Penn Station at 3 AM?

I may be riding from Westerly down to Penn Station on the 67 and then up to Rochester on the Maple Leaf. What is open in Penn Station when the 67 wanders in 2:15 AM?

The Hudson News or something like is near the Amtrak waiting room was open last time I was there.

joshuahouse wrote:I may be riding from Westerly down to Penn Station on the 67 and then up to Rochester on the Maple Leaf. What is open in Penn Station when the 67 wanders in 2:15 AM?

If its 3 am (and you must be lonely,) this is what you can choose from: On the upper level, there is a 24 hours Dunkin Donuts and a few newstands. On the Long Island RR concourse, you have Starbucks, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, KFC until 3am (on Fridays,) a pizza parlor, Corner Bakery, Au Bon Pain, at least 2 deli sandwich stores, a bread and bagel store (the name escapes me,) a place that sells soups, muffins and desserts, an all night grill and a few major magazine stores.

You can also hit the streets.

ThirdRail7 wrote: a bread and bagel store (the name escapes me,)

Zaro's (x2)

Pen Station is (in my opinion) the worst place to be late night in NYC. From my experiences it's where the homeless tend to sleep because, unlike Grand Central, Penn is open 24/7.

If you are taking Amtrak/LIRR, they have dedicated waiting areas for people with tickets and are waiting for trains.

Bring a sleeping blindfold. The lights get pretty bright. Definitely stay in the more public areas so you aren't bothered by the homeless.

I would suggest broadway and 41st street, cafe duke, a few minute walk from NYP. You have a few hours, so the walk to/from cafe duke might be refreshing and the food there is incredible.

There are no more dunkin donuts in NYP it's all tim hortons now. Their food and beverage are far superior. There's also the several primo cappuccino locations, they sell variety of beverages, sandwiches, desserts and amazing rice crispy cubes. You also have some stuff over on the LIRR concourse, just follow the signs for the subway, it's a long arched ceiling hallway with 123 trains at one end and ABC at the other, hard to miss.

As far as homeless, there are numerous ticketed passenger only waiting rooms where they are not allowed, but i've never had an issue with them ever in the 11 years of using NYP.

Make sure to get a seat on the left side of the train, so you get the best views. And yea, sleep mask not a bad idea.

Have a fun trip!

25Hz wrote:I would suggest broadway and 41st street, cafe duke, a few minute walk from NYP. You have a few hours, so the walk to/from cafe duke might be refreshing and the food there is incredible.

There are no more dunkin donuts in NYP it's all tim hortons now. Their food and beverage are far superior. There's also the several primo cappuccino locations, they sell variety of beverages, sandwiches, desserts and amazing rice crispy cubes. You also have some stuff over on the LIRR concourse, just follow the signs for the subway, it's a long arched ceiling hallway with 123 trains at one end and ABC at the other, hard to miss.

As far as homeless, there are numerous ticketed passenger only waiting rooms where they are not allowed, but i've never had an issue with them ever in the 11 years of using NYP.

Make sure to get a seat on the left side of the train, so you get the best views. And yea, sleep mask not a bad idea.

Have a fun trip!

I purchased a Dunkin Donuts coffee and donuts last Friday evening at NY Penn, near the police desk in the main area where the large display board is located. Has it closed in the last 3 days?

More importantly, I would *not* recommend walking a half mile or so to 41st street at 3 a.m. Far better to remain ensconced in the Amtrak waiting area.

yes, drunken doughnuts has made an appearance back at NYP.
If you care to get diner food, the Tic Toc diner 34th and 8th in the New Yorker hotel building is open. That also depends on how much baggage you're toting. Otherwise just wait in the passenger lounge area - i believe that may be open, and they don't let the homeless in there (unless they possess a Amtrak ticket )

The Long Island Rail Road is a 24/7 operation so that area would be your best bet for food etc.
Noel Weaver

At 3am , Penn station is pretty boring and just plain lame. If you are in NYC, might as well get your monies worth, see times square or the empire state. There is plenty of street activity in midtown, so it's not desolate and unsafe.

The diner on 8th is a good place to grab food or coffee. Bars/nightclubs close at 4am.

Caveat: NYC can be dangerous. Just copy what the locals do and no one should give you problems. If you are handy w/ maps, study them beforehand so you aren't lost or confused. even if you get lost, don't act lost etc etc.

Noel Weaver wrote:The Long Island Rail Road is a 24/7 operation so that area would be your best bet for food etc.
Noel Weaver

There's no eastbound LIRR service out of NYP between 0318 and 0454, and no incoming westbounds between 0304 and 0406. (weekdays)

Carry a blade. Good for slicing a toasted bagel or an armed robber.

Ken W2KB wrote:I purchased a Dunkin Donuts coffee and donuts last Friday evening at NY Penn, near the police desk in the main area where the large display board is located. Has it closed in the last 3 days?

More importantly, I would *not* recommend walking a half mile or so to 41st street at 3 a.m. Far better to remain ensconced in the Amtrak waiting area.

I was last there jan 4th, there was no DD there at that time.

And, there's nothing wrong with walking to cafe duke. The city has a really amazing ambiance that time of night. My favorite time of year to be out overnight is the week before xmas, when it's freezing cold and all the decorations everywhere and you smell all those food stands, and the bakeries starting to make their fare for the morning crowds... You can go to times square and there may be 10 other people there or less... Nothing else quite like it.

There is a police presence all around as well.

While of course all would hope that Mr. 3rd Rail's comment is an "unlikely", it is not without foundation. Lest we forget, cops are always there when you wish they were elsewhere, e.g. 70 in a 55 kind of stuff; they are never there when you need them.

I also recognize and respect that $300/ni and up for a Manhattan hotel room could well be a "turn off".

How would this sound for an alternate itinerary; WRY-177(I)-STM-141(II)-NYP-281(II)-ROC. At Stamford, within a walk, there are many a major brand @ about $225/ni; there are also, to the West of the station and still within a walk several "econobrands" that I would guess @ $125/ni. Possibly you could better those rates through a web auction or consolidator site.

Ergo, a good night's sleep and minimal to none personal security concerns.