There are no good airports serving New York City, Trump’s helicopter service failed and the traffic is atrocious. Turns out, the right way to get to the Big Apple is by pulling into Pen Station on the Maple Leaf Amtrak service from Toronto in business class. The premium service with a 45-degree reclining leather seat, upholstered leg rest, and free drinks is only a $35 upgrade.
My journey began at Toronto Union station where the staff had trouble printing my ticket because they had to switch their computer over to the American reservation system. Apparently, a business class ticket on another rail operator does not get you into VIA Rail’s business class lounge. If they’re going to imitate an airline by codesharing ticketing desks, they should at least share lounges, too.
Staff ensure cross-border passengers have the proper documents prior to boarding and business class passengers board first. We all get off the train to go through border control at Niagara Falls and Via Rail personnel are switched out for Amtrak staff. The wireless internet and cafe car don’t operate until the train has crossed into the US.
The business class seats, while generous, feel like they weren’t designed with the right proportions to be comfortable. The leg rest, for example, extends at angles where your feet can’t reach the footrest. The table extends a good six inches but not far enough to reach a passenger in a reclined position. Each part works individually but the system doesn’t fit as a whole.
Along the way, sights include locks of the Erie Canal, West Point, and the Hudson River. It’s relaxing to be shut off from the outside for a day, get writing, nap, eat, and drink on an armchair in a 50-year-old streamliner carriage as you rumble slowly past upstate New York.
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