DC to NYC and back in a day?

[csb]

Say I wanted to take the train from DC to NYC, take in Times Square and some food and get back on the train to DC. Is it doable?

 

[engineergurl]

your looking at 8+ hours of travel time alone, it's do able depending on the length of the day and the train schedule

 

[csb]

Amtrak is showing the train at about 3 hours each leg, for 6 hours total. Plus I'd get to see Baltimore and Philly!

 

[snickerd3]

crazy lady!

 

[engineergurl]

Amtrak is showing the train at about 3 hours each leg, for 6 hours total. Plus I'd get to see Baltimore and Philly!

hmmm... I'm seeing 3 hrs and 42 min to 4 hours and and 26 min for dc to nyc for amtrak with one train change... I guess it depends on where you are starting

 

[csb]

Going straight between Union Station and Penn Station. If I spring for Acela Express, it's 2:45.

I haven't been to NYC since I was in fifth grade.

 

[mudpuppy]

Acela can get expensive. Did you look at airfare? Flying might be competitive with the train.

 

[mudpuppy]

I'm seeing DCA to JFK for $137 roundtrip. I believe DCA has a metro stop, not sure about the NYC end.

 

[mudpuppy]

I'm seeing DCA to JFK for $137 roundtrip. I believe DCA has a metro stop, not sure about the NYC end.

Compared this on some random dates and Acela was $316 round trip.

 

[csb]

The non-Acela route is $58/leg, but that adds about an hour. Acela is $100 more per leg. I like the train idea because, well, I like trains.

It's a crazy idea, but I'm not quite ready to give up on it.

 

[mudpuppy]

I absolutely would do it! But then I also flew across the country to spend one day at Yosemite.

I personally wouldn't think $316 to sit on a train for 5 hours is worth it, but $137 for two hours on a plane is a steal. But I'm also a little biased because my experience with Amtrak is they are slow and unreliable. However, Acela is their crown jewel so hopefully service there is better.

 

[iwire]

definitely doable

Take the 4-5AM train then you get by 9 AM....and then take the late train back...you get most of the day time in NYC. Done it before!

 

[Ramnares P.E.]

Definitely doable. I've done Penn to Union Station on the Acela and back in one day. The train ride is pretty relaxing. The WiFi onboard was pretty reliable. I've taken regular Amtrak and it can be spotty but never had WiFi issues on the Acela.

 

[NJmike PE]

Say I wanted to take the train from DC to NYC, take in Times Square and some food and get back on the train to DC. Is it doable? 

Just crash at my place after nyc. I have cake

 

[P-E]

Is there a bar car? Then it would be doable.

 

[knight1fox3]

Is there a bar car? Then it would be doable.

Ha ha! We did this on the way to St. Louis. And played Monopoly the whole time with various drinking rules. That was interesting trying to step off the train.

 

[Sapper PE LS]

It's certainly doable and I'd opt for the train also.

 

[Road Guy]

What type of latrine facilities are available on the train? If I was going to take in some NYC food I am going to need some room to myself later (if you know what I mean)

 

[Ramnares P.E.]

All Amtrak that I've been on, regular and Acela, have bar cars and bathrooms that are very similar to those you would see on an airplane.

 

[roadwreck]

If you are going to fly keep in mind that it takes about an hour to get from the NYC airports to Manhattan via transit.