I spent 16 hours on a $249 round-trip Amtrak journey through New York. Here are 7 mistakes I won't make again.
Despite the long rides, I was eager to experience the novelty and ease that trains bring to travel. I rode in coach on the way there and business on the way back, paying $249 for the round trip.
Both of my rides were fun, but I made a few travel mistakes that I'll try to avoid in the future.
Amtrak recommends passengers arrive 30 minutes before their trains are scheduled to depart. I am nothing if not a rule follower, so I knew I'd be getting to Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station for my 7:15 a.m. train by at least 6:45.I ended up arriving at 6:37 so I could grab a coffee before the Amtrak-recommended waiting period began. By 6:50, I was waiting in the train hall for my ride with coffee in hand, feeling proud of myself for being ready and caffeinated with 25 minutes to spare. Soon, though, I realized my track wasn't even listed yet.I idled in the waiting area, the minutes ticking by without any news on my train. It ended up getting delayed over an hour for maintenance, and the track listing didn't become available until about 10 minutes before it left.I initially blamed the delay for the annoyance I felt while waiting, but when my return trip rolled around, I realized the 40 minutes I had given myself still would have felt too long. My train from Rochester to Manhattan was supposed to depart at 1:27, and I made it to the station by 1 p.m. My fellow passengers and I weren't even allowed to move toward the train until 1:20, leaving me feeling antsy while waiting.I'd rather be early than late when it comes to travel every time, but next time I ride Amtrak, I'll probably arrive 20 minutes before my train is scheduled instead of 30. Lollygag at your own risk.
I sat on the wrong side of the train. I easily found open rows of seats in the car at the front of the train, so I didn't have to sit with a stranger for the long journey.I popped my roller bag on the shelf atop my seat, dropped my backpack into the chair closest to the aisle, and settled into a window seat.Looking around the car, I estimated it was about 60% full. I saw other solo travelers, like me, taking two seats for themselves, and pairs of passengers sitting together. The car was mostly quiet, as people snoozed and shared hushed conversations.
Looking back, I should have anticipated spotty WiFi. Because of the chaos at Penn Station, I was one of the last people to get on the Maple Leaf train leaving New York.AC blasted pleasantly as I walked into the car at the very front of the train, where I expected I'd have to squeeze myself into a seat next to a stranger, given my place in line. However, there were several open rows.Tossing my suitcase into the rack above, I settled into a row in the middle of the car, taking a window seat and using the empty one for my backpack.I don't mind chatting with new people, but having space to spread out during my long ride was a relief. I even stretched my legs onto the seat next to me for some of the ride.
The business-class experience definitely had its positive aspects, like the larger seat with a footrest and the complimentary drink with my ticket.Still, because the car was so small, it was louder than coach, both because of passengers chatting to each other and its proximity to the caf car.Sitting in one of the singular seats, I actually had less room to spread out than I had in coach. The train back to New York City was full for a stretch of the ride, so I was glad the solo seat was available, even if a double coach seat was more spacious.Overall, I preferred my coach experience on Amtrak to my business-class ride.
Packing snacks would have been wise. Because my train rides were over seven hours, I knew I'd be eating a meal on both journeys. For my trip from New York City to Rochester, it was lunch, and I got a surprisingly good salad and a bag of chips from the caf car.To my surprise, though, the caf car closed for an hour of the journey, which would have been a problem if I had timed my lunch incorrectly or wanted a snack.I'm aware I can get hangry, so for my return trip, I packed some Cheez-Its as a backup snack in case the caf closure coincided with my hunger. The caf car is a benefit of Amtrak, but I'd recommend bringing additional snacks in case it's unavailable.
My biggest mistake was booking a train with a long stop. Around 6 p.m., the train rolled into the Amtrak station in Albany, and the conductor announced we would be stopping there until 7:40 so a train from Ontario could connect to ours. The caf car closed a few minutes before the stop, and it wouldn't reopen until we were running again.The extended stop was frustrating, as I was eager to get back to Manhattan. Plus, the lights and AC weren't on most of the stop, so it got hot and stuffy on board.While we were stopped, most passengers got out to wander around the platform. I used the time to grab some food from a restaurant at the station.After I ate a subpar chicken wrap, a bag of Skinny Pop, and a granola bar, I spent the rest of the hour walking back and forth across the platform.I was happy to walk around after sitting for so long, but I would have liked to have the option to nap on a row of seats like I did on my journey to Rochester.
It sounds silly, but I should have been more careful with my body as I got used to being on a train. I'm a pretty clumsy person by nature, prone to tripping and lacking basic hand-eye coordination.I didn't think that would matter on a train, but when I repeatedly bonked my head on the luggage shelving above my seats, I realized my miscalculation. It was easy to lose my balance as I maneuvered around the moving train, leading me to knock my head more than once on the shelves above my seat when I got in and out of my chair.I wish I had moved a little more slowly and with more care on the train, as I likely could have avoided some bumps and bruises.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
This Amtrak Route Was Just Revived After a 20 Year Pause—and It Connects These 2 Iconic Southern Cities
Amtrak's Mardi Gras service has officially returned. Key Points Amtrak's new twice-daily Mardi Gras Service launched on Aug. 18, connecting Mobile, Alabama, to New Orleans with stops along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The route marks the first passenger train service in the region in nearly 20 years, with fares starting at $15 Riders can enjoy roomy seats, free Wi-Fi, and easy connections to Amtrak trains bound for Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. For the first time since Hurricane Katrina disrupted service in 2005, an iconic passenger train service is returning to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Amtrak's Mardi Gras Service relaunched on Aug. 18 with twice-daily departures between Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans. The Mardi Gras Service makes stops in Mobile; Pascagoula, Mississippi; Biloxi, Mississippi; Gulfport, Mississippi; Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi; and New Orleans. The morning and evening trains from both end cities are designed to accommodate business travelers as well as visitors planning weekend getaways. The line is 145 miles long and takes just under four hours to complete. Tickets start at $15 each way for adult coach fares, with discounts available for children, students, seniors, veterans, and military personnel. 'We encourage customers to get their tickets now to experience this new, comfortable, and scenic service, and have the first opportunity to travel by train on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in nearly 20 years,' Amtrak president Roger Harris said in a press release obtained by Travel + Leisure. Both coach and business class fares are available with wide, reclining seatbacks, no middle seats, free Wi-Fi, and generous baggage allowances (larger items such as golf bags or pets in carriers can be reserved in advance). Passengers can grab snacks and simple meals from the café car, which serves locally sourced menu items. Contrary to its festive name, this train isn't seasonal and operates year-round. Rather, the name "Mardi Gras" serves as a nod to the raucous celebration that takes place in New Orleans, and Mobile's own party history—the Port City was the site of the very first Mardi Gras way back in 1703. For local communities, the revival of the Mardi Gras Service comes as a welcome development that will, hopefully, bring even more tourism to small towns in the area. Plus, it'll help strengthen the bonds between Gulf Coast towns. "Mobilians have looked forward to the return of passenger rail for years, and the Amtrak Mardi Gras Service promises to deliver not just convenience, but connection,' Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said during a press conference marking the return of the service. Travelers can also use the Mardi Gras route to connect to Amtrak's larger national network. From New Orleans, passengers can continue north to Chicago on the City of New Orleans, travel east to New York City aboard the Crescent, or head west to Los Angeles on the Sunset Limited. These same-day and next-day connections in New Orleans make it possible to plan multicity rail trips that combine scenic Gulf Coast stops with longer journeys across the U.S. Plus, to help celebrate the route, Amtrak is running a '3-3-3' promotion for Amtrak Guest Rewards members, where passengers can earn triple points on rides. In order to qualify, you'll need to go on three qualifying trips on the Mardi Gras service during the three-month promotional period, which ends on Nov. 18. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
I spent 16 hours on a $249 round-trip Amtrak journey through New York. Here are 7 mistakes I won't make again.
I took a round-trip Amtrak journey from New York City to Rochester. I booked one coach ticket and one business class ticket for $249, spending 16 hours on the trains. I made a few mistakes on my Amtrak journey, like booking a ticket with an extended stop. When I scheduled a getaway to Rochester, New York, back in May, I was more excited about the train rides there and back than the destination itself. I had been on Amtrak trains a few times before the trip upstate, though this would be my longest journey to date. It would take seven hours to get there and nine hours to return, for a whopping 16 hours on the tracks. Despite the long rides, I was eager to experience the novelty and ease that trains bring to travel. I rode in coach on the way there and business on the way back, paying $249 for the round trip. Both of my rides were fun, but I made a few travel mistakes that I'll try to avoid in the future. Although it's good to be early for an Amtrak train, I arrived a little too early. Amtrak recommends passengers arrive 30 minutes before their trains are scheduled to depart. I am nothing if not a rule follower, so I knew I'd be getting to Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station for my 7:15 a.m. train by at least 6:45. I ended up arriving at 6:37 so I could grab a coffee before the Amtrak-recommended waiting period began. By 6:50, I was waiting in the train hall for my ride with coffee in hand, feeling proud of myself for being ready and caffeinated with 25 minutes to spare. Soon, though, I realized my track wasn't even listed yet. I idled in the waiting area, the minutes ticking by without any news on my train. It ended up getting delayed over an hour for maintenance, and the track listing didn't become available until about 10 minutes before it left. I initially blamed the delay for the annoyance I felt while waiting, but when my return trip rolled around, I realized the 40 minutes I had given myself still would have felt too long. My train from Rochester to Manhattan was supposed to depart at 1:27, and I made it to the station by 1 p.m. My fellow passengers and I weren't even allowed to move toward the train until 1:20, leaving me feeling antsy while waiting. I'd rather be early than late when it comes to travel every time, but next time I ride Amtrak, I'll probably arrive 20 minutes before my train is scheduled instead of 30. Lollygag at your own risk. I sat on the wrong side of the train. The train to Rochester didn't have assigned seating. I was among the final people to board the train, so I grabbed the first open seat I saw. I snagged a row to myself for the whole seven-hour journey, which was great, but as we rolled through upstate New York, I noticed the side I was sitting on didn't have as nice a view as the one opposite me. I mostly saw other trains from my window, while sweeping landscapes and the Hudson River were visible from the windows on the other side of the train. Because the train was pretty packed, I couldn't move to the other side while still having a row to myself, either. I ended up sitting in a seat that gave me gorgeous views of New York for the return trip, but I wished I could have seen the area well on both routes. Looking back, I should have anticipated spotty WiFi. Before my Rochester trip, I had been on a handful of Amtrak journeys and remembered easily scrolling on my phone to pass the time. I hadn't ever worked or used my laptop to stream on Amtrak, though, so I didn't give much thought to the WiFi situation on board, which was included with my ticket. To my surprise, WiFi was unavailable for the first bit of the journey from New York City to Rochester because you exit Penn Station through a fairly long tunnel. WiFi became available once we cleared it, but the internet was still spotty, cutting out sporadically. I found it hard to get work done on my laptop or my phone, and when I tried to stream "Sirens" on Netflix, it buffered pretty frequently. Luckily, I had my Kindle for backup entertainment, but having more options would have been nice. Next time, I'll download a few shows or movies to my phone or laptop ahead of the ride, just in case the internet cuts out. I wish I hadn't sat at the very back of the train for my return journey. For my ride from Rochester to New York, I rode in the business class car at the back of the train. The car was fairly small and had limited seating, so I sat in a chair in the final row of seats for most of the journey. Because it was at the back, the entire business class car was bumpier than the coach car I sat in on my ride to Rochester, and it only got worse when I was seated in the last row. I felt like I could feel nearly every groove and jolt in the track, which made it hard to relax. I couldn't sleep for any part of the ride and regretted splurging on the fancier ticket. I'd skip business class on a ride upstate for a few reasons, but the bumpy feel was one of the biggest. Packing snacks would have been wise. Because my train rides were over seven hours, I knew I'd be eating a meal on both journeys. For my trip from New York City to Rochester, it was lunch, and I got a surprisingly good salad and a bag of chips from the café car. To my surprise, though, the café car closed for an hour of the journey, which would have been a problem if I had timed my lunch incorrectly or wanted a snack. I'm aware I can get hangry, so for my return trip, I packed some Cheez-Its as a backup snack in case the café closure coincided with my hunger. The café car is a benefit of Amtrak, but I'd recommend bringing additional snacks in case it's unavailable. My biggest mistake was booking a train with a long stop. I left New York City early on a Thursday and planned to return on Friday afternoon, giving myself time to do some sightseeing in the morning before I returned. I was focused on departure time instead of arrival time for my return, not noticing until after I booked my ticket that the trip back would take nine hours instead of the seven it took to get to Rochester. I thought maybe the train would just be making more stops, but it actually made an extended stop in Albany for over an hour and a half to connect with another train. During the pause, the lights were off, the AC only came on sporadically, and the café car was closed. I was frustrated when I realized what was happening, but I had no one to blame but myself. Amtrak had clearly listed the estimated arrival time on my ticket when I purchased it. I made the most of the time we were stopped, grabbing a lackluster dinner from a small café at the Albany station and walking around to stretch my legs. It wasn't a huge problem in the grand scheme of things, but next time, I'll pay closer attention to journey length when booking my Amtrak ticket. It sounds silly, but I should have been more careful with my body as I got used to being on a train. I'm a pretty clumsy person by nature, prone to tripping and lacking basic hand-eye coordination. I didn't think that would matter on a train, but when I repeatedly bonked my head on the luggage shelving above my seats, I realized my miscalculation. It was easy to lose my balance as I maneuvered around the moving train, leading me to knock my head more than once on the shelves above my seat when I got in and out of my chair. I wish I had moved a little more slowly and with more care on the train, as I likely could have avoided some bumps and bruises. Read the original article on Business Insider Solve the daily Crossword

Business Insider
a day ago
- Business Insider
I spent 16 hours on a $249 round-trip Amtrak journey through New York. Here are 7 mistakes I won't make again.
I had been on Amtrak trains a few times before the trip upstate, though this would be my longest journey to date. It would take seven hours to get there and nine hours to return, for a whopping 16 hours on the tracks. Despite the long rides, I was eager to experience the novelty and ease that trains bring to travel. I rode in coach on the way there and business on the way back, paying $249 for the round trip. Both of my rides were fun, but I made a few travel mistakes that I'll try to avoid in the future. Amtrak recommends passengers arrive 30 minutes before their trains are scheduled to depart. I am nothing if not a rule follower, so I knew I'd be getting to Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station for my 7:15 a.m. train by at least 6:45.I ended up arriving at 6:37 so I could grab a coffee before the Amtrak-recommended waiting period began. By 6:50, I was waiting in the train hall for my ride with coffee in hand, feeling proud of myself for being ready and caffeinated with 25 minutes to spare. Soon, though, I realized my track wasn't even listed yet.I idled in the waiting area, the minutes ticking by without any news on my train. It ended up getting delayed over an hour for maintenance, and the track listing didn't become available until about 10 minutes before it left.I initially blamed the delay for the annoyance I felt while waiting, but when my return trip rolled around, I realized the 40 minutes I had given myself still would have felt too long. My train from Rochester to Manhattan was supposed to depart at 1:27, and I made it to the station by 1 p.m. My fellow passengers and I weren't even allowed to move toward the train until 1:20, leaving me feeling antsy while waiting.I'd rather be early than late when it comes to travel every time, but next time I ride Amtrak, I'll probably arrive 20 minutes before my train is scheduled instead of 30. Lollygag at your own risk. I sat on the wrong side of the train. I easily found open rows of seats in the car at the front of the train, so I didn't have to sit with a stranger for the long journey.I popped my roller bag on the shelf atop my seat, dropped my backpack into the chair closest to the aisle, and settled into a window around the car, I estimated it was about 60% full. I saw other solo travelers, like me, taking two seats for themselves, and pairs of passengers sitting together. The car was mostly quiet, as people snoozed and shared hushed conversations. Looking back, I should have anticipated spotty WiFi. Because of the chaos at Penn Station, I was one of the last people to get on the Maple Leaf train leaving New blasted pleasantly as I walked into the car at the very front of the train, where I expected I'd have to squeeze myself into a seat next to a stranger, given my place in line. However, there were several open my suitcase into the rack above, I settled into a row in the middle of the car, taking a window seat and using the empty one for my backpack.I don't mind chatting with new people, but having space to spread out during my long ride was a relief. I even stretched my legs onto the seat next to me for some of the ride. The business-class experience definitely had its positive aspects, like the larger seat with a footrest and the complimentary drink with my because the car was so small, it was louder than coach, both because of passengers chatting to each other and its proximity to the caf in one of the singular seats, I actually had less room to spread out than I had in coach. The train back to New York City was full for a stretch of the ride, so I was glad the solo seat was available, even if a double coach seat was more I preferred my coach experience on Amtrak to my business-class ride. Packing snacks would have been wise. Because my train rides were over seven hours, I knew I'd be eating a meal on both journeys. For my trip from New York City to Rochester, it was lunch, and I got a surprisingly good salad and a bag of chips from the caf my surprise, though, the caf car closed for an hour of the journey, which would have been a problem if I had timed my lunch incorrectly or wanted a snack.I'm aware I can get hangry, so for my return trip, I packed some Cheez-Its as a backup snack in case the caf closure coincided with my hunger. The caf car is a benefit of Amtrak, but I'd recommend bringing additional snacks in case it's unavailable. My biggest mistake was booking a train with a long stop. Around 6 p.m., the train rolled into the Amtrak station in Albany, and the conductor announced we would be stopping there until 7:40 so a train from Ontario could connect to ours. The caf car closed a few minutes before the stop, and it wouldn't reopen until we were running extended stop was frustrating, as I was eager to get back to Manhattan. Plus, the lights and AC weren't on most of the stop, so it got hot and stuffy on we were stopped, most passengers got out to wander around the platform. I used the time to grab some food from a restaurant at the I ate a subpar chicken wrap, a bag of Skinny Pop, and a granola bar, I spent the rest of the hour walking back and forth across the platform.I was happy to walk around after sitting for so long, but I would have liked to have the option to nap on a row of seats like I did on my journey to Rochester. It sounds silly, but I should have been more careful with my body as I got used to being on a train. I'm a pretty clumsy person by nature, prone to tripping and lacking basic hand-eye coordination.I didn't think that would matter on a train, but when I repeatedly bonked my head on the luggage shelving above my seats, I realized my miscalculation. It was easy to lose my balance as I maneuvered around the moving train, leading me to knock my head more than once on the shelves above my seat when I got in and out of my chair.I wish I had moved a little more slowly and with more care on the train, as I likely could have avoided some bumps and bruises.