Schenectady Station

This was a very decent small station, inside and out. It is an architectural success story because although it was built in 2018, the design honors the original 1908 station. That was torn down in 1971 and turned into a parking lot. Then from 1979 to 2017 a rather plain and arguably ugly station occupied the site. Could it be that history is now moving in the right direction?

Graham's Coffee Parlor

Another nice thing about the Stockade Inn was their in-house "coffee parlor", so after our stroll around town we settled in for a quick and simple and breakfast (it may have been an açai bowl). Did I mention that they also served coffee?

 

Yates House

The Abraham Yates House, said to be the oldest house in Schenectady, built in 1725. It's also said to be "one of the oldest existing Dutch homes in the nation"*, meaning an example of traditional Dutch architecture and building methods. One sometimes forgets that New York was Dutch before it was English. They haven't forgotten is Schenectady.

*https://union.manifoldapp.org/projects/pearson-diary-1ed/resource/yates-house-in-schenectady-n-y

more Stockade District

We wandered down to the Mohawk River, which was pleasant. We also encountered the 1759-built St. George's Church (which served as barracks during the American Revolution) and the famous 1887 statue of Lawrence the Indian - a local member of the Mohawk tribe. In 1661 the Dutch built a stockade here, thus founding the city and giving the district its name.

Schenectady, NY

We went for an early morning stroll and my first impression of the historic Stockade District was a good one. As a native New Yorker steeped in the state's history, I was shocked that I didn't know that this district has - to quote the National Park Service - "the highest concentration of historic period homes in the country."

Stockade Inn

Although the train arrived in Schenectady, NY at a scandalously late hour, the Stockade Inn was some of the best lodging of the trip. The staff went above and beyond to pick us up at the station and help us with our luggage. The bed was profoundly comfortable and, after the ordeal of the delay, we slept exceptionally well. The building is very solid and historic, having been built as a bank in 1814. Later it was a school and a men's club and just a few years ago was remodeled as an inn.

 

a doozy of a delay

Poughkeepsie, NY

...the way it looked from the Ethan Allen Express.

Metropolitan Lounge - NYC

The Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge in Moynihan Train Hall is as large and impressive as one might expect. This one actually serves warm food and espresso drinks - free of charge. My favorite part was this balcony perched above the main hall (top and bottom photos).

Moynihan Train Hall

It's impossible to say which of these three pictures of the Moynihan Train Hall is the best, since they're all so good. To me they almost look like Photorealist paintings. The view is from the Metropolitan Lounge. At bottom, another interesting detail of the new station, which we passed through multiple times on this trip.

Greenporter Hotel at night

A complimentary glimpse of the moon at the upper left.

another Greenport stroll, pt. 2

The nice walkway below leads pedestrians from the train and the ferry to the centrally-located waterfront park and the surrounding downtown. Thoughtful design in my humble opinion.

another Greenport stroll

Or, more accurately, another after-dinner Greenport stroll. I wanted to check out the area by the docks, the ferry and the old railroad station - now a maritime museum. There is also a railroad museum right nearby.

Green Hill Kitchen

Another night for dinner we tried Green Hill Kitchen. As I recall a veggie burger, salad and slaw got the job done. I think this may be a relatively new restaurant since I didn't recognize it.