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Is Penn Station safe at night?


asi14

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I have to get to a place in Central Park by 5AM, so my plan is to take the 2AM train to Penn Station, sleep there for an hour, and take the subway the rest of the way. The thing is, though, how safe is Penn Station at night? If so, are there any particular places I should go to inside Penn Station?

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I have to get to a place in Central Park by 5AM, so my plan is to take the 2AM train to Penn Station, sleep there for an hour, and take the subway the rest of the way. The thing is, though, how safe is Penn Station at night? If so, are there any particular places I should go to inside Penn Station?

There are hoards of homeless people overnight sleeping anywhere they can. If you can get past that and whatever crazies are walking around you'll be fine, but I wouldn't dare sleep in Penn Station. You're just setting yourself up to be a target. I would look for a decent 24 hour place or something open late, get some food there and relax then take the subway the rest of the way.

 

I would also recommend booking a hotel. I've done that staying in the city over the weekend, and it wasn't too bad. You have to book in advance though to get a good price. You could then come into the city the night before and have somewhere safe to sleep and get some decent food, then take the subway to where you have to go.

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I have to get to a place in Central Park by 5AM, so my plan is to take the 2AM train to Penn Station, sleep there for an hour, and take the subway the rest of the way. The thing is, though, how safe is Penn Station at night? If so, are there any particular places I should go to inside Penn Station?

 

Go to the Amtrak guarded waiting area if it's open, it's only open to people with train tickets. I agree against sleeping there: sleep on the train if anything. If you're awake, the station should be fine, there are police in the Amtrak area.

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I have to get to a place in Central Park by 5AM, so my plan is to take the 2AM train to Penn Station, sleep there for an hour, and take the subway the rest of the way. The thing is, though, how safe is Penn Station at night? If so, are there any particular places I should go to inside Penn Station?

 

While there are a lot of homeless people in Penn Station, most of them are pretty harmless and keep to themselves.

 

If anything, I would be concerned about drunk Long Islanders, especially if you're taking one of the weekend drunk trains.

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While there are a lot of homeless people in Penn Station, most of them are pretty harmless and keep to themselves.

 

If anything, I would be concerned about drunk Long Islanders, especially if you're taking one of the weekend drunk trains.

 

This, without question. 

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The homeless people I see there are usually too busy watching porn to notice other passengers lol

LMAO... There's free Wi-Fi in there too? You walk by any of those Wi-Fi hot spots in the City and you see them just called out right next to it like it's a God. Notice those things are never vandalized.
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I'd like to know if the OP actually ended up sleeping for that hour or whatever....

 

Whenever I've had to wait for an early train at Penn, I usually walk around the general area outside of penn until it's time for me to head back inside & catch the train I need.... Usually no further than W. 39th or 40th & usually no further than 11th av..... Safety isn't the concern - I don't want to be around (the stench of) a sea of homeless folks & the drunkards, on top of hearing drunk talk for too long a period of time.... Another minor thing is the smell of the cleaning material that's used when the floor is being buffed.....

 

I have seen some wild shit go down inside penn station in the wee hours of the morning... public urination/defecation, public nudity (men & women), vomiting contests (don't ask), fist fights/brawls, food fights, you name it.....

 

Letting situations play themselves out (which is what happened in most of those occurrences I listed above) I'd have to think is a very lazy way of policing.....


There are hoards of homeless people overnight sleeping anywhere they can. If you can get past that and whatever crazies are walking around you'll be fine, but I wouldn't dare sleep in Penn Station......

Some of those people you see sleeping inside Penn are about as homeless as I am... They're people like the OP trying to kill time for w/e train trying to catch (you see this shit on the basement level of PABT for those Greyhound buses in the wee hrs. of the morning also)....

 

F***ing disgusting... The only time you'll catch me "sleeping" inside Penn is if I ended up perishing there.

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I'd like to know if the OP actually ended up sleeping for that hour or whatever....

 

Whenever I've had to wait for an early train at Penn, I usually walk around the general area outside of penn until it's time for me to head back inside & catch the train I need.... Usually no further than W. 39th or 40th & usually no further than 11th av..... Safety isn't the concern - I don't want to be around (the stench of) a sea of homeless folks & the drunkards, on top of hearing drunk talk for too long a period of time.... Another minor thing is the smell of the cleaning material that's used when the floor is being buffed.....

 

I have seen some wild shit go down inside penn station in the wee hours of the morning... public urination/defecation, public nudity (men & women), vomiting contests (don't ask), fist fights/brawls, food fights, you name it.....

 

Letting situations play themselves out (which is what happened in most of those occurrences I listed above) I'd have to think is a very lazy way of policing.....

 

Some of those people you see sleeping inside Penn are about as homeless as I am... They're people like the OP trying to kill time for w/e train trying to catch (you see this shit on the basement level of PABT for those Greyhound buses in the wee hrs. of the morning also)....

 

F***ing disgusting... The only time you'll catch me "sleeping" inside Penn is if I ended up perishing there.

Even the people lined up on cardboard? Either way the place is disgusting. I've left Grand Central late at night to get MNRR home and that is like child's play in comparison.
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I'd like to know if the OP actually ended up sleeping for that hour or whatever....

 

Whenever I've had to wait for an early train at Penn, I usually walk around the general area outside of penn until it's time for me to head back inside & catch the train I need.... Usually no further than W. 39th or 40th & usually no further than 11th av..... Safety isn't the concern - I don't want to be around (the stench of) a sea of homeless folks & the drunkards, on top of hearing drunk talk for too long a period of time.... Another minor thing is the smell of the cleaning material that's used when the floor is being buffed.....

 

I have seen some wild shit go down inside penn station in the wee hours of the morning... public urination/defecation, public nudity (men & women), vomiting contests (don't ask), fist fights/brawls, food fights, you name it.....

 

Letting situations play themselves out (which is what happened in most of those occurrences I listed above) I'd have to think is a very lazy way of policing.....

 

Some of those people you see sleeping inside Penn are about as homeless as I am... They're people like the OP trying to kill time for w/e train trying to catch (you see this shit on the basement level of PABT for those Greyhound buses in the wee hrs. of the morning also)....

 

F***ing disgusting... The only time you'll catch me "sleeping" inside Penn is if I ended up perishing there.

It's bad when you liken Penn Station and PABT's "inhabitants" to an asylum...Arkum Asylum: I keep looking for Joker, Harley Quinn, and the Scarecrow

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LMAO... There's free Wi-Fi in there too? You walk by any of those Wi-Fi hot spots in the City and you see them just called out right next to it like it's a God. Notice those things are never vandalized.

 

That is very true, never thought of that!

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Even the people lined up on cardboard? Either way the place is disgusting. I've left Grand Central late at night to get MNRR home and that is like child's play in comparison.

Some of them, yep.... I'm not even joking....

 

My thing is, IDC if they're homeless or not, aint no way in f*** I'm sleeping in some Penn, GCT, PABT, GWB, whatever... I'm good on that.... I can't even force myself to doze off on the subway itself anymore....

 

Quite sure you've seen people camping out in front of some store in Manhattan to get first dibs on those new 1's (sneakers), or whatever article of clothing is set to be sold that day..... They sleep on the hard concrete, sleep on their knapsacks/rolling bags (their head, at least), sleep in sleeping bags, sleep on cardboard, sleep on folding chairs/beach chairs... Whatever gets the job done....

 

It's bad when you liken Penn Station and PABT's "inhabitants" to an asylum...Arkum Asylum: I keep looking for Joker, Harley Quinn, and the Scarecrow

I would include the NJ commuters inside PABT & LI commuters inside Penn running like chickens w/ their heads cut off, in that mix of asylum worthy people also.... You've got to be pretty stupid to be willing to knock someone over to catch a bus/train! Personally, I get a kick out of seeing them trip & fall - especially the more attitudinal ones.....

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Some of them, yep.... I'm not even joking....

 

My thing is, IDC if they're homeless or not, aint no way in f*** I'm sleeping in some Penn, GCT, PABT, GWB, whatever... I'm good on that.... I can't even force myself to doze off on the subway itself anymore....

 

Quite sure you've seen people camping out in front of some store in Manhattan to get first dibs on those new 1's (sneakers), or whatever article of clothing is set to be sold that day..... They sleep on the hard concrete, sleep on their knapsacks/rolling bags (their head, at least), sleep in sleeping bags, sleep on cardboard, sleep on folding chairs/beach chairs... Whatever gets the job done....

 

 

I would include the NJ commuters inside PABT & LI commuters inside Penn running like chickens w/ their heads cut off, in that mix of asylum worthy people also.... You've got to be pretty stupid to be willing to knock someone over to catch a bus/train! Personally, I get a kick out of seeing them trip & fall - especially the more attitudinal ones.....

I've never done any of that crappola. Waste of time.
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I have to get to a place in Central Park by 5AM, so my plan is to take the 2AM train to Penn Station, sleep there for an hour, and take the subway the rest of the way. The thing is, though, how safe is Penn Station at night? If so, are there any particular places I should go to inside Penn Station?

 

You're asking more about security than safety...

  • Security means not being attacked.
  • Safety means that the ceiling won't collapse while you're not being attacked.
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Some of them, yep.... I'm not even joking....

 

My thing is, IDC if they're homeless or not, aint no way in f*** I'm sleeping in some Penn, GCT, PABT, GWB, whatever... I'm good on that.... I can't even force myself to doze off on the subway itself anymore....

 

Quite sure you've seen people camping out in front of some store in Manhattan to get first dibs on those new 1's (sneakers), or whatever article of clothing is set to be sold that day..... They sleep on the hard concrete, sleep on their knapsacks/rolling bags (their head, at least), sleep in sleeping bags, sleep on cardboard, sleep on folding chairs/beach chairs... Whatever gets the job done....

 

I would include the NJ commuters inside PABT & LI commuters inside Penn running like chickens w/ their heads cut off, in that mix of asylum worthy people also.... You've got to be pretty stupid to be willing to knock someone over to catch a bus/train! Personally, I get a kick out of seeing them trip & fall - especially the more attitudinal ones.....

You don't know how much I want to stick my arm out and clothesline someone...had a kamikaze run into me at PABT one time

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I would never recommending actually sleeping inside the station, especially during the late night/early morning hours. If you're waiting for a train, stay vigilant until you actually board the train - in fact, sleeping while waiting for the train could possibly cause you to miss your train due to oversleeping.

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Go to the Amtrak guarded waiting area if it's open, it's only open to people with train tickets. I agree against sleeping there: sleep on the train if anything. If you're awake, the station should be fine, there are police in the Amtrak area.

Amtrak waiting room is for Amtrak/NJ Transit passengers.

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While there are a lot of homeless people in Penn Station, most of them are pretty harmless and keep to themselves.

 

If anything, I would be concerned about drunk Long Islanders, especially if you're taking one of the weekend drunk trains.

 

Drunken Long Islander's are usually more dangerous than homeless people from my experience.

 

 

Go to the Amtrak guarded waiting area if it's open, it's only open to people with train tickets. I agree against sleeping there: sleep on the train if anything. If you're awake, the station should be fine, there are police in the Amtrak area.

 

The LIRR has their own guarded area.

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The homeless are all over during the overnight hours, especially on the weekends.  I would never suggest to go to sleep in a public place regardless of the location, especially penn, and especially on the train.  Tough it out and stay awake.  

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I am often through Penn Station in the early morning hours. I would never close my eyes in there unless I was in the "secure" LIRR or Amtrak waiting rooms with ticket verification to enter.

 

At Penn, at night, Amtrak concourse is roped off and made almost entirely "no trespassing" except for a small path to Amtrak bathrooms and waiting room. Something like PABT at night. NJT Concourse at night is gate down closed and 100% closed. LIRR concourse never closes, although for 2 or 3 hours LIRR bathrooms close at night and you must use the much more filthy and abused Amtrak bathrooms. I've considered whether to sneak onto Amtrak 66/67 to use the bathrooms during the very long layover. MTA (LIRR) Police generally keep their section of Penn more bum-free than Amtrak, the "rules of engagement" are different. Earlier this year the begger and handshake drug dealers at the MSG Amtrak escalators facing 7 ave got pretty bad, with 15-25 skels standing within 20 feet infront of the escalators.  The gypsy cab drivers standing in the amtrak 7 ave arcade shouting "new jersey long island" to anyone who doesn't look homeless coming down escalators from 7th ave also went away.

 

A unit of NYPD SRG started to hang out at the 7 ave escalators and cleaned up  the sidewalk at the top of the escalators. The bums were pushed further north and south down 7th ave to the MSG steps and not 10 feet from the escalator.  I've seen MTA Police no-charges evict and escort bums off platform level before at 1-2-3 am in morn. You can't sleep on steps to platforms or on platforms, only on floor in the "mall"/mezzanines. In LIRR concourse there is alot of sleeping by LI party kids and bums on floor but there are plenty of MTA police eyes withing line of sight over the sleep hoards near the ticket windows.

 

Grand Central doesnt have these problems because it closes for the night. Penn never closes.

 

St Francis of Assisi on 31 street is a large homeless encampment at night. A bum this year got 3 feet away in my face following me down the block since I wouldnt give him a dollar. Vacant storefronts on 34 street between 7 ave and 6 ave have some permanent leantos/shanties of bums, crusties and heroin addicts. I've seen this year some of the vacant storefronts have security guards on chairs sitting the whole night to stop camps from being built on the sidewalk. The 7-Eleven on 34 street between 7 ave and 8 ave is another public nuisance. Came there at 2 pm on a weekday last month, guy in cuffs in back of police car with door open being processed. Walked out of the 7-Eleven with a 24 pack of beer without paying. While guy in cuffs, another man walked in, clerk instantly came around the counter and confronted him that he has to go, man started shouting back the clerk is racist but slowly backed out of the 7 Eleven, clearly he was a frequent shoplifter.

 

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/mcdonald-security-guard-stabbed-midtown-bloody-brawl-spills-sidewalk-article-1.140710

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/20/nyregion/regulars-at-a-manhattan-mcdonalds-arent-there-for-the-fries.html

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I am often through Penn Station in the early morning hours. I would never close my eyes in there unless I was in the "secure" LIRR or Amtrak waiting rooms with ticket verification to enter.

 

At Penn, at night, Amtrak concourse is roped off and made almost entirely "no trespassing" except for a small path to Amtrak bathrooms and waiting room. Something like PABT at night. NJT Concourse at night is gate down closed and 100% closed. LIRR concourse never closes, although for 2 or 3 hours LIRR bathrooms close at night and you must use the much more filthy and abused Amtrak bathrooms. I've considered whether to sneak onto Amtrak 66/67 to use the bathrooms during the very long layover. MTA (LIRR) Police generally keep their section of Penn more bum-free than Amtrak, the "rules of engagement" are different. Earlier this year the begger and handshake drug dealers at the MSG Amtrak escalators facing 7 ave got pretty bad, with 15-25 skels standing within 20 feet infront of the escalators.  The gypsy cab drivers standing in the amtrak 7 ave arcade shouting "new jersey long island" to anyone who doesn't look homeless coming down escalators from 7th ave also went away.

 

A unit of NYPD SRG started to hang out at the 7 ave escalators and cleaned up  the sidewalk at the top of the escalators. The bums were pushed further north and south down 7th ave to the MSG steps and not 10 feet from the escalator.  I've seen MTA Police no-charges evict and escort bums off platform level before at 1-2-3 am in morn. You can't sleep on steps to platforms or on platforms, only on floor in the "mall"/mezzanines. In LIRR concourse there is alot of sleeping by LI party kids and bums on floor but there are plenty of MTA police eyes withing line of sight over the sleep hoards near the ticket windows.

 

Grand Central doesnt have these problems because it closes for the night. Penn never closes.

 

St Francis of Assisi on 31 street is a large homeless encampment at night. A bum this year got 3 feet away in my face following me down the block since I wouldnt give him a dollar. Vacant storefronts on 34 street between 7 ave and 6 ave have some permanent leantos/shanties of bums, crusties and heroin addicts. I've seen this year some of the vacant storefronts have security guards on chairs sitting the whole night to stop camps from being built on the sidewalk. The 7-Eleven on 34 street between 7 ave and 8 ave is another public nuisance. Came there at 2 pm on a weekday last month, guy in cuffs in back of police car with door open being processed. Walked out of the 7-Eleven with a 24 pack of beer without paying. While guy in cuffs, another man walked in, clerk instantly came around the counter and confronted him that he has to go, man started shouting back the clerk is racist but slowly backed out of the 7 Eleven, clearly he was a frequent shoplifter.

 

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/mcdonald-security-guard-stabbed-midtown-bloody-brawl-spills-sidewalk-article-1.140710

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/20/nyregion/regulars-at-a-manhattan-mcdonalds-arent-there-for-the-fries.html

LMAO... Unbelievable.  Thank God Grand Central closes for the night because it if didn't the situation would be even worse.  GCT definitely has a homeless problem, especially in the morning. I had one nut job run over to me as I was exiting my Metro-North train and point at my Canada Goose jacket as if he had never seen the logo before. Before I knew it, I was ready to punch the living **** out of him and was just waiting. He saw the look on my face and that smirk on his face quickly changed.  He got angry at my response but didn't dare proceed any closer because I think he realized I was ready to clock him one.

 

The skells at Penn Station are likely worse though.  The problem is because the place is open 24/7, they become comfortable and far more aggressive.  Also the nerve of that guy to follow you.  That guy would've been picking himself off the sidewalk if he would've tried a stunt like that with me. I keep telling myself that as I get older, the Sicilian in me has cooled down, but I still seem to have a button that gets pressed here and there that sends my blood boiling with the snap of a finger.  :lol:

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The bums were pushed further north and south down 7th ave to the MSG steps and not 10 feet from the escalator.  I've seen MTA Police no-charges evict and escort bums off platform level before at 1-2-3 am in morn. You can't sleep on steps to platforms or on platforms, only on floor in the "mall"/mezzanines. In LIRR concourse there is alot of sleeping by LI party kids and bums on floor but there are plenty of MTA police eyes withing line of sight over the sleep hoards near the ticket windows.

I really wish the police were more diligent about bulldozing the homeless out of the regular subway stations. Many more people use the subway than heavy rail and are affected.

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I really wish the police were more diligent about bulldozing the homeless out of the regular subway stations. Many more people use the subway than heavy rail and are affected.

The problem is the policy in place.  If they changed the policy to require passengers to have to show their receipt for using the system, you could then get rid of the skells a bit easier. They never pay, so they wouldn't have a receipt unless they got one from someone else that was willing to give theirs up.  I get people asking me for swipes and I just completely ignore them or look at them like they're crazy.  I stopped giving homeless people anything years ago. I remember going out for dinner one Thanksgiving and giving a guy whatever money I had left on me after I had dinner at one of my spots.  Think I had $20 left or so.  Felt bad for the guy because it was freezing out and he was shivering and hungry and here I was with a belly full of food and wine, nice and warm.  On occasion I would give a person food if I had some on me or take them to get them food if I felt really bad for them, but there are so many scam artists out here that I don't bother anymore.

 

These people are setting up shop in front of any vacant store or other open space, and they just sit there all day long aside from when they go to get food.  It's disturbing and annoying because it's very obvious that some of these people are not homeless at all and set up in different spots just to beg and take advantage of people's generosity.  But hey we have a mayor that is doing everything to undo laws that deter this sort of behavior, so this is to be expected. People voted de Blasio in, so this is what they get. This nonsense wouldn't go on under Giuliani. I've even started to see the squeegee guys making a comeback in some areas.  Just think about that for a second...

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My apologies if this comes across as relevant so to break these conversations down the moral of this thread basically is that Penn Station is not a safe station to rest and that you should always be aware of aware of your surroundings. Gotcha (:

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