Travel from Washington to New York

marshmallow77

I did NYC to DC last year about this time, seats are large and comfortable, and the scenery along the way especially this time of year is beautiful.

Penn is ugly but you are just passing through! You have to go to Grand Central just to look round and be amazed by it.

For cheap accommodation in NYC i can not recommend this place more highly, we stayed two years in a row here. chelsealodge.com
It may not be to your liking due to the shared toilet but all rooms have showers and sinks...plus how much time would you really spend on the loo or in a hotel when in NYC and the subway is just round the corner! Its in the Chelsea area which is beautiful, some really nice restaurants close by. You can walk to the Meat Packing Area (go to EL Posto for a nice cocktail), the Highline is a few blocks across (its an abondoned railway line which has been turned into a garden - beautiful) then you can walk down to the trendy area of Bleeker street where there is a fab cocktail bar called Employees Only (the bar staff have twiddly moustaches!!!). there is a really good pub called the spotted pig there - its a michelin star pub but decent price, unfortunatly you can't book so arrive early!!! Last thing book yourself on to the Pier 81 boat tour: worldyacht.com. Its an evening sailing that goes all round the main island, its amazing and the food is really good and really reasonable price! Its an lovely alternative view to walking!

amictus

signol wrote: »

The "Acela Express" is the "high speed" train between the two, but the actual speed difference is minimal as they all use the same track.

Thanks for pointing this out. I'm not quite at the booking stage yet, but I'll take this into consideration when I do. From the sounds of it, it might even be worth taking the cheaper train to have more time to enjoy the scenery!

marshmallow77 wrote: »

For cheap accommodation in NYC i can not recommend this place more highly, we stayed two years in a row here. chelsealodge.com

Wow that sounds ideal! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience, it makes quite a difference from anonymous ratings on booking websites. Price is a little higher than I was hoping for but, though I haven't actually looked in to it yet, I imagine I won't find anything significantly cheaper in that kind of area.

markandkate

WE did the journey a few years ago by train and it was very smooth and trouble free. We booked on line and there are often discounts and offers. You get a reserved seat and there are buffets and toilets. We did look at the bus but we were travelling in December and were worried about the snow and felt that the train was a safer bet. You also need to check where the bus drops you as a lot of bus stations are out of town and sometimes in quite dodgy areas and if you are being dropped off inthe dark you may feel a bit of a target. On balance we were more comfortable with the train as it took us right into the heart of the city

amictus

I'm back for a bit more advice. I booked my ticket, but, after checking my reservation, I have found Amtrak have a very harsh luggage policy... anything over 28" x 22" x 14" has to be go through the checked baggage service, which is unavailable on my train. I was planning to take either a large 65L rucksack or standard suitcase and hadn't thought to check baggage allowance as I assumed the service would be similar to trains in the UK.

Has anyone any experience of this? Do they actually enforce this rule?


Thanks!

lfc321

owains wrote: »

I'm back for a bit more advice. I booked my ticket, but, after checking my reservation, I have found Amtrak have a very harsh luggage policy... anything over 28" x 22" x 14" has to be go through the checked baggage service, which is unavailable on my train. I was planning to take either a large 65L rucksack or standard suitcase and hadn't thought to check baggage allowance as I assumed the service would be similar to trains in the UK.

Has anyone any experience of this? Do they actually enforce this rule?


Thanks!

It's very rarely (if ever) enforced. As a general rule, if you can carry it on t the train without assistance they won't stop you. I've never seen anyone stopped anyway, and have never had a prob taking oversized stuff myself. Certainly can;t see you having a prob with a standard suitcase or a rucksack.

amictus

lfc321 wrote: »

It's very rarely (if ever) enforced. As a general rule, if you can carry it on t the train without assistance they won't stop you. I've never seen anyone stopped anyway, and have never had a prob taking oversized stuff myself. Certainly can;t see you having a prob with a standard suitcase or a rucksack.

Phew that is a relief. Thanks for letting me know.

marshmallow77 wrote: »

For cheap accommodation in NYC i can not recommend this place more highly, we stayed two years in a row here. chelsealodge.com

Fully booked unfortunately! I think I have left it a little late... all of the cheaper places seem full!

cfw1994

lfc321 wrote: »

It's very rarely (if ever) enforced. As a general rule, if you can carry it on t the train without assistance they won't stop you. I've never seen anyone stopped anyway, and have never had a prob taking oversized stuff myself. Certainly can;t see you having a prob with a standard suitcase or a rucksack.

We're in a similar quandry: one of our bags is 30" tall (a 90litre case!). I'm sure you're spot on: can you perhaps confirm they don't have 'hard' limits on space on the train?
Is it much like a UK station (we're goin from Penn Station to DC only) with "check-in" ?
My (minor!) worry is it turns out more like an airport, but I can't really imagine it!!

Anyone else also done this with no problems?

We could book a checked-bags train, but it is over $100 more!

We've booked The New Yorker hotel in NYC, partly 'cos it looks stylish, partly 'cos we can roll onto a ~7am train with minimum fuss! Anyone stayed there, any hints for getting room upgrade/local breakfast special places?!

Thanks very much,

claire16c

We got the train to Washington DC from NYC and no one glanced at our luggage. We didnt have much, but it was set up similar to a UK train station except that everyone queues to get on the train as they dont open the platform until a short while before the train leaves. But if you have reserved seats theres no need to worry about getting to the front of the queue.

cfw1994

Thanks, I think that reassures me we'll be okay!!

uk_american

Realising the OP has already travelled, but if anyone else is seeking this info...

Being from the East coast of the US, I've taken Amtrak plenty of times up and down the coast, from New York and Newark down to Philadelphia and Washington, DC. As others have stated, as long as you can carry your bags on the train by yourself, no one will hassle you...unless it's a peak travel time like Christmas or Thanksgiving, then they pay closer attention to the rules. In general there isn't a lot of luggage racks and they're usually full up, but if you can lift your bag above your head, there's above seat racks and certain cars have wheelchair areas at the end of the cars that people use for luggage if no handicapped persons are aboard and in need of the area. As long as no handicapped person is in need of the area the train personnel have no issues with this.

A tip: Amtrak ticket prices can go up if demand is high, so when possible, buy your ticket in advance if you're going during a peak time.

In addition--the 'slow' train isn't really that much slower than the Acela, so save some cash and take the Northeast Regional. The Acela has crazy prices geared toward business travellers.

Also, while there is a cafe car, prices can be expensive. Best to take along your own sandwiches, drinks, etc. No one on the train has any issues if you do so, it's what the locals do.