This Thanksgiving, our Chief Experience Officer reflects on his gratitude for the play that changed his life!
This now-obscure holiday was once bigger than Thanksgiving...and the 4th of July!
Celebrate the anniversary of the first LIRR train ride into Penn Station!
On September 2nd, 1910, a select group of Long Island Railroad riders were given a ticket for the inaugural preview ride on a new train route from Long Island to Manhattan. Their final destination was the brand-new McKim, Mead, and White-designed Pennsylvania Railroad Station. The Long Island Railroad concourse was the first branch of the station to open.
Join our walking tour to discover what pieces of the original Beaux-Arts structure, which was demolished in 1963, remain in the station we use today!
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On the original ticket, "August" is crossed out. This wasn’t a typo. The original preview ride was meant to happen in August, but was postponed until September. Long Island Railroad service to Manhattan officially opened to the public a few days later, on September 8th. The Pennsylvania Railroad branch didn’t open until November of that year.
On the day of the first LIRR journey, riders booked passage to Long Island City and then boarded the first electric train for a twelve-minute maiden voyage under the East River to the brand-new Pennsylvania Station. Passengers were given a special two-hour inspection tour, where the grand station was theirs to roam freely before the general public was admitted.
Celebrate the LIRR anniversary this month by uncovering remnants of the original Penn Station for yourself on our Secrets of Penn Station and Moynihan Train Hall Tour!
This tour covers the past, present, and future of the station as you discover pieces of the original McKim, Mead & White structure, sculptures by famous artists, and other details you may otherwise walk right past. The tour is enhanced by photographs of the station by renowned photographers Norman McGrath, Peter Moore, and Aaron Rose, along with the work of railroad aficionados Alexander Hatos, an employee of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and Ron Ziel, a railroad historian.
"A very fun and informative tour of the old Penn Station. We love taking off-the-beaten-path tours, and this one was even better than we’d hoped...We left with a wonderful new appreciation for the glory of that old station, and an ever greater appreciation for the fact that we still have places like Grand Central Station to visit and enjoy. Highly recommend this tour! - James H, Tripadvisor
Originally published September 5, 2023
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