LIRR from Jamaica to Penn Station

I grew up in Baldwin, Long Island which is a 30-minute train ride to Manhattan. I’ve ridden the LIRR to and from NYC’s Penn Stations innumerable times. And still to this day I remain mesmerized by the trip more than 40 years after my first time. I just stare out the window on the stretch between Jamaica and Penn Station and take in the dynamic scenery outside my window. It’s my personal, real-life cinema of attractions. I did the ride earlier this week and it was interesting to compare it with my recent trips on the train in the Italian Alps. I can see why the Europeans are so taken with NYC, it must be at once a familiar and foreign space: compressed, colorful, and connected. Italian Futurist Fortunato Depero—who hails from Trentino—saw NYC as the living and breathing symbol of the future. And I find that so many of the Italians I’ve met from Trento are very fond of New York City. The iconic skyline of New York can be found all over Trento, and it has some real parallels with the skyline of Trento that is everywhere dominated by the Dolemites. The following videos—although not of magnificent skylines per se—trace the 10 and a half minutes of my ride train ride to Manhattan starting after we left the Jamaica, Queens station. The first is 2:30 minutes and the second is 8 minutes. These videos are why I lvoe my iPhone. Also, thanks for the YouTube channel Reclaim. What kind of trouble could I possibly get in 🙂