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What do you think should be in a food court other than places to buy coffee, fast food, and fast causal things? I feel like it's the same things for the most part in all of them.
Reading Terminal Market is right there. Arguably the best food hall in America. Along with Chinatown and a few great dim sum places.
If you want to see some serious change, checkout outside of Jefferson Station over the last decade or so on street view (aka Market East).
My food options for a 4 hour Northeast Corridor ride are the pathetic dining car or what’s in 30th Street Station. The choices are pretty bad. South Station at least has a Cajun place and a couple of Mexican places beyond the bad Chinese, Au Bon Pain, and sub shop. I usually time it so I have 10 minutes to grab something and get in line for the train. I’m not going to leave the station because I don’t have time.
^^A few blocks from South Station is the South Street Diner.
One of the most incredible diner's in North America.
Seafood incl whole steamed clams, deep sea scallops,
out of this world deserts, etc... etc.....
My food options for a 4 hour Northeast Corridor ride are the pathetic dining car or what’s in 30th Street Station. The choices are pretty bad. South Station at least has a Cajun place and a couple of Mexican places beyond the bad Chinese, Au Bon Pain, and sub shop. I usually time it so I have 10 minutes to grab something and get in line for the train. I’m not going to leave the station because I don’t have time.
Yeah, they added a Pret a Manager not that long ago which is still just another sandwich place and not cooked food.
While rail is a different infrastructure class, Vantage has excelled in customized commercial programs at airports—which are complex operating environments. We ensure we understand who our customers are and use this knowledge to design a tailored shopping and dining experience. We would absolutely take this same approach at Gray 30th Street Station.
Exact details of the retail offer, as well as the timescale, are still to be ironed out as financial negotiations and project scoping are not yet complete. Vantage says it is too early to name brands but points to a “balanced mix of local and national names serving travelers from business commuters to leisure visitors”.
However, in the conceptual planning phase for the West Underground Concourse at 30th Street Station—a busy intersection for commuter and regional rail services—Amtrak made clear that it was keen to see what it calls “signature retailers”
As well as improving passenger services such as retail, PIP will also restore and highlight 30th Street Station’s historic fabric. The vast concourse, whose floor is made of Tennessee marble, has a 95-foot-high ceiling and distinctive Art Deco chandeliers. It is lined by gilded and ornamented columns that contrast with the more austere, neoclassical look of the façade and its five-story, cathedral-like windows.
Pret is a good addition, and Saxby's Coffee (which is temporarily closed). The only "restaurant" with a bar Bridgewater's closed from the pandemic.
But I will say (as an Amtrak Select Executive member), though Penn Station has more offerings on the lower level LIRR concourse, it all feels so dirty and takes time to go to LIRR concourse order food and back to Amtrak waiting area. 30th Street food options, though lamer feel cleaner and are right off the Main Hall. I hope Amtrak comes through with their 30th Street investment plans, that would elevate the station for sure.
Union has the best food options *in* the station, but the station itself is less beautiful than 30th Street (IMO). Union losses appeal after you pass through the Main Hall, whereas 30th Street is a magnificent (rather untouched) building in every corner, similar to Grand Central, but different architectural styles.
In terms of importance:
Penn Station-NY
Union Station-DC
Grand Central-NY
30th St-Philly
South Station-Boston
Penn Station-Baltimore
In terms of Beauty:
Union Station - DC
Grand Central- NY
South Station - Boston
30th St - Philly
Penn Station - Balt
Penn Station - NY
Why did you rank Union as more important than Grand Central? Anyone who is a history or architectural buff would likely rank Grand Central #1 for importance, and if measured by travel it would still fall as #2 since I believe its the 2nd busiest train hub in the country. I would rank Union as #3, and 30th Street a very close #4.
Beauty is highly subjective, but again, Union does not stand out enough to warrant a #1 ranking. In Grand Central you could spend hours exploring the hallways and catacombs, all remarkable works of art. Union not as much. (still a beautiful station, but I would rank it as #2).
And I agree with others in bumping 30th ahead of South Station for beauty.
Just looking at the North Station Hub Hall food options, its really hard to beat
-Apizza New Haven
-Boston Soup Co.
-Cusser's
-Real House Oyster Bar
-Mike's Pastry
-Sully's
-Banner's Bar (largest TV!)
just to name a few of the many food options inside North Station.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Originally Posted by cpomp
Why did you rank Union as more important than Grand Central? Anyone who is a history or architectural buff would likely rank Grand Central #1 for importance, and if measured by travel it would still fall as #2 since I believe its the 2nd busiest train hub in the country. I would rank Union as #3, and 30th Street a very close #4.
Beauty is highly subjective, but again, Union does not stand out enough to warrant a #1 ranking. In Grand Central you could spend hours exploring the hallways and catacombs, all remarkable works of art. Union not as much. (still a beautiful station, but I would rank it as #2).
And I agree with others in bumping 30th ahead of South Station for beauty.
While true about Grand Central's volume, and its relevance, it's not an Amtrak station. So I could see the argument either way for 2nd or 3rd.
Yeah, I've never been in a train station (and I've been to them in all of the Northeast Corridor cities) where I thought "wow, what amazing food options!" The food options are intended for a quick bite on the go, not to impress anyone.
Walnut Street Cafe, however, is about a block from 30th Street and is said to be pretty awesome.
I guess you've never been in the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Terminal.
It's a New York institution, it's been in its location for decades, and while you can get quick service there, it's actually a place where people who have no intention of catching a train meet to dine, drink and socialize.
I guess I was recalling Pret a Manger. That and Au Bon Pain are pretty much clones. I prefer Panera or actually being in Paris with a ham & cheese sandwich on a real baguette.
I did the terminal walk between Amtrak in the elegant terminal and commuter rail to get to Center City frequently. A makeover to that part of the station would really help shed the bus station ambiance. It’s a great system, though. My frame of reference is Boston where you can’t get from North Station to South Station without a couple of subway connections and a bunch of walking. And “Silver Line” to the airport is an articulated bus. My only real gripe about rail in Philly is the 30 minute frequency of the airport train. I’d often just miss the train and opt for a taxi to make a morning meeting. It’s otherwise a really good system.
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