The boat from Provincetown arrives at Boston’s Long Wharf in the old part of the city. It is 12h35 as I step off the boat and my train will not be leaving until 15h10. So I head for the Wagamama restaurant in the old warehouses on the wharf that have since been renovated and converted into shops and restaurants. From the Long Wharf to South Station is a walk of about 10 to 15 minutes.

Boarding

Priority Boarding: The First Class coach is at the very back of the train, which means it is closest to the beginning of the platform in Boston. First Class passengers are invited to board at their own leisure ahead of the other passengers. Boarding for the train starts about 15 minutes before the train’s departure. An electronic ticket is sent as an attachment to the booking confirmation once you have completed the online booking.

The Cabin

Configuration: 2 + 1.
Seat: The First Class carriage has a number of different seating configurations. On the row of single seats there are some seats facing each other for two persons travelling together, or individual seats behind each other. The same goes for the seats of two on the opposite side of the aisle. The seat itself is wide and very comfortable and has a good recline.
Facilities: Reading light, two power plugs.
Audio and Video: Wifi is available throughout the carriage.

The Service

The journey time is announced at 3 hours and 45 minutes for the 344 kilometres from Boston to New York. After New York the train continues to Washington. There is one young man serving the First Class carriage and he really is brilliant. He has an easygoing attitude and interacts nicely with the passengers. As I take my seat, he comes to welcome me aboard and hands me the menu for the journey to New York and a packet of nibbles. He also takes my order for drinks. I order a Diet Pepsi, and much to my surprise, the drink is actually served in a real glass!

The Meal

Choice: there are five dishes to choose from for the main course. The salad is the healthy option
Delivery: individual tray service
Type of meal: late lunch

a) Quinoa salad with edamame, tomatoes, mixed greens and an olive oil vinaigrette

b) a warm bun with butter

c) cheesecake crumble with a raspberry coulis

The meal arrives shortly after we leave Providence. And again I am pleasantly surprised that it is served in real crockery and with proper metal cutlery.

The meal hits the spot nicely, which is hardly surprising, given that I only just had lunch at Wagamama’s… For the rest of the journey the young man passes through the cabin, checking if passengers have everything they need of if they would like anything else.

Arrival

By the time we arrive in New York, the train has a delay of nearly 15 minutes, which is not too bad. As we approach Manhattan, the young man passes through the carriage with hot towels.They are rather flimsy, but I guess they serve their purpose.

From the platform I head one floor up and follow the signs for the C and E subway lines heading uptown. All in all, I must say I enjoyed this trip on Amtrak. My only grippe really, is that the journey seems unnecessarily long. 344 kilometres should really be possible in under three hours by train.