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Tag: Amtrak

April 27, 2025

Here’s a Great Place to Snap a Photo of Manhattan’s Iconic Skyline at Sunset

A stunning view of the New York City skyline at sunset, with vibrant orange and blue hues in the sky, casting a warm glow over the city. The image captures the silhouette of skyscrapers and rooftops in the foreground.
You can frame a cool photo of New York City right from your seat on Amtrak. If your train is traveling at sunset, just look out your window. It’s a spectacular view. Here’s how to optimize that photographic opportunity.

It’s hard to miss this famous skyline as your Amtrak train nears or leaves the Big Apple. And sunset is a particularly special time. So, it warrants trying to take a photo or two…

The weather conditions have to be right. Plus, there’s only a six-minute stretch when the train is close enough and oriented correctly with its windows directly facing the east side of Manhattan. 

The Best Views of New York City
Then, take out your smartphone. Press it as close to the window as possible to avoid reflections from the inside of the train. (The fact that your phone’s lens effectively lies flat with the phone’s body will protect it from accidental bumps into the glass due to your train’s jerky movements.)

And then start snapping away.

A vibrant sunset over the New York City skyline, with a golden sun setting on the horizon, surrounded by buildings and the silhouette of bridges.

As much as I always want to zoom closer with my iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 2x or 5x lens to better frame the skyscrapers, the wider shots are better. I think you need that foreground in the shot to help tell the visual story. Plus, the train’s motion is less of a problem for your phone’s camera if you’re not zoomed in.

A stunning sunset view over New York City, with the skyline silhouetted against a vibrant orange sky and the setting sun casting warm light on the landscape.

Just Another Bonus for Taking the Train
Yes, it’s an amazing vista to take in, but you should temper your expectations for your photos. Remember, you’re shooting through glass, and the train is moving.

Still, it’s worth a shot.

A view of the New York City skyline at sunset framed by the iron structure of a bridge, with water in the foreground reflecting the warm colors of the sky.

I go for it whenever I’m on Amtrak’s Northeast Regional or Acela heading back to Connecticut from Washington, D.C. (These photos are from my recent trip.)
In the old days, it would be when I was heading out of New York City back to Boston. (So, I’ve been at this for a while.)

And yes, I do prefer taking the train vs. a plane between these destinations. It’s much more convenient and relaxing. (The door-to-door time comparison is similar after you bake in the extra hours spent at the airport.) But I digress…

Enjoy the Show
Sunset isn’t the only time to try to capture these photos of New York City. (Shooting directly at the sun can really confuse a camera and isn’t especially great for its sensors. But a few brief clicks shouldn’t play too much havoc with the electronics.)

A vibrant sunset view over the New York City skyline, with the sun casting an orange glow and city buildings silhouetted against the colorful sky, accompanied by a tree-lined highway below.

These magic sunset minutes always call out to me as the deep orange light bathes the landscape. 

It’s both unearthly and entirely natural.

And you’ve got one of the best vantage points of this city a photographer could hope for.

A scenic view of the New York City skyline at sunset, featuring a bridge crossing a river with skyscrapers in the background and vibrant orange hues in the sky.

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July 29, 2018

Why are Amtrak Trains at Grand Central?

Do you ever feel like you’re in a science fiction movie? When I saw this at Grand Central Terminal, I felt like I had entered another dimension…

Last week, I felt like I had entered an alternate reality. It could have been a scene from the TV series, “Fringe.” Or maybe “The Twilight Zone.” Here’s what happened…

I was traveling into New York City on my Metro-North commuter train. Upon our arrival, I stepped onto the platform at Grand Central Terminal and began walking to the track entrance with the crowd. Everyone else was oblivious to ‘it,’ but I clearly spotted an Amtrak train in the station, seemingly tucked away on track 24.

 

 

 

 

 

Something was very wrong with this image.

Why?
Because all Amtrak trains go through Penn Station… not Grand Central. That’s the way it’s always been.

I felt the need to rush upstairs to see if Zeppelins were flying overhead.

Science Fiction or Reality?
Everything else appeared normal. So, I went about my day.

Upon my return, I took a detour back to track 24. Yep, my alternate-reality Amtrak train was still there. But this time, there was more activity around it…I spotted two conductors and an engineer.

 

 

 

 

 

I had to ask. So, I walked up to the engineer.

He looked at me and said, “Are you here for Amtrak?”

I peered back. He seemed normal… human…of this temporal dimension.
So I asked him why this Amtrak train was messing with my reality…

And so he explained…

The Facts
In fact, Amtrak is running some of its trains this summer out of Grand Central due to track maintenance at Penn Station. This particular train was going to Albany.

I thanked the helpful engineer for his explanation and went home… eager to do a fact check on his explanation to confirm he wasn’t from a different universe.
(He wasn’t.)

I did some Googling and (of course) found the story, which reported that this is actually the 2nd summer that Amtrak trains have been diverted to Grand Central (Empire, Ethan Allen Express and Maple Leaf trains).

Huh.

And this type of anomaly also occurred back in 1991.

Good to know.

Pay Attention
It all checked out. There’s no temporal rift. No disturbance of the Force. Everything was as it should be. How silly of me to question the world around me.

So, I turned off my AI…walked downstairs to bed… and lowered the shade. I needed my sleep.

Both moons were full.

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