Once in the lounge, I drank two bottles of water and read the Star as Ally pointed out the red sun rising through the smog. The lounge was big, and quiet – not many people in the airport at 7:00am. One woman tried to convince the staff that her Chihuahua was a guide dog.
We got on the Bombardier Q400 and took off very quickly, and soon banked left over Lake Ontario. It was hazy and hot, so I couldn’t see very much detail below us. After a while, we flew over what I assume was the Appalachian Mountains. It looked like a series of large hills alternating with valleys full of mist. In what was probably the shortest flight I’ve ever taken, we soon started descending into New Jersey. I could see the Empire State Building stand out through the thick yellow haze, and shortly afterward I saw the World Trade Center. We flew over a mix of swamps and industrial lands, and landed hard.
When we got into the terminal, it was almost empty. We walked to the huge customs room and were the only passengers there. We then found our way to the train ticket machines, bought tickets, then went up an escalator to the monorail. An employee was up there telling us (I think) that we were going to have to transfer trains at the next stop.
Being a transit nerd, I thought the AirTrain was awesome. It was basically a series of small pods that could hold maybe 8 people, with carpeted floors, and windows all around. It’s the kind of thing I’d like to see in Toronto. They sometimes have these things on university campuses. It’d sure make a difference at a school like York! Anyway, I took this pic looking west (I think) as we rode from the airport to the Newark Liberty International Airport Station, where we would catch the commuter train to Manhattan.
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