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One warning: Amtrak goes to Penn Station which is tragic in appearance and has a large amount of homeless sleeping in it day and night under this mayor, and you will not want to loiter there. MIdtown & Rockefeller Center are north of it. Penn is fairly close to Empire State Building, though.
1) It's been that way under every mayor since Koch. Absurd partisanship even here? Please be accurate.
2) It's perfectly safe. Ugly, dirty, but safe. There is a huge police presence in Penn Station, and families with kids in there all the time. I am there all the time to take Amtrak...
1) It's been that way under every mayor since Koch. Absurd partisanship even here? Please be accurate.
2) It's perfectly safe. Ugly, dirty, but safe. There is a huge police presence in Penn Station, and families with kids in there all the time. I am there all the time to take Amtrak...
(1) It got better under Rudy G and Bloomberg, who had pd moving folks out of there. I am in Penn at minimum 2x a month. (NOt just at an Amtrak counter passing through).
(2) It is somewhat safe, a small police presence, but not nearly as safe as Grand Central. There was a murder outside with 2 more shot 2 months ago.
So I would advise OP to use MN and avoid Penn Station, with family.
(1) It got better under Rudy G and Bloomberg, who had pd moving folks out of there. I am in Penn at minimum 2x a month. (NOt just at an Amtrak counter passing through).
(2) It is somewhat safe, a small police presence, but not nearly as safe as Grand Central. There was a murder outside with 2 more shot 2 months ago.
So I would advise OP to use MN and avoid Penn Station, with family.
I am there 2- 3 x a month too.. I don't understand what you mean by "just at the Amtrak counter passing through". Are you sleeping there? Do you have a p/t job there? I ride LIRR and Jersey Transit at times too... What makes your time/observation more accurate than mine? We both use the station....
The murder was OUTSIDE the station. Could have been any street in Manhattan. Doesn't reflect on the station itself which is in a perfectly safe neighborhood.
Yes, Grand Central is nicer. It even has an Apple Store-- But Penn Station is not dangerous nor to be avoided if convenient for travel.
I am there 2- 3 x a month too.. I don't understand what you mean by "just at the Amtrak counter passing through". Are you sleeping there? Do you have a p/t job there? I ride LIRR and Jersey Transit at times too... What makes your time/observation more accurate than mine? We both use the station....
The murder was OUTSIDE the station. Could have been any street in Manhattan. Doesn't reflect on the station itself which is in a perfectly safe neighborhood.
Yes, Grand Central is nicer. It even has an Apple Store-- But Penn Station is not dangerous nor to be avoided if convenient for travel.
At Penn, NJ Rail and LIRR are like a homeless encampment with passengers interrupting them. The homeless quantity at any time is MANY dozen in NJ Rail corridors alone. Sleeping in the middle of aisles meant for movement. The cops stay in the far edges of Penn close in one case to Amtrak area, doing squat, no doubt per De Blasio as under Bloomberg, Penn was not overridden with homeless.
Amtrak area is somewhat better, but not good.
I am hoping the next mayor sweeps them out, as Penn should not be their "shelter". Pre Rudy G and Bloomberg, they formerly took over entire waiting room of Grand Central. Under them, that stopped.
Until then, I would advise OP to avoid Penn Station with family. Grand Central is a far more suitable environment. Her family will be safe there.
I now avoid Penn whenever I can. Went in/out of NY Saturday using PATH to 23rd St both ways.
Last edited by BobNJ1960; 01-10-2016 at 09:52 PM..
That being said (and welcome back Dawn!), I would probably drive down to New Haven or Milford and take Metro North in. Amtrak is a bit more expensive (nicer trains, though). I'll admit, I'm not at all familiar with their schedule out of Hartford.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kidyankee764
Penn Station is not unsafe.
That being said (and welcome back Dawn!), I would probably drive down to New Haven or Milford and take Metro North in. Amtrak is a bit more expensive (nicer trains, though). I'll admit, I'm not at all familiar with their schedule out of Hartford.
O/S of a few express from South Norwalk, they all stop at about 10-12 stations until going express at Stamford. That is why Amtrak covers New Haven-NYC much faster..few stops. I have gone Amtrak Bridgeport-Iselin, NJ in 2 hours. That is 50 miles of train travel after NYC.
Most MN bypass a few stops each, but stop at 75% or more of the stations.
I did not check the Amtrak time for the OP, btw, but IMO MN will be better as I am not a fan of a family departing from Penn Station, as a good chunk of it is a "unofficial homeless station". Plus, MN runs more often than Amtrak. And parking in Milford is easy at that station.
The bigger point is to clarify for the OP that Amtrak is not an hour, it's 3 hours with 2 trains.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stylo
The bigger point is to clarify for the OP that Amtrak is not an hour, it's 3 hours with 2 trains.
Hi, Stylo. Thanks. Yes, when I first started looking for the best way, I saw that Amtrak was not the quickest or easiest solution. At that point -- especially if we're just going for the day (not staying overnight in NYC) -- I'd rather buck up the $$ for parking and drive in than spend all that time travelling (and transferring).
There is Amtrak from Windsor Locks, but they are only every couple hours, and most have to change in New Haven. If possible, I'd drive down to New Haven and take Metro North from there. Cheaper + more options (every half hour at least outside rush hour until mid evening) then Amtrak from Windsor Locks.
Some answers here are several paragraphs deep. For a day trip, I'd suggest the keep it simple route summed up in a few words, here they are:
Drive to Stamford station and take a metro north express.
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