Tag: new-york

From Stamford By Train

I drove to JFK Airport recently on a Saturday. I was hoping it wouldn’t be a long and stressful drive. It was over 90 minutes coming and going and there were a lot of dangerous drivers.

I mention this because this summer I am going to take the train for day trips  as much as possible. You too can take the train from Stamford. There are many interesting trips you can take and many of them can be day trips.

Here is a list of some of the trips.

Greenwich and New Canaan; both are less than 20 minutes, and both are very walk-able from the train station. Heck New Canaan drops you right into the town.

Westport is less than 30 Minutes and the walk to the beach is historic and nice. Definitely worth a train ride.  A little tip: take the train that leaves around the half-hour. There are three less stops.

Bridgeport is about a 30-to-40-minute ride. You can walk to the Port Jefferson Ferry and take the ferry to Long Island. The town of Port Jefferson is a nice town to explore and have lunch. The ferry ride is about an hour long.

At the hour mark for travel is New York City and New Haven.

New Haven has three free museums the Yale Art Museum, The Peabody Museum and the British Museum of Art. There is also a nice selection of restaurants in New Haven.

What can I say about New York City, there are a million things to explore in the city.

Lately I have been getting off the train in Fordham in the Bronx.  You must take the local to NYC. A short walk from the station will take you to Arthur Avenue, The Bronx Zoo and the Bronx Botanical Garden

The two-hour mark brings you to either New London or Mystic. Mystic is only available by using Amtrak. New London can be either Amtrak or Metro North and Shoreline East.

I have taken the train to Mystic. The seaport is around a fifteen-minute walk from the station.

New London has ferry service to Long Island, Block Island in the summer and Fishers Island.

Amtrak tickets cost more. However, if you buy your tickets at least a month earlier you can get a decent price.

So, take the train and enjoy the state of CT and New York.

A Nice Day Trip

Last week I took the train to New York City. I exited the train at the Fordham Station in the Bronx. I have been getting off the train quite a bit in Fordham. I have found the Bronx is to be very walk-able and there is a lot to see and do there.

This trip was an easy walk.  I went to Arthur Avenue for lunch.  If you haven’t been you must go.  Arthur Ave is only a ten-minute walk from the train station. If you want to enjoy Italian food this is the place to go. They have a food store that still makes sausages the old-fashioned way.

After lunch I walked over to the Bronx Botanical Garden. Always a nice place to visit.

This summer the theme is “Alice in Wonderland.”

This rabbit topiary is just one of many items at the Garden.

The train from Stamford to Fordham takes 50 minutes and the is a train every half hour doing the day. Both Arthur Avenue and the Botanical Garden can be walked to in less than fifteen minutes.  Uber or Lyft is an alternative if you want to save your walking for the garden.

Enjoy.

Hudson River to Hudson New York

I finally did it. I have been wanting to go up the Hudson River by train for ages. The other day I finally accomplished my goal.

The trip was enjoyable.  The train leaves Penn Station in NYC and takes a little over two hours to arrive in Hudson, New York.

The train left Penn Station at 8:40; the first ten minutes was just like leaving Grand Central Terminal. Underground and dark. We emerged from the tunnels around 130th Street. 

Unfortunately, it was quite foggy.

Here is a view of the George Washington Bridge. After Tarrytown the sun burned through the fog, and it was blue skies the rest of the way.

Passing through Ossining we came upon Sing Sing Prison. I believe the phrase “sending you up the river” refers to Sing Sing.

Soon it was the Bear Mountain Bridge in view. A few minutes later West Point came into view. The hills were getting bigger.

There were many sightings of wildlife. Lots of ducks and I saw two Bald Eagles on the way up to Hudson.

Arriving at Hudson in a little over two hours I was anxious to explore the town. Hudson is having a revival.  The town is full of restaurants and quaint shops. There is an emphasis on antiques and vintage. The town is quite walkable. I spent four hours in Hudson and enjoyed it.

This is a picture looking at the Hudson River from Hudson and seeing the Catskills Mountains in the distance.

I was amazed at how many lighthouses there are on the river.

At this point in my travels, I would say the trip up the Hudson and taking the train along Long Island Sound are two train trips you should do.

The only drawback to going up the Hudson is you either must go to NYC or catch the train in Yonkers.