Travel by Train

For most of my life I never had an occasion to take the train. So, as a new train traveler, I am enjoying this fine method of transportation. It is so relaxing to sit in a comfortable seat and read or look out the window. Some passengers use a laptop or sleep. I can bring a snack to eat on my little tray table or even write or take notes. Driving is not so relaxing.

The train conductors announce the stations and warn passengers to “be aware of the gap” as they exit. Conductors also collect tickets, exchange pleasantries, and some even have a sense of humor, reminding us all to “be good to ourselves and kind to others.” Passengers are often in a festive mood, excited for a day in the city.

We are lucky to live 10 minutes from an Amtrak station in Lancaster. I can take the train to Penn Station in Manhattan, via Philadelphia, and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) to Port Washington to see my daughter and her family in just four hours. The best part of train travel is that it is not affected by the high volume of traffic in the northeast corridor. Driving you take your chances.

On Amtrak, the seats face in two directions, so passengers can ride facing forward or backwards. The scenery is not much to note. The view is of the backyards and workplaces of towns and cities, the snowplows, the lumberyards, and the trash dumps. The prettiest parts are the Amish farms in Lancaster County and the affluent suburbs of Philadelphia. Crossing a bridge over the Delaware at Trenton, I can see another bridge with this enigmatic sign: “Trenton Makes; the World Takes.” Of course the Manhattan skyline is an amazing sight. Driving you’d better keep your eyes on the road.

Arriving at Penn Station, I simply follow the crowd upstairs. Then I walk around until I see a sign for the LIRR and head in that direction. An element of excitement is added to train travel by the mystery of not knowing from which track your train will leave. So ten minutes before the train departs, an announcement is made, and there is a momentary panic while everyone rushes around to find that track.

The LIRR is a short ride to Port Washington, about 45 minutes. The buildings get smaller and smaller as we head east to Nassau County. A notable sight is the enormous sculpture of the world at Flushing, the last vestige of the 1964 World’s Fair. Great Neck, Little Neck, Manhasset, Plandome, finally, the train reaches the little waterfront town of Port Washington. It is a 5 minute drive to my daughter’s house from the station.

It costs just under $100 to take the trains round trip. Not worrying about the traffic crossing New Jersey and three boroughs of New York City: priceless.