Oh fuck, not this again. WAHT? I CAN’T HEAR YOU OVER THE WHIRRING OF THE CARS ON I-95!!! WHELP, GUESS I’LL HAVE TO YELL IN THIS LIKE I HAD TO WITH FREAKIN’ NEWTONVILLE. ANYWAYS, HERE WE GO. HOPEFULLY I DON’T RUN MY MOUTH DRY OR INHALE TOO MANY GASOLINE FUMES!
THE DAMN STATION SIGNAGE
SO, LARCHMONT IS RIGHT NEXT TO I-95, IN FACT I’D ARGUE IT’S CLOSER TO I-95 THAN THE MASS PIKE IS TO NEWTONVILLE. IT’S SO CLOSE THAT THE STATION PARKING LITERALLY HAS TO REST ATOP THE EXPRESSWAY. ANYWAYS, WHAT IS HERE? WELL, NOT MUCH ACTUALLY. A WHOLE LOTTA SHOPPING BUT IT’S THE ASS SIDE OF SAID BUILDINGS AS THERE’S OOPS! ALL PARKING! YOU ALSO HAVE SOME STUFF LINING PALMER AVE. AND WHATNOT. THERE’S ALSO SOME GREENSPACES NEARBY. NEAT! AS FOR THE OTHER SIDE, YOU HAVE A TUNNEL GOING ALL THE WAY TO THE OTHER SIDE OF I-95 AND A TICKET OFFICE. LET’S CHECK IT OUT!
*enters ticket office, is quieter*
Okay, I can actually talk at a reasonable volume here! So, the ticket office is small but surprisingly it’s unlocked. There’s also some seats in here as well, and overpasses. Good Service? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Oh well.
SEE YA!LOOKING TOWARDS PENN STA.-NEW YORKAND TOWARDS STAMFORD AND NEW HAVENLOTS AND LOTS OF PARKING AND THE ASS SIDE OF BUSINESSES!THIS IS KINDA SKETCHYOH MYTHE OTHER SIDEYEH, VERY DINGY!LOOKING FROM THE PENN/GRAND CENTRAL PLATFORMI SPY A HEATED WAITING AREAThe ticketed waiting room. Surprisingly, was unlocked!Even when closed, you can smell the cafe!Overpass shot!Bleh.The overpass and an exit to parkingGOOD SERVICE? The fuck does that mean?!OH JOY, THE TICKET OFFICE FROM AFARNEXT TO ARRIVE ON TRACK FOUR!M8!
The good: IT’S NEXT TO THE TOWN CENTER, KINDA! THAT’S KINDA EASY THOUGH WHEN THE ENTIRE DAMN TOWN IS SUBURBAN SPRAWL OTHERWISE. THE TICKET OFFICE IS UNLOCKED DURING OFFPEAK HOURS TOO!
The bad: IT’S FUCKING NEXT TO I-95 AND YOU CAN’T HEAR A DAMN THING!
Nearby points of interest: THE TOWN CENTER AND SOME GREEN SPACES. NOT A LOT ELSE, REALLY.
Next stop on the line is Mamaroneck! Now, this one is pretty popular for Amtrak and Metro-North railfanning because this and Larchmont are on the fastest stretch of track between New Haven and New Rochelle (where the lines split), with speeds up to 80 miles an hour. So, let’s look at this station, shall we?
Signage!
The northbound platform is the usual, has seating and sheltered waiting areas, but nothing special. The southbound platform, however, has a ticket office – AND IT WAS OPEN! Well, more like a ticket room with vending machines but hey, it counts! Furthermore, there’s a tunnel connecting the two sides and, I think, the Italian restaurant that sits in the old station headhouse. I haven’t had the chance to try it myself personally, but I heard it’s good. Furthermore, the station is in a decent enough area as well with a decent walkshed. Neat!
See ya!Towards Stamford!The local streetsWHY THE FUCK ARE THERE SHOPPING CARTS HERE?!The tunnel to the other side and the restaurantThe ticket office and parkingInside the ticket “office”Express!
The good: It’s in a walkable area and there’s an open ticket office! Neat! Furthermore, there’s a restaurant in the old headhouse as well. Aside from that, it’s pretty normal.
The bad: The tunnel feels a little dingy, not gonna lie…
Nearby points of interest: There’s a park nearby and shopping along Mamaroneck Ave.! There’s also a beach somewhat close by.
Transit connections: Metro-North (New Haven) Bee-Line (60, 61)
Overall, it’s an alright station. The area itself is nice, and it’s worth railfanning here during the warmer season. However, the tunnel feels kinda dingy though…
Next stop is Harrison! So, like Rye, the walkshed around here is pretty decent, but it’s even better in that you have some TOD as well. Neat! Let’s take a look, shall we?
Station sign!A more normal sign
So, the station is located in the main population center of Harrison, adjacent to the town center and some TOD. There’s a ticket office on the inbound platform, however I didn’t notice if it was open or not. The platforms are still your standard affair with an overpass, parking, elevators, and so on. At the point of me doing this, it was beginning to reach the PM peak and I had to make haste before any weirdness in the timetables kicked in (& peak fares! Yikes!), so I wasn’t here TOO long. However, bus connections are found on Halstead Ave. and NY-127, and plenty of parking can be found. The overpass also serves as an entrance as well. Neat! All things considered, it’s normal.
The evening winter sunLooking towards Stamford & BostonThe overpass and an exitOverpass shot!And the other way!Some TOD?The ticket office. I wasn’t sure if it was open or not.An M8Bye!
The good: It has some TOD! Furthermore, there’s plenty of parking and Bee-Line connections! On top of all that, the area is relatively walkable as well! Nice! There’s also nearby green spaces and even the town clerk’s office adjacent to the station as well.
The bad: Eh, it’s about average. There’s nothing wrong that stands out, but the biggest issue boils to the trains terminating here can sometimes create gaps in the timetable that can be annoying to work around if heading north during the PM peak.
Nearby points of interest: The town center looks interesting! Furthermore, you can get to Yonkers from here by bus!
Transit connections: Metro North (New Haven) Bee-Line (5, 61)
Overall, it’s an okay station. It’s average at everything, it works, but nothing really makes it stand out too much. There’s TOD though!
Well, I did it. I started to trek deeper and closer to the heart of NYC. This, along with several other entries, are part of an adventure I decided to go on, on my 23rd birthday (happy belated birthday to myself!). So, first stop for this blog is Rye, NY.
Station signage!
The station itself is pretty standard, but slightly unusual in that there’s not one but two overpasses. There’s also heated waiting areas on both sides of the track, which on a cold and windy day is VERY, VERY HELPFUL. There’s also a ticket office that, sadly, like at most commuter stations on the NEC, was closed. However, here, they cited “staffing shortages and a remodel.” but it looked like it wasn’t touched in several months. Uhhhhhhhhh….. At least the station’s fully accessible with elevators, though! Yay! And, there’s a lot of parking and even Bee-Line connections!
Parking and catenary!An M8!That overpass is US-1.Looking towards Penn Station and Grand Central!Overpass shot!Another overpass shot!Parking on the southbound side – and I-95This train ran express.The ticketing office, which was closedNot sure how long since someone’s been here…
The good: It’s got some parking, Bee-Line connections, and a somewhat decent walkshed! There’s plenty of shopping and restaurants to the south, and a residential neighborhood to the north. Unfortunately though that requires crossing I-95.
The bad: Eh, the bus connections are infrequent at the station proper, and you’d have to walk to NY-120 for regular connections to Bee-Line’s 61 to New Rochelle, Fordham, and Port Chester. The 13 only brings you to Ossining, Tarrytown, and Playland at select times. Also, I-95 is literally right next to the station. 🙁
Nearby points of interest: You have the aforementioned shopping area south of the station, along with a country club.
Transit connections: Metro-North (New Haven) Bee-Line (13 at station proper, 61 at NY-120)
Overall, it’s an okay station. If anything, I’d say it’s about average with not a lot to make it stand out. Sorry! But, sometimes that’s a good thing.
Well, I never thought I’d be writing this. By the time this blog entry comes out, I should have the end result of my efforts here, but until then this will remain a draft. For context, I started writing this on 11/9/2023. It will almost likely be January or February of 2024. Maybe even March. Maybe I’ll be 23 by the time the end result turns up at my doorstep. Maybe Chelsea vs. NYC: The Nomenclature Rant(TM) will be written and completed by then. Who knows. (spoiler: it was 12/12/23, much earlier than anticipated) But, until then, I will be documenting my misadventures involving the State Department and obtaining a passport.
The first attempt starts when a friend texts me and pesters me about getting a passport. Now, anyone who knows me would know I’m staunchly against getting one on two grounds: 1. They’re stupidly overpriced (over $200?! Really?!) and 2. …why do we need to carry a freakin’ book around, when a normal ID has all the info that a police officer would need?
Anyone who also knows me well enough, also knows I’m not one to bail out on commitments, either made by myself or someone else (if that “someone else” is overly pushy, I’ll do it to shut them up – if it’s not illegal), as I otherwise feel like an asshole if I bail out. Of course, that “commitment” can be something as simple as getting a paper in by week’s end, or something as elaborate as documenting every train and rapid transit station in southern New England. And, so, I felt obligated to buy a passport now that I got put into that predicament. So, upon being told by my friend they made an appointment in my name, on my behalf, for Thursday (2023-11-09), I obliged. I go through everything, print everything out, go crazy looking for my birth certificate to photocopy, photocopy everything I need, and bring it in, and I pay the $200+……or it would be so, IF THE DAMN DEPARTMENT OF STATE WASN’T SO DAMN NEEDY! YEAH, NOT ONLY DO YOU NEED TO PHOTOCOPY EVERYTHING, THEY ALSO DEMAND YOU HAVE ORIGINALS ON HAND TOO! Like, why even photocopy at that point?! Just save the damn trees! And I say this, as someone who prefers double-tracking through the Needham wetlands and sending the Orange Line through it, over a double extension solution! (that is, Orange Line to Millennium Park & double branching the Green Line to split at Newton Highlands)
And so, I walked away from the Garden City post office defeated and (thankfully) not short $200+…….for now, went back to West Warwick to run some errands, and picked up a non-photocopied, well, copy of my birth certificate to cover my ass (hopefully they’ll take it!), and got lunch at a local restaurant. Next attempt would have me go down to the Nooseneck Hill Post Office, just outside Woodland Manor, on 2023-11-20.
The long corridor of Post Office Plaza – the office building housing the Garden City Post Office in Cranston
ATTEMPT #2: 2023-11-09 to 2023-11-20 “APPROACHING: Rhode Island Route 3…and…Reservoir Road…..”
Okay, so after waiting for about 2 weeks from the last part, I took the trip out to Woodland Manor in the borderlands. Scheduled appointment time: 10:30 AM. My bus arrived at the end of my street at about 9:40ish, and would get to Woodland Manor for 10:06, about 3-4 minutes ahead of schedule. Neat! This gave me about 24 minutes to spare in the borderlands. While annoying, it wasn’t too bad to work with since I was hungry and there was a Cumberland Farms right there. And then came 10:30ish.
One of the clerks asked me what I needed, and I told them I was there for a passport appointment. I hung tight for the passport lady to call me up (under deadname, sadly, but oh well!), and…..well, it actually wasn’t painful! She looked over the paperwork, confirmed that I needed photo services done too (admittedly, I didn’t trust myself with this part DIYed), and went over everything in a clear and concise manner, right down to correcting any erroneous information or the offchance the photo taken got rejected. But, with that all taken care of, everything was all submitted for a grand total of…….drumroll please……
*drumrolls*
$212. Yikes. But, I knew what I was getting myself into here (at least moreso than the original plan for the 2023 Thanksgiving Special, which got canned for a combination of self-preservation and an inability to find a fitting helmet in time). Besides, I had 2 and a half hours to spare before work, and what better way to spend it from there than to buy lunch? From there, I opted to go down to Arctic, buy a burger (with 2x hot weenies, fries, and hot chocolate!) from Ferrucci’s NY System, and then go to work. Overall, good food if you’re willing to tolerate eating in a locally-owned establishment plastered with some right-wing propaganda.
The borderlands…Burgers & Fries!Hot weenies! (no onions!)HOT CHOCOLATE!!!THE MUGSHOT!
PART 3: THE ARRIVAL (2023-11-20 to 2023-12-12) *ding dong!* “[DEADNAME], YOU GOT SOME MAIL FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT!” -stepdad, probably (yeah sadly they deadname me. Oh well!)
Well, this happened MUCH earlier than anticipated! All of….THREE WEEKS?! Huh, interesting. Actually, the issuing date was listed for just last week (as of me writing this), which lines up with when I got a phone call from a 617 number that I didn’t recognize. Turns out, it was, in fact, the State department, and they wanted to double check that “X” was, in fact, my gender. Yep! And then came the morning of 12/12/23, as I was about to go shower and get ready for work. So, I go shower, open the packages from the State Department, and wouldn’t ya know it: I got my birth certificate copy back! Furthermore, I got a US passport! What’s in it? Well……not a lot, actually. I’m not even sure what it’s made out of, but it feels like a hardcover book. I also admittedly don’t dig the monochromatic color scheme, but whatever. I’m also not sure what the square-shaped Pokeball thing is supposed to be. The first page is a picture of what looks to be from the Civil War the War of 1812 and some lyrics from the national anthem (thanks Avery for letting me in on this!), and the page adjacent has a Lincoln quote and a bit about the Secretary of State (Anthony Blinken as of the writing of this!) requesting that the bearer be let into a country without delay or hindrance. How often is this request honored? I don’t know, and I’m a bit scared to find out.
The cover!The first two pages
Well, up next is the actual “ID” bit of the passport. For the sake of my own safety, I can’t really show this part as applicable to me specifically, however below is an example. Here we go describing what’s on it, from top to bottom. On the top row you have your passport type (P is for your standard US passport. Not sure if this holds true for other countries, nor do I know what the code is for special-variant US passports), your country’s code (the USA in this case), and the number. Then, you have your surname, your legal first & middle names, nationality (is usually the same as country’s code in long form), birthday, gender marker (X in my case. This may not be an option elsewhere, and most places don’t allow one to self-declare gender), place of birth (how is this relevant?????), followed by issuance and expiration dates. There’s also a bunch of characters at the bottom that I’m not sure what they’re for.
The ID page (not mine)
The next page goes into detail about security measures implemented, along with a blank to fill in emergency contact info. Lastly, you have about 26 or so blank pages. Apparently they’re called “visa pages” however I’m not exactly sure what a debit card company has to do with this. Then there’s the rear, which has a QR code that brings you to the State Department’s website. Neat!
The back page
So, overall, was this worth it? Eh, I guess it depends on which lens you look through at it. If you don’t have even an inkling of interest in international travel? Not worth it, and you just wasted $200+. But, if you have even the slightest of interest in international travel, why not? Granted, it’s steep, but look at it this way: for every time you use it, the cost per use goes down, and there’s 26 blank pages, which brings it to…..$8.15 a use if used fully (for clarification, the math here is $212 divided by 26 pages, or 212/26). While I still don’t exactly see how $200+ is a “good” price, I’m sure if I find myself in situations where it’s actually needed, I might see how valuable it actually is. And, with that, concludes Chelsea vs. the State Department.
Ah, another MBTA terminal station, this time shared with the LRTA! Welcome to Lowell, I guess! So, after taking the Lowell Line from West Medford, I made it my goal to review the entire line in the span of one day. So, let’s see how the Gallagher Transit- wait, it’s just Lowell? Oh ok- wait, that’s also wrong? The Kennedy Center? WHY IS THERE SUCH AN INCONSISTENCY HERE?!
*sighs*
Well, whatever, it’s gonna be the Gallagher TC for the purposes of this blog, so let’s go into it.
Bus berths!More berths!
Starting off, there’s a small pickup/dropoff area along with several bus berths. I think they might be heated, but I’m not sure. However, there is an information booth out here, along with benches and wastebaskets. Neat! You can also see the Commuter Rail ROW as well.
Footbridge!Yes, there’s an indoor waiting area!Choose your wrap!
The indoor waiting area was warm, and is alright. You have NECN on the television inside, along with a 7 segment clock display and brochures. Also, there’s restrooms here. And, HOLY SHIT A CHARLIECARD MACHINE?! Yeah, that’s REALLY rare for outside Boston! In here, you can also take the stairs or elevator up to the 3rd floor, where access to the Commuter Rail can be had.
Brochures!The indoor waiting area!This feels wrong.Parking!Footbridge!Access to the Commuter Rail!
As for the Commuter Rail area, it’s “meh”. It’s in a bit sorry shape, but I’ve seen worse. Although, if I were reviewing this solely based on the Commuter Rail, it’d get a dogshit score. Yeah, you have your footbridge, elevator, and a 2 car long (!!) mini-high, along with wastebaskets, benches, and a red dot matrix sign, but it could be better with a full-length high. Also, the elevator just scares me. Didn’t do the piss test, but it probably smells of urine.
I don’t like this.I REALLY don’t like this!TO LOWELLNorthbound towards Nashua & Concord (NH)!Southbound with freight cars. And, yes, it’s mostly low-level.Helvetica!
The good: Intermodal transfers between the MBTA, Meva, and LRTA! WOOHOO! Furthermore, you’ve got a heated waiting area which is nice! It’s also got plenty of parking to cater to those who drive in as well. Neat!
The bad: Eh, the Commuter Rail bit has seen better days.
Nearby points of interest: Pretty much the entire city of Lowell via the LRTA, but in the immediate area? Not much.
Overall, I like this station but it feels like a reverse Pawtucket: the bus terminal is pretty good, however the Commuter Rail platform is a bit of a sorry state. Even then, I’ve certainly seen worse *cough Newtonville* but either way, it’s a pretty decent station.
Alrighty, the second bus route I rode this day! Initially, I was going to take the New Canaan but uhhhh, yeah, my plans got derailed (literally). So, this’ll have to do.
Construction in downtown Stamford!
So, off to the races we go! We leave the under-I95 bus terminal at the McKinney TC, taking a few turns up Washington Blvd., Tresser Blvd./US-1, and Atlantic Street, passing by the Stamford Town Center shopping center in the meantime. We’d then turn right onto Broad Street, which becomes East Main Street (US-1), crossing the Northeast Corridor.
A furniture store!Some offices near the shopping centerNot the cleanest of windowsMore of downtown Stamford!Taco Bell!
Ridership was low at first, but as we turned down a side street, Hamilton Avenue, and Glenbrook Road, it got steady with a modest amount of people. We kept passing by residences, even turned right crossing the bustituted New Canaan branch and Glenbrook’s Metro-North station. At this point, there wasn’t a lot to remark about, aside from the fact we were waist-deep in a residential neighborhood, a deviation into Noroton Heights’s Metro-North station, and a shopping center. Pressing on down West Ave., we’d reach Darien without much of note.
A tow truck!Down a side street we go!Apartments!The Northeast Corridor, again!More apartment buildings!Citgo & Glenbrook MNRR!Some vans!They say a group of Karens is called an HOA.More residential!Noroton Heights MNRR!TOD?A gas station!Almost at the end!Rich NIMBYism, probably!Darien MNRR!Made it!
The good: Well, it serves a lot of residential stuff! Uhhh, yeah, that’s pretty much it. Also, Glenbrook’s and Noroton’s train stations.
The bad: While hourly is probably enough, the weekend schedule is just “nah”. No Sunday service and the last normal trip is in the 7PM hour! Just, why?!
Nearby points of interest: The three Metro-North stations! There’s also a park near Glenbrook and a few shopping centers!
Overall, it’s okay, however the lack of Sunday service hinders this route’s potential greatly. Which is a shame, since people still need to use Darien and Noroton Heights on weekends.
Alrighty, the last of the four Greenwich Metro-North stations, and this one is in Greenwich’s town center! So, let’s see how decent this is. Here we go!
Alrighty, so getting off the train after Port Chester, and we’re in a modern-ish station. It does feel vintage, though, and rightfully so as this was built during the Penn Central era. As a plus, unlike the other three Greenwich-area stations, it’s accessible! Yes, elevators exist for crossovers!
Bye!The bridge!UHHHHHHHHH
Yeah, I don’t think exposed wires are supposed to be where the fire alarm goes. That’s safe! I didn’t give the elevators the piss test, but it’d probably pass due to the rich NIMBY nature of the town.
Towards Stamford and points east!And towards New York!
Crossing to the other side, there’s a waiting room, fare vending machines (which, iirc, exist on BOTH sides! Woah!), along with shelters (also on the other side). Now, what’s in the waiting room? Well, there’s benches, a shuttered ticket office, and BATHROOMS ON THE LOWER LEVEL?! WOAH! Okay, save for the shuttered ticket office that closed in 2016 (and apparently the ticket guy was well-beloved locally), this is pretty much perfect. And, outside on Railroad Avenue, connections can be made to both CTtransit’s 311 and Norwalk WHEELS’ Greenwich Commuter Loop shuttle. It was here that I decided to get lunch at Planet Pizza. Would I recommend? Yes!
Outdated!No brochures sadlyLunch!Greenwich Station!Amtrak!Metro-North!Express trainMore Amtrak!Pedestrian access from the overpass!No bold, but still italics!
The good: It’s got an indoor waiting area that’s open during service hours! YAY! And it’s accessible!!! Furthermore, it’s right in downtown Greenwich, with nearby Greenwich Ave. being the main hub of the city. WOOHOO! Also, there’s a commuter loop and CTtransit! Departure boards, too!
The bad: The ticket office is closed! And, it’s been that way for 6 years! And to be honest, it makes the station feel a little devoid of life. Heck, per the article I linked above, from what I can tell even the locals liked the ticketing agent. I get it’d cost money, and probably more money than what Metro-North or ConnDOT are willing to spend, but it’d be nice for a station agent to be present and to have the station buildings be open. Even if it’s not for ticket sales, just to have someone there to assist passengers in general.
Nearby points of interest: Greenwich Avenue is a big one. Apparently there’s an Apple Store out here! There’s also a park nearby as well.
Overall, I really like this station. Objectively, it’s up there for being among the best Metro-North stations. And, while I’m not a big fan of the moves ConnDOT did to nerf the station, nor am I big on the architecture, it’s largely not a bad station. As such, I think it’s worthy of a high score, albeit not a 10. Oh yeah, bathrooms.
“You are NOT the father!”, Maury would say. Oh, this is a STATION entry, not Maury. Right. Well, welcome to the Stewart B. McKinney Stamford Gateway Intermodal Transportation Center. Or, the Stamford Transportation Center. Let’s see what the….
*checks notes*
SECOND MOST-USED METRO-NORTH STATION?! Yeah. Let’s see what this sucker has to offer. This is gonna be a big one. So, buckle down, and let’s get this show on the road!
New platform under construction!
So, pulling into Stamford on the Acela, first thing I notice is the style of architecture and the new platform (from what I understand is to be for New Canaan dinks so they don’t occupy a through track). And, I’ll have to admit, I dig this kind of architecture. Platforms are concrete, modern, and have adequate lighting and shelters. However, there were no benches. This wasn’t a big deal, as there was a waiting room above the tracks. I’ll add, this was also pretty cool, and I dig the cross-braces in the windows. Speaking of the concourse, there’s Amtrak and Metro-North information desks, a convenience store, and yes, a Dunkin. Meanwhile, the northern exit will bring you out to the street with another convenience store, and the southern one to a parking garage. On the outside is another garage under construction, and a sign reading “Stewart B. McKinney Transportation Center”. Who was he? It turns out, he was a Republican representative from the ’80s, who died of AIDS and was bisexual. Yeah, bisexual Republicans. Don’t see that one every day.
Once on street level, you can go down further into an underground passageway, and you’ll find MTA police, a CTtransit vending machine (turned off, free fares!), a shuttered Subway, and a Greyhound office. Don’t tell Miles!
Down we go!CTtransit!Shh, don’t tell Miles!no sbubbyPlatform access from below!
Now lastly, there’s the bus terminal. This has got to be among the sorriest-looking bus terminals I’ve seen. It’s like Cos Cob in that it’s under I-95, but it’s worsened by the fact it’s in the middle of a city. Yeah…… But, the berths are labelled clearly! So, props to CTtransit on that. You can also walk to track 4 on foot without entering the station’s concourses too, neat! As a downside, the elevator down here smells like urine. At least, the one I took did.
MTA police!The station building looms
The good: It’s a beautiful piece of architecture! It really is, I legitimately dig the style of the station in general. It’s also got pretty much everything a passenger might need or want. Furthermore, you’ve got multiple ways to access the platforms, all the Stamford-area bus routes, and a crazy amount of Metro-North trains! Plus, it’s in the heart of the city as well.
The bad: …I genuinely cannot think of much. I was annoyed by the fact there was construction, but whatever.
Nearby points of interest: The city of Stamford and the bus routes, and the New Canaan line can take you to its namesake town! You’ve also got various local-owned shops, restaurants, breweries, etc., and a mall nearby. AND THERE’S A DINER?! HOLY FUCKING SHIT!
Overall, it’s a great station. Easily among the best I’ve seen even. It’s in a decent location, has good service for both Metro-North and CTtransit, and every Amtrak train stops here as well. As such, I think it’s worthy of a special score I reserve for a handful of stations.
Rating: 10/10
These brochures actually proved HELPFUL for research for once!haha traffic
Another station in Greenwich, oh my! Well, it’s not that bad. Besides, I-95 isn’t close by for once and it’s in a sleepy neighborhood that, *gasps* has things to do!!! Woah!
Adios!
So, getting off the platform, it’s the same story as Riverside and Cos Cob. Honestly, it’s kinda exhausting at this point since I may as well copy-paste. But, ’cause I love y’all, I’ll beat the dead horse.
Looking towards Grand CentralParking!Sign!
You got benches, wastebaskets, shelters, and vending machines. Parking is on either side, permit only (as is also the case with Riverside & Cos Cob), and sorry, the station building is closed. Man, they should really have the station building open outside the morning rush, maybe with a small convenience store for the local neighborhood as well as restrooms. After all, headways can get a bit wonky, especially at rush hour. Anyways, the area around the station itself is a small village with shopping and restaurants. Nothing stood out to me, and no I’m not counting Dunkin’ here, because of course there’s gonna be a Dunkin’ in every small CDP in New England. CTtransit also stops here, peak hours only.
Look, a Dunkin’!This looks kinda fancy!And the other side!Amtrak!Metro-North!And my train to Cos Cob!
The good: It’s in a suburban area, and unlike the other two suburban park & rides in Greenwich, it’s actually got things around it one can do! It also has a CTtransit connection, peak hours only though.
The bad: It’s still suffering many of the problems Cos Cob and Riverside suffered. Those problems being no departure board and a lack of ADA compliance. Also, I’ll have to nitpick that the CTtransit connection is peak-only, and the station building is only open during the morning rush. There’s also no bike racks.
Nearby points of interest: Old Greenwich seems like a nice little village! There’s also a park on the other side of the tracks, and a golf club nearby.
Transit connections: Metro-North (New Haven) CTtransit (324, limited service)
Overall, I think outside of Greenwich, this station’s probably the best one of the bunch. It’s got stuff to do, has a decent amount of parking, and it also has bus connections (albeit limited). So, I think this one deserves a decent score.
