Recently we had to go to New York City. Normally I would drive, but our destination was very close to Grand Central Station, so we decided to try the train out of Poughkeepsie.
Being country mice, we decided it might be a good idea to scope out a few things in advance. The idea of having to conform to train schedules was daunting, and we did not want to wind up missing our appointment or spending the night in Grand Central.
The first issue was parking at the station. I asked the parking attendant if this was where we should park to take the train. She rolled her eyes and gave me a look.
“Are you going this week? Well, the Yankees are playing all this week and this garage is full by 7 a.m. Don’t even think about getting in here. You are going to have to park down on Rinaldi Street if there are any spaces left and walk in.�
Next we purchased tickets from a distracted agent who seemed to have too many jobs to do at once. He could barely hear us through his bulletproof glass, never a good sign.
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Trip day: Leaving our car on the street kind of felt like being one of those gazelles in the herd that trusts to numbers to save them from being specifically picked out by the lions. Once inside the station we puzzled over where to go. Two kind railroad employees, seeing our confusion, gave us directions. Amtrak has these guys standing around in their larger stations, traveling in pairs, it seems (never a good sign), just to help out.
On the platform we noticed that there was no train on our track three. Then the announcement blared out, “The train for Grand Central, formerly scheduled for track three, will now depart from track one. The train formerly scheduled for track one, will now depart from track four. The trains formerly scheduled to not depart will now depart. Please be sure you are on the correct train.�
On the way home later, I noticed two things. There is a lot of coming and going among cars. Where are they going? Are they edging toward the front or back for any particular reason? What don’t I know that I should know about this?
The second is the “scenery.� The distant view is very nice, what with the Hudson River and all. However, the trackside stuff is a mess. From dilapidated, falling down buildings to all kinds of trash, it is not a very nice picture. The railroad right of way needs work when it comes to scenic America.
It beats driving, I suppose, but then that bar is not set all that high, either.
Bill Abrams resides (and contemplates life on the rails) in Pine Plains.
