Not surprisingly, it was a little trickier finding the train back to Newark Airport from Manhattan because you have to figure out grubby subterranean Penn Station, which is one of my least favorite places in NYC (unlike the elegant airy Grand Central Station which is among my favorites.) When I got off the subway at 34th street and wandered into the station I had to figure out where the NJ Transit trains and then which ones go to the airport. I knew enough not to go to the LIRR (Long Island Railroad) which I’ve taken to the Hamptons many a time but wasn’t clear on whether my airport train was Amtrak or NJ Transit (fortunately I checked ahead on-line.) I ended up going to the ticket booth for NJ Transit to make sure I bought a ticket for the right train – then waited briefly with a clump of commuters staring at the departure screen to find out the gate for my train. It wasn’t that big a deal – once I found the right place to find the right train. There was no line at the ticket booth and the gate popped up quickly on the departure screen – it just wasn’t as obvious or easy as when you leave Newark Airport and take the internal airport monorail, the AirTrain, right to the station platform for the train to Manhattan. The trip including the subway from the upper upper west side took about 1.15 tops. I also appreciated the announcement that airport passengers should NOT get off the train at the Newark Penn Station stop (which is one stop before the airport stop – and not to be confused with New York City’s Penn station.) And one tip: hold onto your NJtransit ticket after the train ride when you arrive at the AirTrain, where you’re supposed to use it to get onto the AirTrain. (I couldn’t find mine but a nice guy at the tollbooth waved me through – and of course a few minutes later I did find the ticket which I forgot I’d jammed in a pocket of my purse.) I’d definitely fly into Newark again – especially given the fantastic direct flight from Des Moines.
TakeBetsywithyou 