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Day 66 Boston to New York
We were up early as we had decided to walk the 1km to South Station with our luggage. It was an uneventful walk but at a slower pace than our normal walks around town.
On arrival we discovered if we checked our luggage through to New York we would not be able to collect the bags until the next morning. Needless to say, we opted to keep it with us. The interesting fact about US train travel is that they only post the departure platform 15 minutes prior to leaving. As we had been warned by friends, this means a rush for the platform which is easy if you do not have to worry about luggage. We came up with a plan to get around this - 25 minutes before departure we took all our luggage out onto the main concourse and Vince waited there while Margaret waited with the crowd gathering in front of the departure board. As soon as it was posted Margaret hightailed it out to Vince, unencumbered by luggage.
Even better, the Amtrak train was at the platform closest to where Vince was standing. After our earlier walk we were experts (!!!) at moving with all our bags so we were near the head of the queue to present our tickets. Once on board the train we had to stow our bags. There is one small area for luggage at the end of each carriage. If you miss this spot (accommodates 6 bags) you have to heft the bag up onto the overhead rack. When the bags could weigh up to 50 lbs (ok, 23kgs) this could be a stretch if you had not eaten your weet-bixs for brekkie. We managed to get our bags into the storage area plus one smaller on the overhead rack. However, others were not so lucky. Vince was very chivalrous and lifted a number of bags overhead for damsels in distress or those who were not as young and strong as he J.
It is a 5-hour trip from Boston to New York. You may wonder why we did not fly. Although it is about an hour flight, by the time you factor in the cab ride to the airport, arriving an hour before departure and the cab ride from the airport into New York the time total time is about the same as the train. The train ride was also more relaxing. We arrived at Penn Station (under Madison Square garden), lugged all the luggage up the escalator (not civilised to have a lift) and caught the cab the mile to our apartment on West 15th Street. We decided not to navigate New York streets on foot with our luggage even though it was only 17 blocks.
The apartment block was 4 storeys and we had the sub-basement apartment (half a floor below street level). We were one avenue block from Chelsea Markets (avenues run north/south and twice the length of street blocks which run east/west). As the markets are more eating outlets and gourmet groceries we went back in the other direction to a local supermarket to purchase supplies for dinner and breakfast over the coming days.
Once the groceries were unpacked we headed out to find a visitor information centre. The one at Penn Station (17 street blocks away) was closed but the one in Macy's (on 34nd street) was open. We managed to get some information and maps of Manhattan Island so we could plan the next few days. (At this stage of the holiday we could not remember everything we had researched).
From Macy's on 34th Street, we headed on down Broadway to 42nd Street. This is where Time Square begins. It runs down to around 49th Street. As it was now dark we were able to fully appreciate all the electronic billboards lining the square. The area is full of people - tourists and locals. There are also people in costume who make a living posing with tourists for photos - Batman, Ironman, Mickey and Minnie Mouse to name a few.
We walked down 47th street to 10th Avenue on our way home. This would take us to the High Line. The high Line is an old above ground railway line that was built from 1934 to carry goods into and from Manhatten's industrial district. As industries closed down the above ground railway fell into disrepair. The last train ran on the High Line in 1980, pulling 3 carloads of frozen turkeys (Now your day is complete, knowing this small piece of trivia). In 1999 the Friends of the High Line was formed to try to preserve the High Line and use it for public open space. From 2009 to 2014 sections of the High Line were converted to public space. Basically the plants are a mixture of self-seeding plants (weeds), perennials, grasses, shrubs and trees. Today you can walk from Gansevoort Street to 34th Street (2.33kms) without walking on the road. It is well used, both by day and night.
By the time we arrived home it was quite late so we cooked a quick meal and while we ate studied the maps planning what was to come before heading off to bed.
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