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☆ I traveled first class on an Amtrak Acela train and thought the perks were cool — but not worth the $270 price tag
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Joey Hadden | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

I booked a first-class ticket on an Amtrak Acela traveling from New York City to Baltimore in 2022. For $273, I got free meal service and access to the Metropolitan Lounge at NYC's Penn Station. While I enjoyed the experience, I didn't think traveling in first class was worth the cost. AdvertisementWhen traveling from NYC to Baltimore in 2022, I rode in first class on an Amtrak Acela train. Two weeks before my trip, I booked a standard Amtrak Acela ticket for $121 and spent an extra $152 to upgrade to first class.

Persons: — Organizations: Amtrak, Metropolitan, Penn, Service, Business Locations: New York City, Baltimore, NYC, Coast

☆ A Grim Tory Ad About London Crime Used New York Footage
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Victor Mather | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

It was a typical political attack ad. “London: a city steeped in history,” a narrator says, as grim string music plays. “But tonight its ancient streets bear witness to a different tale. They weren’t in London. They were in Penn Station in New York.

Persons: ” Locations: London, Penn, New York

NEW YORK (AP) — For five years, a New York City man managed to live rent-free in a landmark Manhattan hotel by exploiting an obscure local housing law. But prosecutors this week said Mickey Barreto went too far when he filed paperwork claiming ownership of the entire New Yorker Hotel building — and tried to charge another tenant rent. “As alleged, Mickey Barreto repeatedly and fraudulently claimed ownership of one of the City’s most iconic landmarks, the New Yorker Hotel,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The Unification Church sued Barreto in 2019 over the deed claim, including his representations on LinkedIn as the building's owner. “And I never made a penny out of this.”Barreto said his legal wrangling is activism aimed at denying profits to the Unification Church.

Persons: Mickey Barreto, Barreto, “, ” Barreto, he'd, Barreto “, Sun Myung Moon, ”, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Nikola Tesla, Muhammad Ali, Baretto, Moon Organizations: Holy Spirit Association, New York City Department of Environmental, New Yorker, Attorney, Garden, Penn Station, Yorker, NBC, Unification, Unification Church Locations: New York City, Manhattan, Yorker, New York, Los Angeles, South Korea, Madison, North Korea

☆ Travelers ride the rails to save money (and the planet) as Amtrak chases pre-Covid ridership
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Laya Neelakandan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

As domestic travel rebounds from pandemic lows and prices soar, some travelers opting for trains over planes. Those advantages and others are driving riders to Amtrak, the government-backed U.S. rail service, as it tries to revive pre-Covid ridership and smooth out operations. One of those passengers is Leonor Grave, who lives in New York City and often travels home to Washington, D.C., on Amtrak trains rather than flying. "I don't glamorize Amtrak as a corporation – there's a lot they could do to improve its services," Grave said. It's an exciting future for train travel."

Persons: Clint Henderson, Guy, Henderson, he's, doesn't, Leonor Grave, she's, they've Organizations: Amtrak, Alaska Airlines, Boeing, Max, Washington , D.C, Penn Locations: New York, New York City, Washington ,, New

☆ Leather and Lace for the Queen of Pop
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Alex Vadukul | Amir Hamja | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Madonna performed at Madison Square Garden on Monday night as part of her Celebration Tour, a lavish stage spectacle devoted to her catalog of hits as the Queen of Pop. During “Like a Prayer,” she sang from a spinning carousel filled with jumbo crucifixes and shirtless men. “I don’t know when I’m going to be back here playing again, but I’m doing this show like it’s my last show,” Madonna, 65, told the crowd. “And I’m doing this show like it’s my first show.”Before the concert, the scene outside the arena resembled a fashion runway as Madonna fans arrived to serve up style tributes to her. Men emerged from the subway wearing black biker boots and leather jackets.

Persons: Madonna, ”, Kelly Ripa, “, Papa Don’t, Sophy LeMay Organizations: Vogue, Penn Station, Brooklyn’s Barclays Center Locations: Madison

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko gives an update on the death and investigation of Pro-Israeli supporter Paul Kessler who died at a rally on November 5, 2023, Thousand Oaks, California, U.S, November 17, 2023. REUTERS/Jorge Garcia Acquire Licensing RightsTHOUSAND OAKS, California, Nov 17 (Reuters) - A California man pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and battery charges on Friday in the death of a Jewish man who fell to the ground and hit his head during an altercation between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators this month. Alnaji pleaded not guilty to the charges and remained jailed on a $50,000 bond, the prosecutor's office said. Neither murder nor voluntary manslaughter charges were filed because prosecutors found no evidence of malice aforethought or intent to kill, the DA said. Reporting by Jorge Garcia in Thousand Oaks, California; Additional reporting by Joseph Ax in New York and Brad Brooks in Longmont, Colorado; Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Kim Coghill and William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Erik Nasarenko, Paul Kessler, Jorge Garcia, Loay Alnaji, Alnaji, Kessler, Nasarenko, Jim Fryhoff, Witnesses, Imam Abdul, Latif Sackor, Sackor, Joseph Ax, Brad Brooks, Steve Gorman, Kim Coghill, William Mallard Organizations: Pro, REUTERS, Israel, Court, Palestinian, Hamas, . Police, Penn, Times, Police, Amtrak, Thomson Locations: Ventura County, Oaks , California, U.S, California, Moorpark , California, Los Angeles, Rhode Island, New York City, Manhattan, Oaks, Israel, Gaza, Rhode, Providence, Thousand Oaks , California, New York, Longmont , Colorado

☆ Biden is pouring $16 billion into making Amtrak trains faster, easier to get to, and more accessible
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Biden is pouring $16.4 billion into passenger rail in the Northeast Regional corridor. AdvertisementAdvertisementPresident Joe Biden — a known proponent of Amtrak — wants trains to run faster and better. His administration is pouring $16.4 billion from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law into the Northeast Regional corridor to do just that. Meanwhile, 80% of Amtrak trains were on time in 2020 — and that fell to 74% by 2022. "We're all on our way to creating world-class passenger rail that benefits communities nationwide by making our rail systems safer, more efficient, and more convenient," Landrieu said.

Persons: Biden, —, Joe Biden —, Mitch Landrieu, Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Bill Flynn, Marc Molinaro, Landrieu Organizations: Service, Amtrak —, White, Penn, Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak, European Union, Northeast Corridor Commission, NEC, Infrastructure Investment, Jobs Act, Republicans, New, New York Republican, Republican Locations: Boston, Washington, Baltimore, New York's, Connecticut, Metro, New York, Bronx, Manhattan, —, Northeast, West, Hudson

Some protesters hoisted banners as they scaled the stone ledges in front of leaderboards listing departure times. After the sit-in was broken up by police, the remaining protesters spilled into the streets outside. “Hundreds of Jews and friends are taking over Grand Central Station in a historic sit-in calling for a ceasefire,” advocacy group Jewish Voice for Peace said on social media. The scene echoed last week's sit-in on Capitol Hill in Washington, where Jewish advocacy groups, including Jewish Voice for Peace and If Not Now, poured into a congressional office building. The U.N. General Assembly approved a nonbinding resolution calling for a “humanitarian truce” in Gaza leading to a cessation of hostilities.

Persons: New York City’s, ” Organizations: New York Police Department, NYPD, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Penn, Grand Central, Jewish, Peace, Jewish Voice, Hamas, Ministry, General Assembly Locations: New York, Israel, Gaza, “, Washington

☆ US passenger railroad Amtrak high-speed Acela program facing new delays
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An Amtrak Acela train arrives at New York's Penn Station, the nation's busiest train hub, in New York City, U.S., May 25, 2017. The Amtrak inspector general in a report on Tuesday said the program faces further delays because the new Amtrak trains have not met Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) requirements and all of the trainsets produced so far have defects. The report added the likeliest cause of more delays would be a lack of a validated trainset model, followed by certain trainset defects. Alstom said it is working with the FRA to meet requirements "through their first-ever safety certification for high-speed trains." Congress approved $66 billion for rail as part of the 2021 infrastructure bill, with Amtrak receiving $22 billion.

Persons: Mike Segar, David Shepardson, Mark Porter, Josie Kao Organizations: Amtrak, Station, REUTERS, Rights, Alstom, Federal Railroad Administration, FRA, Thomson Locations: New, New York City, U.S, Boston, Washington

☆ $780,000 Homes in New York, Georgia and Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Angela Serratore | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Driving to Albany takes about half an hour. Pittsfield is about 45 minutes away, across the Massachusetts state line. Driving to Manhattan takes about three hours, depending on traffic. Beyond the threshold is a small foyer that flows into an open living space with maple floors and a sitting area anchored by a brick fireplace and framed by a wall of built-in shelves painted green. On the other side of the space is a dining area with a midcentury-style chandelier and another brick fireplace.

Persons: Ichabod Crane Organizations: Washington Irving, Amtrak, Penn Station Locations: N.Y, Columbia County, Washington, Hudson, Manhattan, Albany, Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Several cowboy hats tipped upward toward the departures board at Penn Station, their wearers unusually excited to board a crowded, sweaty train to New Jersey. “Beyoncé, Track 14!” shouted a New Jersey Transit employee in a neon yellow vest. Commuters in sequins trampled over a “Caution: Wet Floor” sign in their rush to the escalators. It was 7 p.m. on Saturday, and an Uber from Midtown Manhattan to the Meadowlands cost about $70. Many Beyoncé fans instead took public transportation to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, where the singer would soon take the stage for her Renaissance World Tour.

Persons: “, ” Organizations: Penn Station, New Jersey Transit, Midtown, Meadowlands, MetLife Locations: New Jersey, sequins, Midtown Manhattan, East Rutherford

Using phone records and a sophisticated system that maps the reach of cell towers, a team of investigators had drawn the irregular shape across a map of tree-lined streets in the Long Island suburb of Massapequa Park. By 2021, the investigators had been able to shrink the polygon so that it covered only several hundred homes. In one of those homes, the investigators believed, lived a serial killer. A decade before, 11 bodies had been found in the underbrush around Gilgo Beach, a remote stretch of sand five miles away on the South Shore. He was charged with three of the murders, to which he has pleaded not guilty, and was named as the prime suspect in the fourth.

Persons: Rex Heuermann Organizations: Shore, Penn Locations: Long, Massapequa, Gilgo, Midtown Manhattan, Penn, Manhattan, Suffolk County

☆ Penn Station Is a Perpetual Mess. Change May Be at Hand.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Michael Kimmelman | More About Michael Kimmelman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If the latest flurry of news around two dueling plans to fix New York’s Pennsylvania Station has left you scratching your head, you’re not alone. Various officials I have spoken with are also fuzzy on details. Hope has long gone to die on the 6:50 to Secaucus. At the very least, the new proposal, from a private infrastructure developer called ASTM North America, may be the disruption needed to get Albany moving. On the outside of the station, a new, porous stone facade with landscaped terraces and rows of columns would restore a measure of the architectural sensibility and civic symbolism that New York squandered in the 1960s when McKim, Mead & White’s original Penn Station was torn down.

Persons: you’re, Hope, McKim Organizations: Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Amtrak, Mead, Penn Locations: Secaucus, America, Albany, Madison, York

☆ I super-commute by plane to my internship to avoid expensive east coast rent. Here's how it works.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sophia Celentano went viral on TikTok after she shared how she commutes by plane to her internship. She said the unusual commute allows her to save money on expensive east coast rent. I'm usually at my gate by around 5:15 a.m., which is exactly when boarding starts. My morning flight often lands about 15 minutes early. I get to the office usually around 8:30 or 8:45 a.m., and that's when I start my full 9-to-5 workday.

Persons: Sophia Celentano, Celentano, Ogilvy, I'd, I'm, it's, I've, Uber, — Organizations: TSA, Newark Penn Station, New Locations: Charleston, Richmond , Virginia, Newark, New York City, New Jersey, Virginia

☆ Huge New York landlord admits Fridays in the office are 'dead forever' — and Mondays are 'touch-and-go'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Mondays in the office could be "dead forever," one of New York's biggest landlords says. One of New York's biggest private landlords, Vornado Realty Trust, is betting on hybrid work being here to stay. The firm's chairman, Steven Roth, told investors recently that office work on Fridays is likely "dead forever." Office visits on Mondays and Fridays, however, remain just half of what they were in 2019, according to the report. The current push toward hybrid work comes as some companies are doubling down on employees returning to the office.

Persons: —, we're, Steven Roth, Vornado, Bob Iger, that's, Kathryn Minshew Organizations: Placer.ai, Service, Vornado Realty, Street, Penn, Amazon, Meta, Disney, Employees, Kastle Systems, New York, San, Chicago, Washington D.C, Philadelphia, Houston, Austin, Dallas, Angeles Locations: Placer.ai, Arizona, Jose, San Francisco

☆ What Are People Even Doing All Day?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Malia Wollan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

For Laroi, there is no clearly defined day or night. Sometimes he drives all night and sleeps all day; sometimes he sleeps all day and drives all night. One day a week, Sophie works late so she can meet with far-flung colleagues in real time. Now she has enough energy left at the end of the day to go grocery shopping and cook dinner. The time markers reflect the time of day when participants told an interviewer they would normally be doing the activity shown.

☆ Grand Central's sparkling new terminal could use a spellcheck — it misspelled artist Georgia O'Keeffe's name in an engraved quote about New York
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A new terminal for the Long Island Rail Road in New York's Grand Central Station opened Wednesday. The terminal's walls are engraved with homages to New York from famous artists. In a new terminal in New York's Grand Central Station that opened last Wednesday, called the Grand Central Madison station, O'Keeffe's name is spelled with one "f" instead of two, Bloomberg reported. That's the quote that made it into the Grand Central Madison station. Bloomberg reported that the Grand Central Madison terminal is part of an $11.1 billion project called East Side Access that will bring passengers on the Long Island Railroad to Manhattan's Grand Central Terminal instead of Penn Station.

After weeks of passing up early Black Friday deals from Walmart, Target and Amazon, Uribe is on the hunt for a Nintendo Switch and video games for her daughter, Tupperware for her kitchen and a vacuum cleaner. Checking off items from the holiday list is "just cheaper" on Black Friday, plus, "it's our favorite day of the year, so we just wait," Uribe said. Uribe joins millions of shoppers who waited for what they hope might be the deepest discounts of the holiday season on Black Friday, despite an industry-wide push by retailers to get shoppers to buy holiday items starting in October. The waiting game by shoppers has forced retailers to offer steep discounts on items, which may pinch profit margins in the fourth quarter. Americans, especially from low-income households, are expected to pull back on their holiday shopping this year as inflation and higher energy prices pinch their spending power.

Two armed men arrested in connection with online threats against New York City's Jewish community had a Manhattan synagogue in their sights, a prosecutor said Sunday. The two had traveled to Pennsylvania late last week to purchase a gun, prosecutors said in the charging documents. "I changed my mind because I was nervous about the police and didn't want the gun anymore," Brown is quoted as saying. Mahrer ultimately purchased the weapon from the man who drove them out of state, Brown said, according to prosecutors. Earlier in the week, Brown is also alleged to have tweeted, "Big moves being made on Friday."

☆ Threat Against Jewish Community Thwarted, New York Officials Say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( James Fanelli | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Two men were arrested and weapons recovered in New York City’s Penn Station on Saturday in connection with alleged threats on social media against the city’s Jewish community. Two men carrying a hunting knife and an illegal gun were arrested in Manhattan early Saturday in connection with making an alleged threat against the Jewish community, New York Police Department officials said. Christopher Brown , 21 years old, and Matthew Mahrer , 22, were arrested in Pennsylvania Station after being spotted by two Metropolitan Transportation Authority police officers, NYPD officials said. The officers recovered a Glock 17 firearm and a 30-round magazine, the officials said.

☆ Two men arrested in connection to threats against Jewish community in New York
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 19 (Reuters) - Two men were arrested at New York's Penn Station in connection with threats to the Jewish community, police said on Saturday. New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) officers identified the two men late on Friday night after being alerted to warrants for their arrests by the FBI/NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force, the MTA said in a statement. Police seized a hunting knife, an illegal Glock 17 firearm and a 30-round magazine after investigating the individuals. No details were released on the two men, although the New York Times reported authorities released an alert late on Friday for a man who had recently made threats against synagogues in the New York area. A joint investigation for a "strong prosecution" is now taking place, and NYPD officers are deploying to "strategic locations" around the city, Sewell said.

Two men with access to weapons were arrested at New York City's Penn Station early Saturday in connection with a probe of threats to the Jewish community, authorities said. The senior law enforcement sources said Brown had the swastika armband on him when he was arrested at the train station. NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said in a statement that authorities first identified "a developing threat to the Jewish community" Friday. Three law enforcement sources said threats against the Jewish community were posted online. "Today, we’re extremely grateful to NYPD investigators and our law enforcement partners who uncovered and stopped a threat to our Jewish community," Sewell tweeted Saturday.

☆ Meta ratchets up Apple rivalry with ads targeting iMessage
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Meta is targeting Apple 's iMessage in a new advertisement that ratchets up the rivalry between the two companies. SMS messages are stored by wireless cellular carriers. "Our biggest competitor by far is iMessage," Zuckerberg said in a 2018 earnings call. Google wants Apple to adopt RCS, a next-generation text messaging system that replaces SMS messages with new features and improved encryption. Users who text regularly with Android users say that "green bubbles," as SMS messages appear on iPhones, is an inferior texting experience.

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