USA By Rail, New Edition Released


"USA by Rail" is published by Bradt Travel Guides, and is distributed in the United States by Globe Pequot Press, 246 Goose Lane, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06474-0480, http://www.globe-pequot.com/ For international ordering information, consult the author's web site.

Small Station Amenities

In my last column, I described how Union Station in Washington D.C. has become a retail and dining destination for locals and visitors alike. Many wonderful things are going on with our grand railroad stations, of which Union Station is only one example. But, many interesting things are going on with our small railroad stations, too.

The lucky folks who have reason to pass through the Mt. Kisco, New York, train station now have even more of a reason to stop by. The Flying Pig Café, right inside the station, is a food lover’s delight. The restaurant is owned by Cabbage Hill Farm, which supplies all of the farm fresh products for the restaurant. And the chef, Sean Lippert, who spent eight years working with Alice Waters at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, turns out simple, yet very artistic, and certainly very tasty, dishes. Everything on the menu is made with local produce and dairy, like the sheep cheese with apricot compote. If train stations continue following this path, trains will certainly start attracting more travelers who are simply after the train station food.

The Mt. Kisco train station is located at 2 Depot Plaza, Mt. Kisco, N.Y., (916) 666-7445. Another creative and interesting use of part of a small train station is the used bookstore at Philadelphia‚s Mt. Airy station, part of the SEPTA (http://www.septa.com/ ) line. This beautifully restored train station, was created by the famous 19th century architect, Frank Furniss, who designed many train station for the Reading, Pennsylvania and B&O railroads, and many of these stations survive and are utilized to this day. Local preservationists, who decided to include a used bookstore within the station, restored the Mt. Airy station. Now, the station is used not just by commuters but by locals who consider it a place to search for that special used book, or to just chat with a Mt. Airy neighbor.

The copyright of the article USA By Rail, New Edition Released in North American Train Travel is owned by Lynne A. Williams. Permission to republish USA By Rail, New Edition Released in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic