Need help in visiting..Parking, Mass transit etc (Philadelphia, Lancaster: hotels, price)

[swan1953]

First off I'd like to say I always wanted to visit. My mother and Father Honey moon'd there in 1949 and they had post cards I used to view.

Fast forward, my wife wants to visit the Amish country and myself the Strasburg railroad and museum. I am a trolley/train buff and have been on one of Septa's old trolley cars in Maine.
We want to also stop by Philly for a day, maybe twice but will be in Lancaster. My eyes are not great anymore for night driving unfamiliar roads and do not want to drive all the way in to Philadelphia proper. So, any suggestions such as "Park and Ride"? or a lot to park in near a train line somewhere between Lancaster and Philly?

I google mapped around and saw a "69th Street Transportation center" that looked promising but not sure if this is the best bet. I drove a cab in NYC way back in the 70's but now hate to drive in the city and the thought of night driving in a new city has me second guessing the trip so please help me find a middle ground so to speak.

We will be driving in from around Lancaster or maybe even Strasburg which seems a little closer to Philadelphia.

Thank you for any help. I very much hope we can pull this off. The city seems very interesting and I'm sure a day or two will not be enough but if it goes well, we will return. We love Maine and have been there 3 times now and that is even further away.

If you want advice for similar reasons to visit New York, I'll be happy to oblige

Glen and Sally

[kidphilly]

if coming from Lancaster take route 30 to the Exton PA Train station and take Septa into center city - this is old Main line railroad actually if a rail fan


Its much cheaper then Amtrak and a pretty easy drive from Lancaster (45 mins give or take) and free parking I believe


the train stops at 30th street, suburban and market east stations in Center city, close to a lot and also has direct access to subways and subway surface trolleys


Enjoy your visit


BTW Market East is connected to the old reading railroad terminal (now part of the convention center) and has a great food market with many Amish goods.


if for a day the double decker buses can be great (albeit a little pricey) to see a lot. Alternatively the Flash bus goes to most touristy places and is pretty affordable for a daily pass


Best of luck and enjoy your stay


I would not recommend 69th street based on where you are coming from, if driving to there I would just drive all the way to center city

[swan1953]

By the way, we plan on visiting the last week in September (26th to the 30th) or first week in October starting on a Monday (which is the 3rd of Oct)

Thanks

[swan1953]

Thank you for the reply and great information. We saw the Phlash bus and the double deck one's and my wife wants to do the full tour type so it seems the double deck will win out plus they most likely will narrate the trip. I'll go the place you mentioned and plan my trip. I do recall seeing a route 30 in my google mapping quest.

You guys have a great sports town and since I'm more of a Jet fan then Giant fan, I suppose I'll be safe lol

I used to be a rabid NY Ranger fan in the 70's and you'all had one hell of a team back then. Broad street bullies they called them. I suppose they still do but my last Ranger game was about 6 years ago at the Garden. A friend had some "comp" tickets so I went but the old fervor was gone. It was against Philly that day.

Thanks

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by swan1953

First off I'd like to say I always wanted to visit. My mother and Father Honey moon'd there in 1949 and they had post cards I used to view.

Fast forward, my wife wants to visit the Amish country and myself the Strasburg railroad and museum. I am a trolley/train buff and have been on one of Septa's old trolley cars in Maine.
We want to also stop by Philly for a day, maybe twice but will be in Lancaster. My eyes are not great anymore for night driving unfamiliar roads and do not want to drive all the way in to Philadelphia proper. So, any suggestions such as "Park and Ride"? or a lot to park in near a train line somewhere between Lancaster and Philly?

I google mapped around and saw a "69th Street Transportation center" that looked promising but not sure if this is the best bet. I drove a cab in NYC way back in the 70's but now hate to drive in the city and the thought of night driving in a new city has me second guessing the trip so please help me find a middle ground so to speak.

We will be driving in from around Lancaster or maybe even Strasburg which seems a little closer to Philadelphia.

Thank you for any help. I very much hope we can pull this off. The city seems very interesting and I'm sure a day or two will not be enough but if it goes well, we will return. We love Maine and have been there 3 times now and that is even further away.

If you want advice for similar reasons to visit New York, I'll be happy to oblige

Glen and Sally

For a train buff(I'm one!)the Strasburg railroad museum is nirvana! A sample of the workhorse locomotive, used for 30+ years on Amtrak's NE corridor, was recently moved to the outside rail yard at the museum. It's a great sign for the future of the museum as they clearly want to acknowledge more recent railroad history.

The major thing notable inside 69th St TC is the wall of great historic photos of the center and 69th St area that are displayed as you walk to the western part of the center. You will love those.

[Jeanie Beanie]

Just a thought, but it is pretty easy to just take Amtrack from Lancaster to Philadelphia as a day trip... rather than driving closer to Philly to take mass transit. Just a smidge over an hour.

There are a couple of nice hotels quite near the Lancaster Amtrack station - The Lancaster Arts Hotel gets rave reviews, for one - and you can just stick to your Lancaster hub. Amtrack may be a bit more expensive than driving and taking regional rail, but, hey, how often do you do this? Besides you're a train guy. BTW, have you ever seen 30th Street Station? Oh, my, it is grand.

Welcome to Pennsylvania.

Any more questions?