What is most interesting in NY?

on the list! Thanks! These are all helpful information.

yeah skip the rental you wont really need it at all .

if you gonna get on the accella why not go new london or New haven then take ride on the Shore Line East and the Like (great views)

one of the spots i been want to hit up is the Gun hill RD in the bronx for some surface running on the 5 train

also check http://forgotten-ny.com

The Red Caboose is an "interesting" train store on 45th St. close to Grand Central. The Walkway Over the Hudson at Poughkeepsie is the old New Haven rail bridge and could be part of a day trip on Metro North Hudson line. Interested in traction? The Shore Line museum in East Haven...take train to New Haven and bus or cab to museum. The last surviving carfloat operation in New York harbor is the NYNJ in Brooklyn, a bit of a walk from the R train.
As far as subway safety, I think things are mostly ok...a little sketchy in some outer borough areas, packs of rowdy kids when school lets out are more annoying than dangerous, likewise with crazies and panhandlers. If you're in an area or train that feels unsafe, stick to the token booth if there is one, or the conductor's car in the middle of the train, and a Daily New with a stressed commuter face provides a strong cloak of invisibility. I've heard MTA and cops can get weird about photography.
Have fun...I just moved and miss the city.

This traction thing sounds good. I will put it on my list of possibillities.

I once was told that a friend who lived in NYC always had a newspaper with a hole in it so that he looked like you described but was able to watch the car through the hole. That was back in the 80s.

THX, Andrew

The A line to the Rockaways is also a really fun trip, where the subway goes out to sea and takes you to the beach. If you switch to the shuttle at Broad Channel, there's an awesome taco stand within walking distance of the Beach 98 St. stop. Long segments of it are above-ground.

The Atlantic terminal isn't scenic...lots of underground corridors and platforms, plus the LIRR terminal which isn't super busy. But you can get to lots of other places. Definitely try to ride a B, D, N, or Q train across the Manhattan bridge, preferably NQ so you can see the harbor from the south side of the bridge.

Andrew,

Yes if you're into traction the Shore Line Museum is a good daytrip. Check their site out...they could use support as they really took a hit from Hurricane Irene.
Atlantic Ave. is just underground tunnels, kind of like Penn Station. Grand Central is a cathedral though and there's a transit museum annex.
East River bridges are great...try and do both the Manhattan and Williamsburg. They also have pedestrian walkways where you can watch the trains.

jaystreetcrr wrote:Andrew,

Yes if you're into traction the Shore Line Museum is a good daytrip. Check their site out...they could use support as they really took a hit from Hurricane Irene.
Atlantic Ave. is just underground tunnels, kind of like Penn Station. Grand Central is a cathedral though and there's a transit museum annex.
East River bridges are great...try and do both the Manhattan and Williamsburg. They also have pedestrian walkways where you can watch the trains.

they also took a hit from cooper thiefs

you can take the CT transit F bus to the trolly museum and get to see were the train shairs a bridge

Andrew,

Definitely go to Stillwell Ave. Its worth the trip. Also if you can squeeze in a ride on thr SIR. Its a nice ride from end to end and if you can, get off at Dongan Hills and stop in Lee's Tavern which is right there. Has the tastiest pizza in NY IMHO.

Also, the 500 bucks to drop off the rental so it can be shipped back is a load of bull. When you do a one way rental, they don't ship it back. They'll just keep it at that location and when the registration expires, they'll just change it over from CA to NY unless someone else does a another one way rental with it.. l know this because my friend used to work with a major car rental company and told me all the angles they use to make money.

Consider walking the High Line an old NYC freight line converted to a park above Manhattan. It's worth the trip if you have some time to kill. The view's are nice and it's accessible at multiple locations from 30th Street (just south of Penn) all the way down to south of 14th street. The subway is just a block or two away from most of the entrances.

Also, there is a Dallas BBQ one block away form the 23rd Street entrance on 8th Avenue. It's a can't miss if you like barbeque food.

Septaman; not to discourage anyone, but is the ride on SIR really worth the time and effort, being as you can't see out the front? I rode it about halfway a few years back and it seemed like a bore. Sounds like Lee's Tavern might be worthwhile though! Forty years years ago when I rode the whole line on the old cars, just before they were retired, that was good front window ride with the B&O signals, etc.

Ditto the ride to Stillwell Ave. When the R-40's were still running on the "Brighton Express" it was a super good ride (up 'til about 2008). I haven't even bothered with it since then. Without a front view why bother? The Manhattan Bridge might still be worth the side view though.

The only line I know that's still worth riding even without a front window is the PATH between Journal Square and Newark. Plenty to see there, but it's still depressing since the retirement of the PA-4 cars.....

The #7 line from end to end is a fun ride as well. Its by far one of my favorite lines when I visit NYC. They still use older cars that have the front window view. Going up the El and turning into Queensboro plaza high up in the air is fun. Try to ride this around rush hour and you can catch an express trip to Flushing. You definately have to get off and check out Queensboro plaza, too. Then ride the #7 all the way to Flushing and back. There are lots of good ethnic resturaunts on the line, too. If you like Asian food Flushing has tons of good little eateries to check out. When you come back on the #7 get off at Queensboro and go upstairs to ride the N out to Astoria and then on the return trip ride the N down into the tunnel. Its one of the fastest straight line runs in the system. I dont know how fast the train goes, but I'm definately thinking over 50mph and its a good stright shot. The F line out of Coney Island to the Smith's 9th street station is fun, too. One of the highest points on the system. Its pretty much an elevated run till you get going into Manhatten. Also, the JYZ trains over the WIlliamsburg bridge is a fun ride as well. You can catch those trains by taking the Q to broad street and transferring to the J. Get off at Essex if you want to see some abandoned areas where former trackage was in the tunnel.

Well said jbn! I agree with you about the #7 line, though it's only really good Flushing-bound, 'cause of the full-width cab on the Manhattan end of those trains. BTW, the Flushing-bound express starts running at about 3PM, weekdays only. I recommend boarding at Times Square so you get the front window position. If you board anywhere else along the line (especially Queensboro Plaza) the train will be crowded and you might not get to the front window.

All the other locations and routes you mentioned are good too, but without the front window it's just no fun anymore for me. In the perfect NYC Subway world of 40 years ago a great ride was to board the F in Manhattan, go over the Smith-9th viaduct to Coney Island, have lunch at Nathans, maybe ride the Cyclone, then take the "Brighton Express" back to Manhattan. Too bad much of that and the R-40/Slants are now a bygone era. The Cyclone is still a great coaster ride though!

A pair of relics in Riverside Park that would be of interest to a railbuff are located in the West 60's. The remains of a New York Central float bridge that's due for restoration, and a restored ALCO S-1 that's on static display in the park. Good to pause and spend a few minutes with if you'll be in the neighborhood anyway.

I go to NYC several times a year (I live in a city north of NYC that rhymes with "Loston"). If you have model trains, Trainworld in Brooklyn is a must. I'd suggest though, before you leave, go to their website, www.trainworldonline.com and take a look around and maybe jot down some numbers of things you might want to buy, their inventory is HUGE. I'd also suggest going to the main page at www.trainworld.com and signing up for their email newsletter, they might have a sale while your down. They have some of the best prices in the country, and many times, even with mail order is still the lowest. I've done this a few timesL take the F train to Trainworld at Ditmas Ave. Then after your visit, take the F to Coney Island and after looking around, take another train back to Manhattan. Speaking of, the end of the N and the Q stops near the Hell Gate Bridge. Another suggestion if you got the time and money would be to take the Circle Cruise around Manhattan http://www.circleline42.com/new-york-cruises/home.aspx. Even though it's not a train, you get to go under both the Williamsburg and Manhattan Bridges, plus the Metro North Bridge, THROUGH another railroad bridge, and views of the 207th street yards and Metro North trains. I had a great time (but take the bus or a cab to the 42nd street docks, it's a long way from the ACE stop on 42nd street).

Another thing I like besides trains is food and I'd definitely recommend Tracks, located on the LIRR level of Penn station to the left of the ticket counters. Models of trains on shelves, pictures of local roads, and your placemats are pictures of trains! http://www.tracksbargrill.com/about.html I ate their once, I found the prices to be OK for NY and the food was good, to say nothing of the atmosphere. It's a bar but there's a quieter seating area in the rear.

Tangentially related and much more expensive is the Oyster Bar in Grand Central. While not decorated in a train related way, it is a historic restaurant.

If this is your first time to NYC, I'd suggest when you get there, go to a hudson news stand in either Penn or Grand Central or the transit museum annex in Grand Central and buy one of the laminated maps. While the MAP is really cool and free, it's rather large, but do get one. I have a friend who's from Staten Island and a train enthusiast, he uses it for a poster.

Lastly: take a look at this: http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/New_York_ ... Track_Maps and consider purchasing the book. I did and it's fantastic.

Head-end View wrote:All the other locations and routes you mentioned are good too, but without the front window it's just no fun anymore for me.

well then maybe you should start considering the other windows on the train...

heck, the only bright side of the R44 and 46s is the riding backwards looking out the window while sitting in the transverse. I like doing that for some odd reason.