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Hi. This summer our family will be riding the Maple Leaf from NYC to Toronto. I'm curious to know which route the train takes leaving Manhattan and heading to Yonkers. Any information appreciated! Thx
Posts: 16 | From: Winnipeg Manitoba Canada | Registered: Dec 2006
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As far as I know, it takes the same route as ALL non-commuter trains leaving NYP for the north or west, that is, up the West Side of Manhattan towards Spuyten Duyvil.
-------------------- Ocala Mike Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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It goes right up the Hudson. Be sure to sit on the LEFT side facing forward, by a nice window. Others here can give you the nitty gritty about train tracks and history, but I can tell you scenic sites, if you want to know:
After you leave Penn Station and go through a couple of underpasses, you will be riding along Manhattan's West Side, with New Jersey across the Hudson. You will go under the George Washington Bridge (there's a little underpass there, but I'm not sure if it's on northbound, southbound, or both) and after that if you look on the right you can see Fort Tryon Park/Cloisters up on Washington Heights and you may spot Van Cortlandt manor down by the water line. When you cross the Harlem River, be sure to look right to see the very nice view of the Half Moon Bridge and other bridge crossings to Queens. You go past the famous Spuyten Duyvil. . . soon you are in Yonkers.
You will go through Sing Sing prison and see West Point across the river and pass Bear Mountain and several bridges and Bannerman Island with the ruined "castle"--do you want more details?
It's a very pretty ride all the way to Albany. In Albany, when you leave the station (which is actually in Rensselaer, on the east side of the Hudson), you cross the river (much narrower here)--as you do, look at the city skyline, esp the old impressive Gothicky D&H building. . . .
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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Thanks for the information. Really interesting. I took the same route 30 years ago, but the train left from Grand Central, and ran above Park Avenue (I think) into the Bronx and then eventually over to the Hudson River. I suppose now it leaves Penn station and heads directly for the Hudson R. and then north?
If you have more details, please feel free to share! Thanks again
Posts: 16 | From: Winnipeg Manitoba Canada | Registered: Dec 2006
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Right. Penn Station is a new and not a very interesting building, so in that regard it was much nicer when the trains left from Grand Central. OTOH, going to Penn Station is much more convenient for connections to other Amtrak trains, and the trip through Manhattan from Penn Station is much nicer, along the river.
If you want to leave from Grand Central, you have to take a Metro North train. But whether you do that or not, you should still make an effort to see Grand Central; they've done an excellent restoration job. There are guided tours 1 day a week, around noon, used to be Wednesday but may be Friday now? There's a website, www.grancentralstation.com I think? Anyway, even if you cannot take a tour, ask at the info desk . . . and be sure to visit the Campbell Rooms (ask at the info desk how to get there) and the whispering hallway in front of the Oyster Bar (again, ask at info desk; or maybe ask staff at door in Oyster Bar)--you go to one arch, person with you goes to diagonally facing arch, and talk against wall and you can hear it. Also, there was a little museum in the building, not sure if it's still there. And you should see the food court on the lower level, and esp the nice Grand Central Market on the upper, by Lexington (the place on the Lexington end of the market that sells coffee used to have excellent croissants).
And walk outside and around the area--quiet Vanderbilt Av (it's nicest to enter the station down the Vanderbilt Av steps). If you go S on Vanderbilt to E42nd St and take a right 1-1/2 blocks to 5th Av, there's the main NY public library diagonally across 5th--main entrance is on 41st St I think (with the famous lions from Ghostbusters). That's another building really worth touring, or just go in and see the main reading room and periodical room and maybe one of the smaller rooms like the map room perhaps or genealogy library, and don't miss the free exhibit off the lobby, often very interesting, and Bryant Park behind the library.
Or if you cross 42nd and go down Park Av South from Grand Central Station and cut over one block to Madison, you come to the J P Morgan Library, recently reopened, at 36th-37th and Madison; also the Travellers Bookstore one block below (ring bell). (Or if you went to the NY Public library, go south on 5th to E 37th and take a left back to Madison.)
If you catch a taxi back up Park Av South from about E 32nd St, you'll go under the street (Park Av S) and then through Grand Central one level up to finally get to Park Av proper, at E 47th St, it's kinda neat; you can have the cab drop you at the Waldorf Astoria, around 50th and Park--hotel has a lobby worth seeing too, and lovely St Bartholmews church is next door.
If you go East on E 43rd or E 41st (but not 42nd!) from Grand Central about 3 Av blocks, you come to the secret upper level of residential Tudor City, with secret pocket parks Leona Helmsley unsuccessfully tried to demolish; you can then walk down the steps to E 42nd St go towar 1st Av and cross over to see the UN, then go down the UN (E) side of 1st Av to E 49th and bear left, slightly uphill, and go down to quiet elegant Beekman Place along the river.
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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Thanks a lot. We shall have to try to take in some of your 'tour'. Last time I took the train to/from New York was 1974 and I thought Grand Central Station was pretty impressive then. I bet it's much more so now. Interestingly, on that trip I stayed at the Tudor Hotel on 42nd St. Does that have any connection to Ms. Helmsley?
Looking at a map of Manhattan, it would appear that the rail line for the Maple Leaf runs west out of Penn station almost to the river and then turns sharply north at the Javits Convention Centre. From there it appears to run north between 10th and 11th Avenues for a while before making its way west in the Upper 50s/60s and then hitting the river at Riverside Park. Does this sound right?
Thanks again for the great information. New York is a fascinating place and there's nothing better than getting to and from it by rail.
Posts: 16 | From: Winnipeg Manitoba Canada | Registered: Dec 2006
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If you mean the Tudor Hotel that was built in 1931, I believe that is now the Crowne Plaza UN Hotel. The Helmsley Hotel located on 42nd St is called the NY Helmsley. I don't believe the Helmsleys ever built a hotel that didn't have their name on it! Anyway, when it was being built, they acquired land on those secret parks up by Tudor City (the "secret" upper level street I was telling you about on 41st and 43st St, between 2nd and 1st Av (but above 1st Av, sort of) . . . .Anyway, she was gonna demolish the park, and all these old-line East Side debutante-ball-type New Yorkers (yes, they have them, or had; there was a movie in the 90s about these people I think?). Anyway, I suppose they are dying off but they were still alive then, and some had rent-controlled-but-still-fancy apartments in Tudor City going back before the war. So Helmsley decides to demolish it in the middle of the night Saturday-Sunday morning, to sneak it by, because there had been protets. But they found out and showed up from some deb ball or something in tuxedo and elegant gowns and did a sit-in in the park to prevent it being demolished . . . and it never was. At least, that is what a dessicated sweet old lady told me one time when I was sitting in the park there.
These are not really places to visit if you are in NYC for just a couple of days but they are fun because they are off the tourist track, kind of secret, fancy old residential, but still in midtown.
My favorite NYC places are Downtown (the Wall St area and Bowling Green/Battery Park/Dutch NY), Greenwich Village (central and W esp), Central Park. And the Upper W Side has some great old buildings. And the Upper E Side too, Gracie Mansion area has some neat little streets off E 86th. My favorite museum is the Frick.
I'm thinking of stopping in Winnepeg if I take the Canadian in May 2008 to Jasper and then the Skeena (this year I'm planning to go to Banff and Jasper but I have free points to go Amtrak so I'm going via Seattle and Vancouver and just taking the Canadian between Vancouver and Jasper. I'm not sure if I can afford the sleeper, so I was thinking of stopping in Winnepeg and/or Edmonton; problem of course is that every stop involves TWO nights because the Canadian doesn't run enough! But anyways, I wondered, do you know a good hotel not too expensive near the train station? Any other tips? I'm told the thing to eat in Winnepeg if pirogi, is that true? Where? Maybe I need to start another strand, though it is far off, I'm already planning . . .
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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The hotel nearest Winnipeg's station is the Hotel Fort Garry. It's about a half-block from the station. It is a beautiful hotel. It was built in 1913 and is the only privately-owned hotel of which I'm aware (it's not part of any chain). It's reasonable, too (about $129 per night Cdn which would be about $110 US) which includes breakfast. I'm not sure of the Canadian's timetable, but if you were to stay over a Saturday night in the hotel, you will be able to partake of the hotel's Sunday brunch which is, in my opinion, the best I've ever encountered anywhere in the world. It costs 35 bucks but again is a freebie if you've spent the night in the hotel.
Alyccia's (in Winnipeg's gritty north end) is the place for pyrogies, but just behind the train station is a touristy/public market area called "The Forks". It's been developed out of the former railway stabling buildings when the Canadian Northern (later Cdn. National) used to stable delivery horses because they used to make local deliveries from the station in the pre-automobile era. Anyway, there's a place in The Forks' foodcourt which serves decent pyrogies. They're better boiled than fried (although that's a matter of taste) and you should get a mix (some potato, some cheese) and then eat them with bacon, fried onions, and LOTS of sour cream. You'll find them very filling.
Drop me a message when you're on your way!
Thanks for the NY info, too.
Posts: 16 | From: Winnipeg Manitoba Canada | Registered: Dec 2006
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