Train to NYC

If you have ever been to NYC then you know that traffic and parking in the city is terrible and can make for a very long and stressful trip. Ever since I was a kid we avoided all the honking horns and hunting for a parking spot and or garage by taking the Metro North. Usually we pick it up in the little sea-side town of Old Saybrook where for year I spent my summers. We didn’t always start there though and when we didn’t it was usually from New Haven. New Haven offers express trains so you avoid the stops in each of the little towns and makes the trip shorter.

With that in mind we all converged on New Haven to catch the first off-peak express train at 8:30. That put us arriving at Grand Central Station at 10:30 with plenty of time to wander before our 12:00 appointment at the World Trade Center 9/11 Memorial. The ride was smooth and uneventful and filled with conversations about what we might want to do and see while in the city.

With plenty of time before our appointment we walked for a while and enjoyed central park and the NYC Library where we took a few pictures with the lions. We also walked along 5th avenue and enjoyed the Lord and Taylor window where you could take a picture and have it sent to you.

After the 9/11 Memorial we wandered down to Wall Street for lunch at my favorite Cuban shop and the obligatory photos with the bull. Next we wandered around stopping in a variety of shops as we headed back up town to the Empire State Building. Debbie and I couldn't resist putting on the Asian masks in one of the stores and had a good time with it.

After the long walk we were glad to have express passes at the Empire State Building. Read that entry for more on the experience. Exhausted we decided to catch an earlier train home. On our way back to Grand Central we found ourselves walking past a live shoot for a TV crime show filming. we are not sure which one it was but it was interesting to see

Although we had bought off peak tickets getting on the train was not a problem. We just had to pay a slight additional charge for a peak train. Finding a seat however on a Friday night train out of the city proved a little more of a challenge and we stood for a few stops before finally finding a seat to relax in. This train was not an express train and we made many more stops on the trip back to New Haven.

Below are a few pictures from the train and our NYC adventures.