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Blog 148 Day 21 of 30  By Amtrak to New York.

Already, I feel like I am on my way home.  Business Class on the New York bound Maple Leaf has quite a contingent of Queen Mary 2 passengers who, like me, are spending one final day (2 nights) in the Big Apple.  Core!  I have left Syracuse behind, the nice hotel right in the heart of downtown, the imaginatively named casual restaurants, and all those places time and energy (lack thereof)  would not let me see.  The heavy rains at the start of my first of two days there played a part in my embarrassing lack of get-up and go!  I made up for it the next day, accumulating over 22,200 steps, or (unbelievably) 8 miles.  The Creek Walk was a joy!   And, today, I was given a walking route to the Erie Canal Museum, situated to where the Erie Canal once passed through.  This enabled me at the last minute to catch a glimpse of more of Syracuse before having to leave.

Final scenes of Syracuse.

I need help here! 
The Bank of Syrcuse (also photographed during yesterday’s walk)
Clinton Square. With a bit of luck, recognition technology may help me identify hitherto unlabelled photographs.

The railway between New York and Albany is one  of my favourite stretches of line. As previously mentioned, the Hudson River runs alongside the railway for some considerable distance with scenic outlines of  mountains that I still need to identify – not the Catskills I was led to believe in 2014!   I’m informed that the river beyond Albany is the Mohawk.  Occasionally, or perhaps more often, I am reminded of how little I actually know.  Like a favourite piece of music, I will never tire of travelling along this former (I believe) New York Central route.  The original Maple Leaf (I gather) was a name attributed to the service from Toronto to Chicago run by the Grand Trunk Western R.R.  I’m sure I have done that journey in both directions in 1969. I don’t remember the train being known as the Maple Leaf.  I certainly remember riding the Grand Trunk Western and passing through Battle Creek.

This final Amtrak ride of my travels was as lovely as ever. The sun setting over the Hudson River and the distant hills will always be something to behold.

Looking back out of a window of the Business Class (5th) carriage.  Schenectady 21/8/24.
I stayed overnight here in 2019
Usually, there is a fairly long stop at Albany in both directions. Between Albany and New York, the locomotive needs to be capable of running under electric power for the section of tunnel approaching Penn Station where diesel power is not allowed. Thus, a change of locomotive is necessary in both directions.

I’m guessing the train illustrated here is a Chicago bound Lake Shore Limited service.
Arrival at Penn Station 15 minutes early, after having left Syracuse 40 minutes late.  I said goodbye to possibly my new QM2 friends. We might meet up during the seven night voyage.

I sure hope this isn’t my last Amtrak adventure. But there’s going to have to be something major for me to cross the Pond in the future. 

Fabulous!  The Moynahan Train Hall, New York.

I wheeled my luggage to the last hotel of this visit.

In the distance, the Empire State Building.  I may try and go up at night.
Penn Station
Nocturnal New York
Avocado on toast at the Tick Tock Diner, New York.

Many thanks for reading,

David, 00.14 hrs the lobby at the Fairfield Inns and Suites by Marriott  opposite on 33rd Street.

davidscruise

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