Using Amtrak to get to Manhattan Terminal

[princeton123211]

17 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Have you been in the city lately?  That part of 8th Ave has not changed, although the interior of the newer facility is an improvement.  When criminals do not pay a price for committing crimes, they simply commit more crimes with no fear.  

This is just baseless fearmongering. Ive been commuting into my NYC office a few times a month since last October. I take Amtrak into Moynihan Hall and then walk down 9th Ave to 26th St with luggage. Zero issues. 

 

Vigilance is needed in any major city-- but it is not a free for all in NYC, especially in that area of Manhattan. 

 

13 hours ago, markeb said:

The old Penn Station is "gone" as far as Amtrak is concerned.

Not entirely-- it will rear its ugly head headed into NYC if you get off on the wrong end of the train and/or don't follow platform signs for Moynihan when getting of the train. But yes-- only boarding for Amtrak is in the new Moynihan Hall. 

 

 

[GTJ]

14 hours ago, markeb said:

The old Penn Station is "gone" as far as Amtrak is concerned. Just commuter trains.* * * Moynihan is anything but dreary and ugly.

As far as Amtrak is concerned . . . sort of. Analogize Pennsylvania Station to an airport with two distinct passenger terminals, connected to each other. Passengers can readily connect from an airline in one terminal to a different airline in the other terminal, but both airline passenger terminals utilize the same runways and other infrastructure, and both airline terminals are known collectively by a single common name. That's much the way it is with Pennsylvania Station. The old and the new (the latter being known as Moynihan Train Hall) constitute two separate buildings, with New Jersey Transit in the old, Amtrak in the new, and the Long Island Rail Road in both. Connections between all are straightforward, with the two buildings connected with an underground passageway. The same tracks and platforms are used, and generally accessible from, both buildings. Collectively, they are known as Pennsylvania Station, and the entire complex, both old and new buildings, is owned by Amtrak. Finally, even the old building is being upgraded, and while still space-constrained, at least portions are much better than the dreary and old of prior years.

[navybankerteacher]

18 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Have you been in the city lately?  That part of 8th Ave has not changed, although the interior of the newer facility is an improvement.  When criminals do not pay a price for committing crimes, they simply commit more crimes with no fear.  

 

Hank

I was born in Manhattan and lived there until I was twelve - and again from age 20 to 32, and commuted in until I retired.  The only time I experienced “street crime” was at about age ten in Central Park a few toughs carrying switchblade knives robbed me of about fifty cents.  It may not be as safe as it was back during Giuliano’s “broken windows” policing, but is hardly as bad as you seem to think.

 

As in any city, you need to keep your eyes open.  But, frankly these days shopping malls in small towns across the country seem far more dangerous.

 

We still go in several times a year to visit my son’s family and for theatre evenings.

Edited June 1, 2023 by navybankerteacher

[lenquixote66]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

I was born in Manhattan and lived there until I was twelve - and again from age 20 to 32, and commuted in until I retired.  The only time I experienced “street crime” was at about age ten in Central Park a few toughs carrying switchblade knives robbed me of about fifty cents.  It may not be as safe as it was back during Giuliano’s “broken windows” policing, but is hardly as bad as you seem to think.

 

As in any city, you need to keep your eyes open.  But, frankly these days shopping malls in small towns across the country seem far more dangerous.

 

We still go in several times a year to visit my son’s family and for theatre evenings.

I have a daughter and family living on the West side of Manhattan .It was a beautiful place to walk.Currently there are homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk.

I walked in Manhattan from the 40’s to 2017.It was a great ,safe place to walk at one time.I am 6’5 and spent a portion of my life in Law Enforcement .I never got scared .Walking in Manhattan now is very scary.

 

[lenquixote66]

19 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Have you been in the city lately?  That part of 8th Ave has not changed, although the interior of the newer facility is an improvement.  When criminals do not pay a price for committing crimes, they simply commit more crimes with no fear.  

 

Hank

People who have lived in Manhattan for many years are now moving to the suburbs .8th.Ave is a cesspool.

[lenquixote66]

18 hours ago, Lady_hlh said:

I go to the city at least once a year and took Amtrak in last summer to meet my sister with no issues. My dad grew up in Brooklyn where his parents lived while I was growing up. My parents took us into NYC all the time as kids in the 60s and 70s so to me it is funny when people say how they think it’s so crime ridden now.

I was born in Brooklyn and lived there 60 years.When you say NYC you mean Manhattan.It is disgusting all over the West side from 23 St.to 53 St

I live in a small town in NY now .There is zero crimes of violence ,so little crime that we do not have the need for a police force.

[mjkacmom]

Three of my kids were just in Manhattan last week (different days) and felt safe, my niece just moved from Manhattan to Seattle for work but loved the 10 or so years she lived there. I remember going there in the 80’s, a little sketchy.

[caribsun]

On 5/31/2023 at 3:56 PM, Lady_hlh said:

We’re doing our first cruise 1/17 to 1/27 from NYC and I am wondering if we could take Amtrak down from Albany instead of driving. Has anyone brought enough luggage/supplies for a 10 day cruise for 2 people then taken a taxi to the terminal? I know we could pay to park at the terminal but my hubby is quite the aggressive driver and if Amtrak would work that would be less stress for me.

 

I take YankeeTrails Cruise Express out of Rensselaer. 

[Got2Cruise]

I can not believe some of these comments. Penn Station is safe! Thousands pass through there every day. Amtrak, LIRR, NJT, NYC subway. 8th Ave is safe! That’s the way you exit if you want to walk the Highline which is a couple of blocks away. Also 8th Ave is where you get to Madison Square Garden. There’s a big cab stand at 8th Ave also. 
 

 

Edited June 2, 2023 by Got2Cruise

[dolittle]

On 5/31/2023 at 11:49 PM, markeb said:

 

The old Penn Station is "gone" as far as Amtrak is concerned. Just commuter trains. There's been a major initiative to renovate the Penn Station and the neighborhood, but it's run into money problems last I heard. 

 

Moynihan is anything but dreary and ugly.

Glad to hear this ,it has been a while since I took the train .We have been using Megabus and the other one (can' think of the name) these are good cheap options for many of us.

 

[Nitemare]

On 6/1/2023 at 1:19 PM, lenquixote66 said:

People who have lived in Manhattan for many years are now moving to the suburbs .8th.Ave is a cesspool.

 

On 6/1/2023 at 1:24 PM, lenquixote66 said:

I was born in Brooklyn and lived there 60 years.When you say NYC you mean Manhattan.It is disgusting all over the West side from 23 St.to 53 St

I live in a small town in NY now .There is zero crimes of violence ,so little crime that we do not have the need for a police force.

Ridiculous.  As I said on the prior page I've been in NYC 5 times in the past year+ and walked the length of 8th Avenue from Greenwich Village to beyond the Natural History Museum.  Plus thru the Park and up and down Broadway and many other avenues. 

Big cities are different.  There is crime in every city.  There are unhoused people in every major city.  One has very little to do with the other, but it may be unattractive to visitors.

[lenquixote66]

45 minutes ago, Nitemare said:

 

Ridiculous.  As I said on the prior page I've been in NYC 5 times in the past year+ and walked the length of 8th Avenue from Greenwich Village to beyond the Natural History Museum.  Plus thru the Park and up and down Broadway and many other avenues. 

Big cities are different.  There is crime in every city.  There are unhoused people in every major city.  One has very little to do with the other, but it may be unattractive to visitors.

Did you walk at night ?That is what I am referring to .

[Nitemare]

3 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Did you walk at night ?That is what I am referring to .

From dawn until after theater, so 10PM in Times Square arriving at our hotel in Tribeca after 11PM

 

Have you?

[lenquixote66]

4 minutes ago, Nitemare said:

From dawn until after theater, so 10PM in Times Square arriving at our hotel in Tribeca after 11PM

 

Have you?

I wish I could .I am totally disabled and have not been physically able to cross a street since 2016.

I am happy that you can walk at night safely.

[Nitemare]

5 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

I wish I could .I am totally disabled and have not been physically able to cross a street since 2016.

I am happy that you can walk at night safely.

Sorry to hear that.   It really is much safer in NYC than one reads or sees on certain media.  There are Big City Crime Stats out there that make this clear.

[lenquixote66]

6 minutes ago, Nitemare said:

Sorry to hear that.   It really is much safer in NYC than one reads or sees on certain media.  There are Big City Crime Stats out there that make this clear.

Okay,I will take your word

[navybankerteacher]

33 minutes ago, Nitemare said:

From dawn until after theater, so 10PM in Times Square arriving at our hotel in Tribeca after 11PM

 

Have you?

In the Times Square area, fine.  I might think twice before walking alone down to Tribeca after 11 PM - it can get pretty empty- possibly risky - that late.

[GTJ]

25 minutes ago, Nitemare said:

It really is much safer in NYC than one reads or sees on certain media.

These types of arguments are difficult because the truth is in the middle. Much of New York City is reasonably secure. Parts are not (at least at certain hours), though it is unlikely that one would stumble upon such parts without trying to do so. There will always be anecdotes of misfortune, but the media and many individuals often fail to properly quantify the risks (indeed, you can even find a handful stories of murder in rural communities where :"everyone knows everyone else"). In other words, there's plenty of argument points on both sides from which one can pick and choose. But the larger picture is that if one retains street smarts, and otherwise does not deliberately seek out trouble, New York City is reasonably safe for everyone to visit. It should be better, and hopefully we will return to better days, but today it remains reasonably safe, with only relatively few incidents otherwise.

[Nitemare]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

In the Times Square area, fine.  I might think twice before walking alone down to Tribeca after 11 PM - it can get pretty empty- possibly risky - that late.

I have walked this route and along the river more than once since Covid.

 

Have you?

 

[navybankerteacher]

4 hours ago, Nitemare said:

I have walked this route and along the river more than once since Covid.

 

Have you?

 

No - because I am aware of some of the risks of late night walking in largely unpopulated areas of New York’s Lower West Side in the late night and early morning hours, and prefer to not trust to my luck when a ride will both save time and avoid unnecessary exposure.  I wish you continued good luck.

[latebloomer56]

On 6/2/2023 at 12:36 PM, Got2Cruise said:

I can not believe some of these comments. Penn Station is safe! Thousands pass through there every day. Amtrak, LIRR, NJT, NYC subway. 8th Ave is safe! That’s the way you exit if you want to walk the Highline which is a couple of blocks away. Also 8th Ave is where you get to Madison Square Garden. There’s a big cab stand at 8th Ave also. 
 

 

Thank you so much was getting a little nervous. Haven't go to Manhattan for a few years. We always take Amtrak from Boston then grab a taxi to our hotel or the port. Use to walk sometimes but can't manage this now.

[princeton123211]

9 hours ago, Nitemare said:

It really is much safer in NYC than one reads or sees on certain media. 

I literally made the same comment and some moderator deleted what I said. Ridiculous. 

[Nitemare]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

No - because I am aware of some of the risks of late night walking in largely unpopulated areas of New York’s Lower West Side in the late night and early morning hours, and prefer to not trust to my luck when a ride will both save time and avoid unnecessary exposure.  I wish you continued good luck.

It’s not luck. It’s statistics. NYC is safe. 

51 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

I literally made the same comment and some moderator deleted what I said. Ridiculous. 

I had some comments deleted as well, I think. But the negative ones stayed up. Weird.

[GTJ]

8 hours ago, Nitemare said:

[I might think twice before walking alone down to Tribeca after 11 PM - it can get pretty empty- possibly risky - that late.]

 

I have walked this route and along the river more than once since Covid. Have you?

I attended law school in Tribeca at night. I would walk that area regularly late at night, typically to and from the subway (though sometimes a late night walk to Chinatown to get a bite to eat). For the most part, Tribeca is a mixture of commercial and residential, with much (most) industrial land use no longer present. This is a relatively secure area of New York City, including at night.

[navybankerteacher]

7 hours ago, GTJ said:

I attended law school in Tribeca at night. I would walk that area regularly late at night, typically to and from the subway (though sometimes a late night walk to Chinatown to get a bite to eat). For the most part, Tribeca is a mixture of commercial and residential, with much (most) industrial land use no longer present. This is a relatively secure area of New York City, including at night.

I was not talking about being IN Tribeca late at night, I was referring to the late night long walk from the Broadway/Times Square area TO Tribeca (to which an earlier poster had referred).  
 

But, yes, as a rule New York City is as safe as most other parts of the country - but there are parts of the city, and times of night, where there is increased risk —and statistics bear that out, so why press your luck ?