What's the NYP Club Acela like?

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TimePeace

TimePeace

Disillusioned.
Joined
Sep 4, 2008
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I've never gone thru NYP with sleeper accommodation before, but will be in March on the Meteor.

I know there is no sleeper BOS-NYP but I can sit in Business Class, and use Club Acela in NYP while waiting for the Meteor. What's it like?
 
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You can certainly use the Club Acela while waiting for your Silver.

IMHO, it isn't one of the best CA's. Possibly, that is simply the "New York" style. For example, the attendant rations out the snacks, putting just a few out every once-in-a-while. Of course, those who have been waiting for something, will all dive into them, and they're all gone within milliseconds.

But all this is still better than waiting in other parts of Penn Station. :D
 
The Club Acela in New York is nice. It is a bit worn in places but

comfortable. It gets crowded before Acela's depart, but it is usually

less crowded in the afternoon than in the morning. By you departing on

the Meteor in the afternoon, it should be fine. The bathrooms are clean

and the snacks are sparse. I prefer to bring in my own coffee because

the coffee machine in the lounge leaves a bit to be desired.
 
Maine Rider said:
I've never gone thru NYP with sleeper accommodation before, but will be in March on the Meteor.

I know there is no sleeper BOS-NYP but I can sit in Business Class, and use Club Acela in NYP while waiting for the Meteor. What's it like?
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Not as nice as the Club in Boston, IMO, but I bet most folks will agree. It has two round tables with 3-4 chairs each just to the right of the attendant desk. There are sometimes two attendants on duty and it can get busy. The luggage storage is not secure like in the metropolitan lounge in Chicago.

In front of where the tables are is the small snack area with coffee, a soda machine, and the aforementioned rationed snacks. Then there are a ton of blue club chairs/easy chairs. There is a good amount of seating but sometimes it can be busy.

The best part is the clean bathrooms.
 
There are a couple of computers in a nook up by the luggage hold, and they are every bit as slow as the one in the Chicago Lounge :) When I was there a year ago, I found snacks and soft drinks to be more than plentiful and the head Attendant even recommended a GREAT by-the-slice pizza place across the street and encouraged me to bring the slices back in!
 
Shanghai said:
It gets crowded before Acela's depart, but it is usually

less crowded in the afternoon than in the morning. By you departing on

the Meteor in the afternoon, it should be fine.
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Actually with the Crescent leaving at 2:15, the Meteor at 3:15, and the Lake Shore at 3:45, even the afternoons can still be busy in the CA.
 
Maine Rider said:
I've never gone thru NYP with sleeper accommodation before, but will be in March on the Meteor.

I know there is no sleeper BOS-NYP but I can sit in Business Class, and use Club Acela in NYP while waiting for the Meteor. What's it like?
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Keep in mind that if you're boarding at South Station as indicated, you are also entitled to use the Club Acela in Boston too, prior to boarding the Regional to NY. You'll have to show both your Regional ticket and your Sleeper ticket to the agent to gain entry, but it's worth it if you have time to kill prior to boarding the Regional.
 
I think busy and crowded is an under statement. One time i was in the NYP CA waiting for 2173 and it was my brother and myself and maybe two other persons. Last time on new years day standing room only. Although I can understand why. They agent said all AE's were sold out in FC and the only BC seats on a NER was 147 until around 5 or 6 pm. I think PHL is the least known CA. I never see a ton of passengers in it. Like NYP or WAS.
 
Thank you all for your replies. AlanB thanks for reminding me that I can use the Boston CA as well, I will in fact have some time to kill after getting off a bus at South Station.

Having traveled into and out of Boston many times on Amtrak, this round trip will be my first opportunities to visit the CA in either city!
 
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You'll like the Boston CA I'm sure, IMHO it's the nicest in the system and sadly the most underutilized. But it's a nice blend of modern furniture with the old architecture of the station. Be sure to walk around and to look up at the ceiling and at the old clock near the top of the stairs.

And since you mention a round trip, if your return is also in a sleeper to either NY or DC where you then switch to a Regional, hold onto your sleeper stub as it will get you into the lounge again in Boston so that you can wait for the next bus if need be. Note: If your return has you switching to 66, then the aforementioned trick doesn't work, since that's the overnight run and your sleeper stub is no longer same day.
 
Alan I'll agree with you that BOS is the Nicest CA but I'll have to disagree on the numbers part. As I stated in my post before yours I think PHL's in the least used as it sits in that back corner of PHL. Everytime I'm in there it seems there are only a few passengers. But BOS seems to be used well for the few trains there are. More so the LSL. But I can see your argument. Not many AE's and just one LD train. While PHL has pretty much two AE's every hour from 630AM till 930PM and 6 total LD trains with Sleepers. North and South. Although the lounge closes at 9PM.

I'd be interested to see if Amtrak keeps numbers on the lounges and if they do which is used least.
 
BOS and PHL have a special charm to them, as they're vaulted above the main waiting area. WAS and NYP are more heavily used and resemble stripped-down airline clubs. Still, the beverages and bathrooms make each club visit a pleasant one.

I never see anybody using the shoe polishing machine at the NYP club--anyone brave enough to give it a shot?
 
gatelouse said:
I never see anybody using the shoe polishing machine at the NYP club--anyone brave enough to give it a shot?
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I've never used it, since I rarely travel in a suit for any reason, work or pleasure.

But I've seen it used many times, most often by Amtrak policemen oddly enough. But I have seen a few passengers use it too.
 
We just returned from the kind of trip you are looking forward to, and visited both CAs. The one in Boston is indeed worth seeking out: spacious, comfortable, and quiet. The one in NYP is considerably less so - while it surely beats hanging around the station itself, and is useful for storing luggage, it is low-ceilinged, often crowded, uncomfortably warm, and has a centrally located boob tube that is always on - loud enough to disrupt reading or thinking, but not loud enough to drown out the unruly children or loud conversations at the reception desk. And while the desk does announce the boarding time of trains, this does not spare you becoming part of the mob scene at the top of each escalator. On the plus side are the bathrooms, the free soft drinks (though the pastries, when available, taste of cardboard), and I always make use of the shoe-shine machine, common to European hotels. But overall, weather permitting, we prefer to spend most of our layover time wandering the (not particularly attractive) streets outside rather than in this particular CA. (Just my opinion!)
 
Most of us AUer's are not fond of leaving bags in CA NYP as it's very easy for someone to grab your bag and go. PHL they have small closets and I always feel very secure leaving them there. BOS if someone is with them. WAS I can't speak for as I've only been in there for a matter of minutes about 5 years ago. So I can only speak for the three. Now CHI the lounge there it guarded by a Red Cap and they give you claim checks so you can go out and sight see for the day and the attendant will give you a card with the time to be back by for your train. Flash that to get back in the lounge. Easy said and done.
 
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