I am taking my 1o yr old son from Boston to New York. What can I expect on the train? Also, we are staying at Hotel Penn, any comments?
Thanx

The level of comfort of Amtrak train
is not so high as it would be on the plane but it saves you the hassle of
taking a cab from the Airport to Manhattan. Just make sure that you bring your own food on the train because
the one that they sell is awful.

I disagree with Igor's assessment. I take the train on that route often and it's quite comfortable, certainly more comfortable than the flying sardine cans that pass for airliners these days. Among other things, there are no middle seats to get stuck in and you can get up and go for a real walk whenever you want.

The food is reasonably edible - again better than the airlines, though a bit expensive, and they do seem to have a habit of running out of things sooner than one would expect. I don't hesitate to bring my own food and beverage if I happen to think of it.

The scenery ranges from appealing to appalling, but usually manages to be interesting. The cars and restrooms are reasonably clean and reasonably quiet (rails are welded now - no more "clickety-clack"). The Amtrak people still need to work a bit on their efficiency and courtesy, but it's not so bad as to be a problem. The train usually manages to stick to the schedule, something the airlines have apparently forgotten how to do.

My guess is your 10-year-old will enjoy the trip and I suspect you will as well.

Igor & Dick:

Thanx - great replys!
Anybody else?

Dear Kathy,

I agree with Dick as far as Amtrak comfort is concerned. It's not a sofa, but it's quite a bit better in terms of comfort than a plane or a bus. Business class offers more leg room if you wish for an extra $20 or so.

Nice thing about going from Boston to New York is you pass by the scenic Connecticut coastline, which can be quite breathtaking.

On the whole, I'd say it's a pretty pleasant trip. If you're interested, the Acela Regional takes 4 hours from Boston to New York, faster than the Northeast Direct train. Once the Acela Express starts (this year? next year?), travel time from Boston to New York will supposedly drop to 3 hours.

Have fun in New York!

Dan.

Kathy,

I have taken Amtrak from St. Louis to Chicago, and it was a great trip. My only mistake was thinking I could sleep on the way. They stop too often and people get off and on, so that was a little distracting when you're trying to sleep. (Train left St. Louis at 5:00 a.m., and had driven two hours to get to the train, so it was pretty much a sleepless night.) I'm going again in September but am leaving from my home town of Jefferson City rather than meeting train in St. Louis. I also have taken Amtrak from San Francisco to Merced, CA for a trip to Yosemite. I enjoy riding the train. You have more freedom to roam, seats are more comfortable as far as leg room, etc. You can go to the dining car, have a drink, put your feet up, play some cards, etc.

Hope you enjoy your train trip!

Sandi

Took granddaughter ,9 yrs. old, Oakland to Seattle.She loved it. Had plenty of choices for light food and drinks in little snack bar on lower level.(Although expensive) Amtrak out here in the west is almost always late but everyone just seems to factor that in to the trip. We found everyone very helpful. Our trip was a little tiring as it took us 22 hrs, however to drive same distance would take about 15 to 18 hrs. So I felt it was a good trade off.
Good Luck....

While I generally enjoy all train rides, keep in mind that the quality of food and service depends on the train. I've found the east coast trains (such as DC to Philadelphia) to be very slightly better than the airlines, the Coast Starlight that the last poster was talking about from Oakland to Seattle is famous for old fashioned wonderful service and dining car food. The whole route is Seattle down to LA and having done it a couple times with different crews, they are all super--a great way to see the coast of California. So, Kathy, you need to listen to the people who have actually had experience with Boston to NYC. A ten year old will love it, I'm sure.

I'll take the train over the plane any time and from Boston to New York it's a downright pleasure. It may well be worth checking whether they offer "custom class" (i.e. business class) because on some routes, that means they have TV's over the seats and they run movies, PG programs, even cartoons, which will help your 10 yr old. But be aware, they didn't seem to have earphones one time, and I found that the earphones to my Walkman fit the plug perfectly, worked fine.

PS: Take a picnic lunch (might be able to buy a nice one in or around South Station) and supplement with drinks (free in custom class) on the train. You have plenty of room to eat.

My kids LOVED the train. I second the recommendation to bring your own food. They ran out of everything when we went from Chi to DC. Other than that it was great. You won't be on the train overnight I guess, but for those of you planning to travel overnight in coach, bring an eye mask. They never turned the overhead lights out all night.

We were considering Amtrak, until some freinds told a us about Metro North Railroad. Weve never travelled with either train company, but the prices for metro are considerably lower. Were leaving out of New Haven, and Im not sure if they run out of Boston, but you can check it out on their website.

Hi Kathy,

Tim mentioned in the previous posting that he took Metro North to New Haven. I believe that Metro North is a commuter railroad line for passengers in the "New York City area"; I believe the company only goes as far as New Haven in Connecticut.

Dan.

Kathy,

I took my son on that train trip several years ago--perhaps he was 8 or 9. We really enjoyed it.

Yes, the food isn't that great, but kids that age still like buying the prepackaged stuff they have on trains--at least mine do. I'd still recommend bringing along some things to supplement what you might buy.

I don't know where you're starting your journey. We live north of Boston and made an entire day's train trip out of it. We got on the commuter train in our town, got off at North Station and took the T to South Station, where we got on the train to NYC. Our final destination was my in-laws' home on Long Island, so we got on the LIRR at Penn Station. It was quite the adventure.

We played cards and read, and he drew pictures. We both remember the trip very fondly. I hope you enjoy your trip as much as we did ours.

Kathy, I agree with most of the earlier posts. I have taken the train and prefer that to flying in and out of Logan and LaGuardia, and the delays this summer with Air Traffic Control and bad weather have created havoc.

The trin generally leaves AND arrives on time and your hotel is right across the street from Penn Station.

Your son will also love that he is coming into Penn Station which is right under Madison Square Garden.

The Hotel Penn is an older hotel and a bit rundown but it is certainly comfortable and a great location.

Have a great trip.

tweedy

The previous poster is correct as regards Metro North RR - it is strictly a commuter line and extends East to New Haven CT and Northe to Poughkeepsie but goes no further. The food suggestions should be heeded. Amtrak has surprisingly good food on it's long distance overnight trains (although a bit unimaginative) and one has the fun of eating at a table with silverware, tablecloth and a waiter. On the shorter trains such as the one you're planning to take you'll typically find only a "cafe car" with premade sandwiches and other mundane items that could be obtained in a vending machine.

We took Amtrak from Boston to NYC years. It took us over 5 hours and was, well, just tolerable. It clomped along and regularly stopped, it seemed, at every backwater town. we were not real impressed and passed up the train ride home and flew. On the other hand, we took Amtraks autotrain from Virginia to Florida and it was absolutely the most fun travel experience we had in our years of planes, cars etc. The food, night first run movie, warm cookies at late night and a beautiful drive along the coast was memorable. The ride was smooth, fast and a real joy.

Hi

While I believe Tom probably did have a bad experience, I would say, on the whole that Amtrak from NY to Boston is the way to go, particularly now with the new Acela Regional (4h NY-Boston) and hopefully soon with the Acela Express (3h NY-Boston). Make sure to check listings because some trains take longer than others.

Certainly, Amtrak does have its troubles. I took the train from Richmond to Baltimore this past weekend and the train was an hour and a half late arriving in Penn Station due to a freight car trouble. However, considering the number of times I take the train, I would say Amtrak's on-time average is very good. For this trip, I pulled out a good book and was fine. Honestly, I've had far worse luck with flying and driving in the past as far as delays are concerned.

Since I travel on the train a lot, I have a few helpful hints for the beginning train traveller. One trick to improve your luck is to pick a train that originates as close to your starting destination as possible (i.e., I shoulda picked one starting in Richmond, I was on one originating in Newport News). That way you minimize possibility of delays. If your travel starts within the northeast corridor (NY-Phila-Balt-DC), I've never once been more than 10 minutes late picking a train that started in NY or Washington. As trains begin further south and occasionally further north, that's where the problems can arise.

If travelling within the northeast corridor, there are lots of trains; consider alternate plans; being flexible can save you much time. For example, I often go from Washington to Baltimore. It has happened that I've seen that my unreserved from the South has been delayed, but that there is a Metroliner leaving earlier bound for Baltimore/New York. For a little extra (only $3 -$5 to Baltimore!!!), I bought a Metroliner ticket (or once I asked the ticket agent for an upgrade from reserved coach to Metroliner) and off I went BEFORE the delayed unreserved has arrived!

In fact, for unreserved trains, I would suggest NOT buying them in advance! Go to the QuikTrak machine or agent when you get to the station; you can arrive at the station and be on a moving train (particularly with QuikTrak) in 5-10 minutes if you time it right.

Dan.