Member websites
#1
Posted 08 May 2010 - 03:06 PM
Kevin Korell
OTOL Board Leader
Lakewood, NJ
#2
Posted 01 August 2021 - 01:49 AM
I've made the decision to cease my web page Rails to Restaurants for food places near train stations. It has been difficult the past few years to keep this up to date, without scanning Google Maps to see what is in a given area near an Amtrak, commuter, transit or other type of rail station. Furthermore, the pandemic has wrought havoc on any such lists I've provided, so some stores, malls, restaurants, etc. have closed either temporarily or permanently, and by personal experience some are still open but don't provide one a place to consume the food inside their establishments. This becomes a problem if you think about the fact you've arrived by train and cannot consume the food you bought before boarding. And some commuter rail properties still ban food and drink in their way of banning removal of face masks. The feature was impossible to really keep complete, since in any given food court some places could close and new ones could open. Some of the malls we have been to have themselves gone out of business, taking their restaurants down with them. Plus, there are many places near train stations that qualify for inclusion, but too numerous to keep data current. Think of the 460-some stations on the New York City subway system. For that system alone there are probably qualifying restaurants near every station.
Some places we're eaten at in the past, for example the Jacksonville Landing in Jacksonville, FL, has been totally removed and demolished with just grass where the attraction used to be. No good for a lunch stop unless you're a horse, cattle, or a giant panda.
So with all the confusion as to what is and isn't open, and whether a selected restaurant is able to provide the food and service to you as you would have expected it in 2019 and before, it will be less headache for me to shut the feature down.
My Rails to Rooms feature for HOTELS I continue to keep current whenever there is a change of flag, a hotel closes, or a new one opens. They may not be at optimal service during the pandemic, but most are still open and functioning. This one I will be happy to continue as long as I can.
Kevin Korell
OTOL Board Leader
Lakewood, NJ
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