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Monday, December 15

NYC Walk: Holiday Stroll 2025

Spouses, significant others & friends are most welcome

https://conta.cc/44ssMjK

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Friday, December 19
The Studio Museum in Harlem
Spouses, significant others & friends are most welcome
https://conta.cc/4oXHaZO
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Saturday, February 7
UConn Women’s Basketball
Spouses, significant others & friends are most welcome

https://conta.cc/3JHnHgE
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NYC Travel Hints

Railroad Parking – Westport Stations

There are eight parking lots at Saugatuck Railroad Station. During the work week, most of the parking spaces are reserved for commuters who buy season parking passes. But some of the lots have designated Daily Parking spaces for casual train users, such as us. Look for the Daily Parking signs. Lot 1, the main lot, has a row of daily spaces along the roadway. Lot 7, under the highway past Zucca Gastrobar, and Lot 4, north of Saugatuck Avenue across the tracks, are entirely for daily parking. Lot 8 on Saugatuck Avenue is currently being used for construction vehicles, so daily parking spaces are limited.

Greens Farms Station has three parking lots. The main lot, Lot 1, allows for daily parking.

RR Parking maps may be found on the Westport Town website.

The fee for daily parking is $6.38 per day.

However, Westport allows its senior citizens to park twice a month for free. In order to obtain this discount, you must first register with Railroad Parking at the Police Station. To register, call Railroad Parking at 203-341-6052.

Once you are on their list, whenever you park in a designated daily space, you call or email RR Parking (parking@westportct.gov). You provide them with your parking ticket number, and they remove the charge from their system. Two times each month.

Note: Parking on weekends and holidays anywhere in any of the lots is free for everyone.

Bus Service

There is an inexpensive bus service to and from the train stations, morning and evening. Wheels 2U is an on-demand service – ride from anywhere in Westport to the Greens Farms or Saugatuck station and return. For more information: Wheels 2U Westport.

Train Schedules – Westport to NYC

Nearly all trains from New Haven to NYC and back stop at Westport Saugatuck Station. In the evening, however, some of the trains from NYC to New Haven do not stop at Greens Farms Station. Be sure you are correct. For example, afternoon trains from GCT on the hour generally stop at Green Farms; trains on the half hour often do not.

At busy times in the morning, seats on the train to New York are more likely to be available toward the back of the train.

Train Fares

There are two fare schedules on Metro-North applicable to seniors:

Monday – Friday during morning Peak Time (up to 8:45AM) – seniors must pay full fare. At all other times, including evening rush hour and all day on weekends and holidays, there are special discounted fares for Seniors. Look for Senior/Medicare tickets.

Tickets may be purchased from kiosks on the train station platforms. (There are no more ticket agents.) Alternatively, you can download a phone app from MTA called TrainTime which gives you train schedules and allows you to purchase electronic tickets. And in a pinch, tickets may be purchased on the train.

Grand Central Terminal

Trains to New York arrive and depart from two levels at Grand Central. Our groups generally gather on the Upper Level in the Main Concourse, near the Clock/Information Booth.

The restrooms are located in four locations. The most familiar ones are at the east and west ends of the Lower Level. Note: these are the most crowded, especially the women’s rooms. They are down the stairs from the Main Concourse. Then, there is a third women’s room located at the Station Master’s office on the west end of the Upper Level, near the NY Transit Museum. Less well known – generally not as crowded.

The fourth alternative is the new restrooms in the LIRR terminal, which is a few minutes’ walk from the Main Concourse. Brand new, clean, not crowded.

NYC Subways and Buses

You no longer need to purchase tickets or MetroCards to travel by public transport in NYC. Both buses and subways now accept debit or credit cards, phone wallets, or OMNY cards (Tap to Pay). And, if you transfer from one mode of transportation to another within a certain period of time, the payment method will register the free transfer.

There are still Reduced Fare Senior MetroCards, which give you a 50% discount. Check the website OMNY for more information.

And, if you already have a Senior MetroCard, you may transfer it to your payment method as well, so you don’t have to carry a separate card anymore.

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OTHER “STUFF” GOING ON IN THE AREA