat race. Most of the crowd knows where they are going, are half asleep, and running on auto pilot. Try to not get caught in the stampede.

If you think Washington DC is expensive, wait until you see New York prices.

George

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

I am not sure if anybody answered the question about how long the stops last ( my apologies if I overlooked that). They are very short, 2 or 3 minutes usually. Do NOT plan on stepping off to wander around if that is what you meant. Sometimes I have seen them stay a little longer in Philly but don't count on it.

 

[Guest]

Thanks again guys....

And yet another bunch....

If I decided to go home early can I exchange my ticket for an earlier train....

One day in New York what would you do? (Never been to New York before)

Typical what do I need to know as a tourist in NYC..Which attractions are overrated? underrated? must see? where to eat brunch? dinner? (I don't want to get out of Manhattan)

I plan to take pictures of trains and stations what are your experiences with security and other folks regarding that?

I already booked the trip so expect a detailed trip report with pics early next month (wrote a bunch of them for airlines)

 

[The Metropolitan]

Well, judging from your reservation, it looks like you have company, so I guess what you do would have to be considerate to them.

A full day in NYC, here are some ideas...

Of course, one of the observation decks,

Central Park,

Macy's Department Store,

A ride down to South Ferry on the (1) train, the a trip across the river on the Staten Island Ferry.