Eduardo C.
Yelp
Even though Secaucus Junction does not fit neatly into any of the Yelp categories, I felt it needed to be included.
Secaucus Junction is a large train station located in the middle of the Meadowlands; constructed as a hub to alleviate the mass of commuters having to go to Hoboken. Before it's construction, commuters were forced to go the extra 10-15 minutes into Hoboken, and then from there take either a ferry or the PATH to get into New York City. It was crowded and with the ever growing population commuting more and more everyday, it was only going to get worse. $450,000,000 later, this oasis in the wet-lands was born.
With the construction of Secaucus Junction, commuters can now stop there and take a train directly into Penn Station in mid-town Manhattan. 8 of NJTransit's lines stop there, with an additional line being added in the near future, to go directly to the Meadowlands itself.
Unfortunately, Secaucus Junction has many minor flaws which make it an un-reliable stop. Things as simple as out-dated schedules, or improperly displayed schedules; which would take literally one minute to fix, go un-touched for months on end. One of the platforms has a schedule board with the "To Hoboken" schedule on both sides. A minor mistake, but something that could be fixed in a matter of seconds. Most of the new (the building was opened in 03) monitors that display train times are broken and have been so for quite some time. Even if you manage to find one that isn't cracked it is bound to show the wrong information or have a Windows Error screen blocking vital info.
The interior of the building is good looking (for a train station i suppose), with artwork, mosaics, large open areas, and a large sculpture of Cat-tails in the middle. It is kept relatively clean, though with not as many commuters as any of NYC's major stations, one wonders how hard is it really to maintain?
Seating is hard to come by, which is especially frustrating with all the open areas where a bench or two could have been thrown in. There are enclosed seating areas towards the ends of the platforms outside, but those usually fill up relatively quickly. There is no heat on the platforms, so during the winter many people wait right by the exits onto the platforms which creates massive congestion. Outside commuters are greeted with high winds and a terrible stench... something between mildew and horse manure.
One of the biggest flaws of Secaucus Junction is the lack of any parking whatsoever. It is attached to the outside world via exit 15x on the New Jersey Turnpike. 15x is officially the most un-used exit on the NJ Turnpike, and probably all of NJ's highway system. It only goes to Secacus Junction, but without parking, seems fairly useless. Large 4 lane over-passes and even toll booths that lead to pretty much nowhere.
My ropinion is that Secacus Junction is a necessary evil, all you have to do is be ready to deal with it. Here are some pointers:
-Know your trip before-hand, it will make your stop that much more painless.
-Be patient, the first few screens you come to may be broken, but keep looking, you'll find one that works
-Don't be afraid to ask, the employees there are actually very nice, and for the most part willing to help you out however necessary.
-If you get disoriented in one of the corridors (which I have seen happen) head towards the glowing purple metal cat-tail sculpture.
-Head towards the ends of the platforms, they are always less crowded and you'll be able to find a seat on the train easier away from the middle
-if anything happens with your train, become a pain in the ass and ask as many questions as possible. Keep yourself informed. Many a time trains have switched or are being combined with only a single muffled barely audible announcement .