The day after the concert was a Travel Day.  We took the train from Boston to New York City because this was the most convenient and direct route to get where we needed to go.  On our trip to the United Kingdom in 2019, we had a lovely time taking the train from Liverpool to Glasgow.

But this wasn't that.

In this post, I'll share my train ride experience, what happened when we first got to NYC, and share a look at our New York hotel.

In case you missed any of my previous Boston posts, you can find them below!  New York City posts can be found here.

Another day, another Dunkies

I was tickled to be so matchy-matchy!! What I Wore to NYC: Westlife Tee - 2019 Tour   /    LIVI Ankle Length Trouser - Lane Bryant (similar) Colorblock Jacket - Under Armour via Kohl's   /   Benton Springs Vest in Black Cherry - Columbia Ghost Max Walking Shoe - Brooks   /   Belcourt Backpack in Plum & Belcourt Crossbody - eBags

What Sean Wore: Henley - Old Navy   /   Wilson Moto Jacket - I.N.C. via Macy's Lee Extreme Motion MVP Slim-Fit, Tapered Jeans - Kohl's   /   Wide Toe Box Running Shoes - Amazon Boston hat - Bought at Faneuil Hall

I wore stuff I picked up in Salem, like my hat from Moon's Gift Shop & the ring I bought at Whimsy's Sweet Life.

The Back Bay Station is a hub for trains, buses, and the Orange Line subway.  It was only a five-minute car ride to get there from our hotel, so we headed over right after check-out.  We arrived about two hours before our train was set to depart, so we rolled our luggage around to check out the inside of the station.  Coming in the front door, the stairs to the subway are to your left and the train ticketing booths are to your right.  A wide, open corridor is between these two areas, with exit doors at the other end.

This train station isn't a nice one.  It's dirty and dingy, with sketchy people milling around and bonkers pigeons flapping around suddenly, but like constantly.  We didn't want to sit up here, so we decided to head down to wait for the train because there would at least be less people to deal with.

But we were tired and wanted to take the elevator instead of hunting for the escalators we didn't see initially.  We wheeled our luggage down the corridor to the elevator and pressed the button.  When the elevator opened, there were several youths in the elevator doing a drug deal and smoking.  I don't know what else they were doing because I chose not to make eye contact.  We backed away slowly and tried to make it obvious we were minding our own business.  Then we bitched about it to each other the entire time we hunted for the escalators.  (The escalators are tucked into a corner near the ticketing booths.)

So we headed down to the train platform, which was pretty deserted most of the time.  Sure, it was cold and breezy and we breathed in train fumes for two hours, but we managed to not get shot, stabbed, or mugged so it was a good day.  Thankfully, trains are punctual and two hours passed by rather quickly considering.

So here are a few of my tips for taking the train:

• Tip #1 - Buy your tickets ahead of time.
• We didn't even need to go to the ticketing booth or talk to anyone.
• Tip #2 - Get food and beverages and use the bathroom before you arrive.
• They have refreshments on the train, but I don't think you want to put your nethers near these toilets if you can help it.
• Tip #3 - Arrive 20 minutes before your train departs.
• You are better off not getting there super early.  Ain't nothing to see or do, and it ain't worth staying in a shitty place longer than you need to.

The train platform was marked where each car would be, so we sat on a bench near our assigned car to wait.  It's a little stressful getting all of our luggage into the car and where it needs to go as others are trying to do the same, but that aspect went rather smoothly.

We chose to sit in the Quiet Car to limit stress.  Not everyone was quiet, but I think other passengers shamed the loud people enough that they started quieting down halfway through the trip.  Still though, the asshole sitting in front of Sean leaned his seat ALL the way back and then left his chair like that for an hour while he went off to do god knows what. No one on public transport should ever be allowed to lean their seat back for any reason.  It shouldn't be a thing at all.  We all have limited space and just because I'm unlucky enough to sit behind a selfish prick, I have to have even less space?  Naw.

The roughly four-hour train trip could be more scenic, but you pass through Rhode Island and Connecticut on your way to New York.  It was a cold, cloudy day when we took the train, so it was pretty dreary overall.  The view of NYC as you get closer to the city will be better viewed from the right side of the train.

About halfway through our train ride, I could start to tell that I was probably going to have a panic attack soon.  For me, not getting enough sleep has become an obvious trigger for my anxiety, but it didn't become so obvious to me until this trip and this moment.  Combined with the stress of travel and being around the inconsiderate general public (because people on the train were also hack-coughing, open-mouthed, and I didn't have a face mask handy), by the time we made it to Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station I was having a full-blown panic attack.

Expect to hit the ground running when you get off that train.  I'm not kidding.  New York City is chaos.  There are people EVERYWHERE, at all times.  They will come at you from every direction.  They don't give a shit about anyone else around them.  They only care about where they are going and what they want to do.  It's like being in the middle of activity on an ant hill but with less organization.

Also, that train station is large and when you are thrown into the chaos, wearing and pushing multiple bags of luggage, trying to keep your eyes on your belongings and what people around you are doing, while everyone is moving every which way at any given time, it makes it kind of hard to read the random numbered signs to figure out where the hell you need to go.  (Keep in mind, I am a neurodivergent person and this is my personal experience.)

We were already running late so the car we ordered in advance wouldn't wait for us much longer.  Sean was racing through the station, but he stopped when I finally told him I was panicking.  I stood by a column to breathe and we pushed on until we finally found our way outside.  I followed behind Sean the best I could, but my panic attack was fully happening by the time I made it outside; and I started to cry.  I pushed back the tears as Sean flew up the sidewalk far ahead.  There was no way I was keeping up.  Between luggage and people and blurry vision from the tears, I was pushing forward and doing my best.

Sean found our driver and came back for me and my luggage.  We loaded it into the car and had about a twenty-minute ride to our hotel.  And once we were in our hotel, I admitted to Sean that I couldn't handle things emotionally.  I was done.  My brain was fried.  I needed rest.

I don't like to cave or admit defeat, but I knew I didn't have the mental capacity to deal with anything else that day.  So my first twenty-four hours in NYC were spent inside the hotel room resting.  And honestly, it was a good call.  Because I took that extra time for myself, it allowed me to regroup and start fresh in New York.  Because of this, I had a far better time than I would have had pushing myself past my breaking point.

So my top Travel Tip - Know your personal limits and plan accordingly.

We chose the Ameritania Hotel at Times Square for its proximity to the concert venue (Radio City Music Hall) and central location to most of the things we planned on doing our first time in town.  After looking at so many hotels in the area, the Ameritania had the most room for the price while still being in a decent location.  The farther away from Times Square you want to stay, I think you'll have better luck finding slightly larger accommodations.  (And when I say "slightly larger", I mean more like the size of a normal hotel room anywhere else.) 

We reserved a room with two double beds because that provides us a little more room, plus we sometimes like to have separate beds to stretch out while on vacation.  (The thing I miss the most about being single is having the bed to myself. lol)  Our room looked down into a courtyard between buildings. At first, we thought we could hear the crowd from the Ed Sullivan Theater next door, but it became apparent that there was a comedy club that did shows in the courtyard from about 10pm to midnight or 1am.  The noise was more like a low murmur through the shut windows and we were exhausted enough that it didn't keep us awake at night.

The staff was nice enough, and the doorman got us a great deal on a car to the airport on our last day.  Don't hesitate to look into that.  He saved us about $70.  There was water in the lobby and a Starbucks, Dunkin', French bakery, and a great Italian place called Angelo's right nearby (Just to name a few.  It's NYC.  They got it all!)

In fact, on our first night in NYC, Sean went down to Angelo's and brought back pasta, broccoli, and a big arugula salad!  We devoured it and slept well.  (We both became obsessed with the arugula salad. This was only the first time we had it while in the city.  It's so simple - arugula, radicchio, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan, and a honey Balsamic dressing.  I've recreated it so many times since we've been home.  It's just so good!)