Planes, Trains and Automobiles (Smoky mountains - Williamsburg - Washington DC - New York) Day 15

[janey2000]

Day 15 - Friday 14th April 2017

Alarm set for 6am as we have a train to catch! Breakfast was usual cereal, bagel and pancakes (with a donut taken away for later!) and off we set for Union station. We arrived in plenty of time and filled up our Au Bon Pain refill mug.

We had read about the red caps service but as it turned out, we were front of the queue as they prioritised those with children, disabilities etc.
The seats were spacious

The wifi was a bit hit and miss but the 3 hours passed easily and we arrived in NYC for midday. We had decided to leave our luggage with the Amtrax storage facility for $10 a bag as it was easier than taking them onto our hotel (over in Long Island city). Georgia announced she was starving so the first stop was to find food, we stumbled upon this place...

This is the girl who wants to be a vegetarian?!

Jack had chosen chicken tenders just encase she didn't like the hotdog, but turns out she did! This all cost just over $30, the little vanilla milkshake was pretty pricy at $6 costing more than most of the food items
We set off to find a very busy Times Square

We stumbled upon a coffee refill

And took the opportunity for a sit down as Georgia was complaining of her feet hurting

Grand central

The plan next was to find the Empire State building for a look inside the lobby but when we got there it was rammed with people and Georgia was almost in tears with us making her walk. I'm not sure what went wrong here as she this was the only time she complained (and tomorrow we did double the walking) so maybe it was her choice of footwear (even though she was adamant it wasn't :angry
We stopped in the library for a sit down in the children's section, and never made it up the steps to the actual public library!

Heading back to Penn Station we could see and hear sirens all over the place. It became evident that something was going on as there were so many, and they were all heading in our direction. This was the scene we were greeted with as we arrived.

As we walked in all the boards were showing trains cancelled or delayed and people were everywhere frantically rushing about or checking their phones. We collected our cases and made our way out as quickly as possible onto the nearby metro that went direct to Long Island city. The tickets here were different again and I had to ask for help. One metro card was good for all of us to use and the fares were the same wherever you were going.
The hotel was a budget one, but still over $100 a night. I had known Easter weekend would be costly and made the decision we would stay out of the city and travel in by metro. This suited us and turned out well.

Mike's pizza was just on the corner so I offered to go and get us some food whilst Jack had a shower and Georgia rested. It had great reviews but I'm pleased Jack didn't see the place inside. I ordered a spinach calzone, plain cheese pizza, a salad and a bottle of juice costing a super cheap at $17 In total.

Checking the news we discovered that an Amtrax train had got stuck in the tunnel and passengers were down there for several hours. I was relieved that it wasn't our train which came in only an hour before. Later in the evening a passenger would be tasered at Penn station, as he was presumed a terrorist but probably just a frustrated passenger!

[tracy99]

Still enjoying reading along.
It's making me look forward to our NY trip in oct.
We are also staying in Long Island,is it a hassle travelling,or not too bad,if you are by a station.
Last time we went,we stayed in the city,but needing 2 rooms,the prices were extortionate.
Your little girl,is so adorable,she looks like she's having a great time!
Tracy x

[janey2000]

Thanks! I meant to put day 16 up today but got sidetracked.. it was probably our best day so you should enjoy it

It was no problem at all travelling in. Less than a minute walk to the station and then 10-20 min journey depending on where we got off.
The first day was obviously difficult as we arrived with our cases but the luggage storage solved that problem. We spent our whole day out and just came back early evening as Georgia wouldn't have coped with late nights but if you have teenagers and want to come back and rest in the afternoon to head back out that would obviously mean a bit more travel and time involved.

[Mrs dee]

This all sounds fab ! We are doing a day trip from nyc to Washington. How did you find Amtrak?. There's four of us and I'm panicking we don't get to sit together . I know it's three hours but that's it lol.
We want to do Capitol building , White House, smithsonian, see the Washington monument and Lincoln memorial. That's our must dos.im worried that I'm underestimating walking in the heat and the distances so if you are able to point me in the best loop or way to attack it I'd much appreciate it

[janey2000]

The Amtrax was great, lots of leg room and a speedy service (I think it was 3hr 20 min). We got on at Washington which was the first stop (I'm not sure if it works the same the other way around from NYC to Washington?) so there was no issue with lack of seats. Once you are sat down then the ticket man comes and puts a ticket above your head to say 'reserved'. As we got to the stations further on there were people who were looking to find a seat.
There is a small café on the train, free wifi (although it is a bit stop and start) and toilets.

As for Washington, it is a lot of walking, that's why we hired bikes one day. If your party are over 16 then I would recommend trying out segways! Everything is within the national mall which you will see from a map is like a square. You will manage it all in a day but it will be tiring I'm sure. There are a fair few water fountains around and we put our feet in the fountain to cool down

[Mrs dee]

Originally Posted by janey2000

The Amtrax was great, lots of leg room and a speedy service (I think it was 3hr 20 min). We got on at Washington which was the first stop (I'm not sure if it works the same the other way around from NYC to Washington?) so there was no issue with lack of seats. Once you are sat down then the ticket man comes and puts a ticket above your head to say 'reserved'. As we got to the stations further on there were people who were looking to find a seat.
There is a small café on the train, free wifi (although it is a bit stop and start) and toilets.

As for Washington, it is a lot of walking, that's why we hired bikes one day. If your party are over 16 then I would recommend trying out segways! Everything is within the national mall which you will see from a map is like a square. You will manage it all in a day but it will be tiring I'm sure. There are a fair few water fountains around and we put our feet in the fountain to cool down

See more...

Thankyou so much !

[WileyCoyote]

Oh poor Georgia and her feet. It looks very very busy, that can't have been nice. We had such a long queue in ESB not surprised you gave it a miss. Thank goodness you weren't in the train that was stuck.
We thought the Amtrak was fab.., if only my daily commute had been that relaxing ...

[disney owl]

NY looks busy