Your Amtrak® travel guide to destinations from New York City to Canada New York By Rail® The promise of adventure stretches out before you. Amtrak puts it all within easy reach. Amtrak.com • 1-800-USA-RAIL New York by Rail | 85 amtrack ad 6M1F.indd 1 4/6/09 4:23:56 PM 2009 CONTENTS 3 Welcome from Amtrak’s President 45 Saratoga Springs New york 5 A Letter from the NYS 47 Mohawk River valley ® Department of Transportation Schenectady, Amsterdam, by Rail 5 A Letter from our Publisher Utica, Rome 49 Syracuse Published by 7 Readers Write 50 Masterpieces at the everson 9 Amtrak® Discounts & Rewards 53 Rochester 2656 South Road, 11 New York city 54 buffalo Poughkeepsie, New York 12601 27 hudson River valley QUADRICENTENNIAL Telephone: 845-462-1209 Yonkers, Croton-Harmon, 55 Niagara Falls, NY 800-479-8230 EVENTS page 65 Poughkeepsie, Rhinecliff- FAX: 845-462-2786 56 canada: Toronto & Montreal Kingston, Hudson [email protected] marks the dual 57 central vermont 2009 and 29 Poughkeepsie 400th anniversaries of the 12 Greyledge Drive 59 Lakes To Locks Loudonville, New York 12211 31 Rhinebeck voyage of English 518-598-1430 Saratoga Springs, Fort Edward- Captain Henry Hudson, 33 ulster county FAX: 518-598-1431 Glen Falls, Whitehall, who led (for the Dutch) Ticonderoga, Port Henry, 35 columbia county the first European expe- PubLiSheRS Westport, Port Kent, Thomas Martinelli 37 Greene county Plattsburgh, Rouses Point dition to sail up the river and Gilbert Slocum that now bears his name, 39 Albany: A capital Adventure 68 Fairs & Festivals & Attractions and Frenchman Samuel eDiToR/ART DiRecToR Alex Silberman 43 cooperstown 73 Scenic Railroads de Champlain, the first to gaze upon the waters of ADveRTiSiNG DiRecToR Joseph Gisburne the namesake lake. 800-479-8230 page 62 Amtrak Getting Greener — Find out how Amtrak is connecting America Learn about the ways New York will celebrate. AD AND PRoMoTioN DeSiGN in safer, greener, and healthier ways. Janet Atkins ADveRTiSiNG/MARkeTiNG cooRDiNAToRS: Mary-Nell Prenting Joanna censullo KEY TO sTATiON seRViCes: m Staffed Station CALL FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS /m unstaffed Station B help with baggage We’d like to see the shots g checked baggage Service that you’re proud of, the e e nclosed waiting area ones that have captured G Sheltered platform a view, a moment, or a c Restrooms special light. page 64 All services and offers presented in this publication are, to our efforts, accurate as of the publication date. However, services and a Payphones offers may be changed in the future without notice. For current schedules, rates, routes and offers, call your travel agent or Amtrak f Paid short term parking at 1-800-USA-RAIL. Time periods stated in the "Travel Times" sections are approximations and are subject to change without notice. i Free short term parking THE NATIONAL RAILROAD PASSENGER CORPORATION (AMTRAK) AND MARTINELLI-SLOCUM PUBLISHING HAVE ATTEMPTED TO ENSURE THE ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PUBLICATION, BUT ASSUME NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ERRORS, CHANGES OR ■L Free long term parking OMISSIONS. Cor rections are welcome and should be sent to Martinelli-Slocum Publishing. AMTRAK DISCLAIMS ANY LIABILITY FOR L Paid long term parking SERVICES PROVIDED BY THIRD PARTIES. New York by Rail, and the contents thereof, are copyrighted © by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) 2009. All R vending rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or transmitted or transposed in any form or by any T Restaurant / snack bar means, electronic or mechanical (including photocopy), recording or any information storage and retrieval system without written SM permission from Amtrak. COVER PHOTO: QT Quik-Trak ticket machine ® ® ® ® ® ® Amtrak, Amtrak Guest Rewards, Adirondack, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Lake Shore Limited, Maple Leaf, New York Amtrak at Sleepy Hollow, $ ATM by Rail® and Quik-TrakSM are the service marks and trademarks of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation. Capital Corridor® is the registered service mark of the Capital Corridor Joint Powers Authority. by Bill McBride Amtrak.com • 1-800-USA-RAIL New York by Rail | 1 Travel is more than just A to B. Travel should let you mix business with pleasure. The Hilton New York is a sophisticated international hotel conveniently located at Radio City Music Hall & Rockefeller Center, and in the midst of business headquarters and media centers. The hotel is also near Broadway theaters and Times Square, one block from Fifth Avenue shopping, and steps from legendary attractions such as The Museum of Modern Art, Central Park, and Carnegie Hall. 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019 1-212-261-5727 www.newyork.hilton.com Amtrak.com • 1-800-USA-RAIL New York by Rail | 85 Hilton HHonors membership, earning of Points & Miles, and redemption of points are subject to HHonors Terms and Conditions. ©2008 Hilton Hospitality, Inc. DATE: 04.10.08 PROPERTY: Hilton NY Amtrak PROPERTY CONTACT NAME: Marketing Communications JOB #: HNY.08.01 FILE NAME: hilton_ny_amtrak_ad.indd PUB: NY by Rail INSERTION DATE: AD SPECS: 8.25" x 10.75" PROOFED BY: A LETTER FROM AMTRAk’s PRESIDENT AND CEO NATIONAL RAILROAD PASSENGER CORPORATION 60 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20002 Joseph H. Boardman President and Chief Executive Officer Dear Traveler: As Amtrak celebrates its 38th anniversary, we continue in our efforts to enhance your traveling experience with faster, more convenient and enjoyable service, and at the same time, do our part to preserve the natural beauty you may notice outside your window. In addition to our Northeast and Empire Corridors, several long-distance trains also travel through New York. One of the most beautiful routes continues to be the Adirondack from New York City through the Hudson Valley and the Adirondack Mountains and along Lake Champlain to Montreal. The Maple Leaf also originates in the city and makes its way to Canada traveling through Albany across the state to the majesty of Niagara Falls before arriving in Toronto. The Lake Shore Limited follows the same picturesque path on its way to Chicago. We also make traveling by rail in the Empire State enjoyable by offering many promotions and programs, some of which are highlighted in this guide. These include a number of key partnerships such as our extremely popular Trails and Rails program presented by the National Park Service on board the Adirondack and the Maple Leaf. Amtrak is also a great way to reach attractions such as Radio City Music Hall, the Saratoga Race Course, the New York State Museum and The Culinary Institute of America. Last year, stations in New York saw 9.2 million passengers either board or alight from Amtrak trains, many of them using New York Penn Station. While many of these travelers were on our busy Northeast Corridor between Washington, DC and Boston, more than 1.8 million traveled throughout New York State, including the Hudson Valley Region, Western and Central New York and the Adirondack region, including over 830,000 passengers using our increasingly popular station at Albany/Rensselaer. Amtrak connects America in safer, greener and healthier ways. Environmental sustainability is an ever- increasing topic of importance all over the world. From alternate energy sources to carbon footprints to recycling to wildlife preservation, more and more companies and individuals are trying to minimize their impact on the environment. Rail has a smaller carbon footprint than its competitors, and we take a great deal of pride in being an energy-efficient travel mode. In fact, traveling by rail contributes less per passenger mile to carbon dioxide emissions than either cars or airplanes. Amtrak is 18 percent more efficient than domestic airline travel and 24 percent more efficient than auto travel on a per-passenger-mile basis.* Using less energy should be one of our most important goals as a nation. It will be for Amtrak, and we ask you to please join us. New York by Rail ® provides all you need to know to plan your New York rail adventure. I encourage you to take a complimentary copy to assist you in planning your journeys throughout this great region. You can always count on us to do all we can to serve you each time you ride. Thanks for choosing Amtrak. Sincerely, Joseph H. Boardman President and Chief Executive Officer * SOURCE: U. S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, TRANSPORTATION ENERGY DATA BOOK, EDITION 27 (2006 DATA) Amtrak.com • 1-800-USA-RAIL New York by Rail | 3 A LETTER FROM THE COMMISSIONER OF THE NYS DOT STATE OF NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ALBANY, N.Y. 12232 www.nysdot.gov Welcome to the New York by Rail® travel guide! The New York State inter-city rail system provides conve- nient, safe and efficient public transportation to many of this State’s most beautiful, historic, and thriving locations. The Empire Corridor traverses north from New York City to Albany and west to Niagara Falls, while the Adirondack Corridor runs north through the Capital Region all the way to Montreal. Along the way, travelers will experience and enjoy the natural beauty of New York’s ever-changing topography from Niagara Falls and the Finger Lakes Region in western New York to the majesty of the Catskill and Adirondack mountains. Major destinations include the bustling metropolis of New York City and the international city of Montreal. As a key connection between many of the State’s hottest vacation spots, inter-city passenger rail service helps bolster our State’s economic development and tourism industry. It plays a pivotal role in continuing to make New York one of the top destinations in the world. A relaxing and picturesque journey along one of Amtrak’s corridors is a wonderful way to experience all that New York State has to offer.