| Guest |  Interesting transit trips in or near New York.
> I'm quite flexible on the definition of near New York - this could
> include the HBLR, Newark Subway, maybe even the River Line in south
> Jersey.
I'll be quite flexible in the definition of Transit then. :)
I would certainly recommend taking a ride on the River Line from
Trenton down to Camden. I made the trip over from London to see it,
just a few days after it first opened.
If you ride on Path, try to get to stand at the front of the train,
next to the driver's cab, when it's not too busy. See how tight the
curves in the tunnels are, and look out for the closed stations at 19th
street, easy to see, and 28th street, more difficult to see, but you
can still make out where it was. Get out at Hoboken, and have a look
at the restored waiting room at the main station. Also fine views
across the Hudson to Manhatten.
HBLR is also worth seeing. More views of Manhatten and, in good
weather, pleasant riverside walks, around Exchange Place and Harborside
Financial Center. If you want to change between Path and HBLR, don't
do it at Pavonia Newport, it's a long enough walk to get wet if it's
raining, and not obvious where you have to go. Change at Exchange
Place, where it's only a few metres, or at Hoboken, where it's a longer
walk, but under cover through the main line station, so you can take a
look at that on the way.
Newark City Subway is undergoing major refurbishment and modernisation
at the moment. The station at Newark Penn Station was a building site
the last time I saw it. I don't know if it's finished yet.
There are also the two Airtrain systems, at Newark and JFK. Both will
work out quite expensive to use though. The Newark one is included in
the fare when you buy a NJ Transit ticket to Newark airport station,
the last time I did it, in April this year I think a single (one way)
ticket to or from Newark Penn Station was about $6.80. The fair for
the JFK system is paid with a pay-per-ride Metrocard. $5 is charged
when entering or leaving the system at either Jamaica or Howard Beach,
so to ride from one to the other, via the airport would cost $10.
There's the Staten Island Railway, but I didn't find it that
interesting. The ferry is worth doing though. Another way of getting
to the Island is to take the Subway 'R' train to 86th Street, one stop
before the terminus at Bay Ridge. From outside the station you can
take the S79 bus which goes to Staten Island Mall wia the
Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. From the Mall there's another bus, the S44 I
think, which runs to the ferry terminal at St. George. Both bus routes
seem to run through more interesting parts of the island than the
railway does, and the view from the bridge is worth seeing.
Grand Central Terminal is worth a visit, there's a market there that
sells very good food, cheese, cooked meats ham salami etc., fruit,
fish, coffee, chocolate, bread, cakes etc. One stop from here is the
restored Harlem 125th Street station, which you might like to take a
look at.
Lastly, how about the Roosevelt Island tramway; an overhead cable car
which runs to Manhatten, alongside the 59th Street Qeeensborough
Bridge. The Roosevelt Island station is close to the Subway station on
the Island, served by the 'F' line. I didn't do this one, as I've got
no head for Heights!
I think it's interesting that it's Staten Island *Railway*,
Metro-North *Railroad* and Long Island *Rail Road*. Three systems, all
in the same city, all operated by the MTA, but three different
spellings!
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