Can anyone opine on this?:
Travelling out of Phila, Pa…
I need to be in Times Sq. in NYC on Monday morning 8-7 around 10am. I was thinking that I could take Amtrak Accela from Philly and get a cab from Penn Station in NYC over to Times Square.
Wouldn’t that make that most sense?
Yes. You can even walk there if you were so inclined (from Penn, not from Philly) or take the N,R subway.
I’d skip the cab and just walk. It’s a straight shot up 7th to Times Square from Penn Station.
E.
You guys rock. I wasn’t sure of the distance. I’ve made some truck deliveries to NYC back in my college days, but never took the train. I take the train to D.C. and Baltimore, but this will be my first run to NYC on Amtrak.
Thanks! 
You might save a little money taking the R7 to Trenton and connecting with NJ Transit. But you should only do this if you’re really, really cheap.
That train is not bad, though not luxurious. It’s a lot cheaper, but it does take longer and it’s more complicated. We used to live outside of Trenton, so we took the NJ Transit train to New York often.
If it is a reasonably nice day, I’d walk. By the time you buy a MetroCard, walk to the subway station (inside Penn Station, but still a bit of a hike) wait for the train, and get out, you could be there. But I’m a New Yorker by birth, and I walk fast.
I’m leaning towards Accela and walking.
You can also go from Chinatown in Philadelphia to New York (Penn Station) via Chinatown bus, for $15. It’s about 2.5 hours, give or take. First bus leaves at 7am, so you’d be in around 9:30-10am, and penn station is just a couple of minutes to Times Square either by cab or walking.
I don’t know if I’d recommend it if you absolutely need to be on time. I’ve been delayed on Amtrack/NJ Transit many times, but it’s still probably more reliable than the roads. But I’ve taken this bus a number of times with no real problems.
The N, R wouldn’t work. It would have to be the A, C or E if you’re on the 8th Ave. side, or the 1, 2, or 3 if you’re on the 7th Ave side…in case you decide not to walk.
Yeah, actually the 1,2,3 is better. N, R you would have to walk a block over. I used to come from Union Square so I got used to taking the N and R when I needed to get up to Penn or Times Square.
I’ve done the NJTransit/SEPTA method of getting to Philly. It’s certainly is the cheapest but it is complex, time consuming and dirty compared to a luxurious hour and a half Acela ride.
Amtrak, 123 train. It will probably be a bit warm outside to walk.
What are you doing in the city?
Amtrak? Are you nuts? Ehm, sorry. I imagine you’re just misinformed. Right. Fight ignorance.
Just take the local trains, I can’t remember their name. Change trains in Trenton. The whole trip is 12$, instead of the 140+ of Amtrak. Use the difference to pay for the rest of the trip!
You’ll end up in Covent Garden, which is a short walking distance from Times Square.
I didn’t end up in London last time I made that trip. 
AmTrak has bigger seats, and is more luxurious, and is easier. NJ Transit though, is not dirty. (One who has a problem with that level of dirt is going to the wrong place.) If someone else were paying for it, I’d take AmTrak. When I pay for it, I take NJ Transit - unless time is really of the essence.
I also recommend the SEPTA/NJTransit method. There is an NJTransit ticket machine on the SEPTA portion of 30th Street Station that should be able to sell all the tickets you need for the SEPTA and NJTransit portions of the trip. You would take the 7:08am R7 Trenton all the way to Trenton, then get on the 8:08 NJTransit train to New York, scheduled to arrive at 9:19 - SEPTA schedule and NJTransit schedule (PDFs). The 6:37 R7 will get you to New York at 9:06. You won’t be able to use the Off-Peak Round Trip NJTransit tickets, but the round-trip cost is still less than the one-way cost on Amtrak.
Of course, if someone else is paying, take the Acela. There’s the regular “regional” service, which used to be called Acela Regional, and the Acela Express. Acela Express is twice the cost of regional and others (Keystone, etc.), but doesn’t get there much faster. The regional and Keystone service takes about an hour and a half, and the Acela Express is ten minutes faster.