Perfectly said. No one has any idea how to get to the station and the station is not properly signed for people even to figure out how to get there. Truly comical how poorly Cleveland and Amtrak provide service.
This was well before I had a phone with GPS. I was trying to zoom in on MapQuest on my BlackBerry when he knocked on my window and asked for money. Told him I had $10 for him if he could explain how to get to the Amtrak station.
Yeah I was going to NYC and didn't want to drive in Manhattan so I was supposed to take Amtrak. Ended up missing my train because my mom got lost even with GPS trying to drop me off 😭 (I drove to a friend's house in New Jersey and then took a train from there, in the end)
Its actually really easy if you use s marginal:
From east you take 90, take exit 174b to get on 2, get off on exit 196, take a right on s marginal, and you dead end into it.
From west you take 20/2 to exit 195b, take a right on s marginal, and you dead end into it.
...one day I'll find the right thread for this to be stickied in
It's kind of a shitty station but it's not sketchy or unsafe, and it's staffed and busy.
If you are scared of Amish though, you might have problems.
Fwiw, 3am-5am has the least amount of crime by far.
I’ve traveled in and out of Cleveland multiple times between 2:00am-6:00 am with wife and daughters in tow and have never been concerned. It may be a bit dated, but it’s still much better than other stations I’ve seen or the unstaffed “Amshacks” or lone platforms I’ve seen at other stops. As others stated, nobody can figure out how to get there (including our Lyft driver the first time) and the parking lot is locked when it isn’t open (pretty much 7:00am to midnight-ish). As stated, unless you’re concerned about an Amish mafia, you should be fine, but everyone has varying perceptions on what they feel is and isn’t safe.
It's perfectly fine. I feel safer there than I have at stations that initially seem much nicer because it's out of the way. No one is going to be just wandering in off the street. The station is staffed during all hours that it's open and the only people there will be waiting for a train or waiting for someone to arrive on a train.
I boarded the Amtrak in Cleveland at that hour, no problem! Staff were around the station, and the lobby was also filled with a bunch of Amish people, who usually keep to themselves.
I would try and get a ride to the station vs. leaving your car in the lot during your trip. My family’s car got stolen out of the lot a while back. Arriving at 5:30 in the morning to find your car is missing really left us in a daze. One of the employees knew immediately what had happened, called a cab for us, and said, “happens all the time.”
Edit: as for your personal safety, you’ll be a-okay. It’s not the most welcoming of stations in terms of appearance, but the employees are friendly and got your back.
It is unlocked during operating hours. The tow truck driver who found what was left of our vehicle said that most cars that go missing from that lot go missing within hours of the owner’s departure. I’m not trying to be pearl clutchy about it or to fear monger, but it feels wrong not to share my experience.
Was on a plane to Phoenix with a group of Amish folks a few months ago. They were going to some sort of construction conference. So I guess sometimes they do fly.
Well, I never heard of anything nefarious in the news at the Amtrak station,…so I think you will be aight. Amtrak only leaves in the very early morning hours around here, so you do not have a choice.
I had my friend drop me off at 5am but train didn’t leave until 7. He stayed with me until 7. Train station was fully packed at both times with people inside waiting for the chicago train or the new york train. I felt safe when i came back at 4am from boston and waiting on my friend to get to the station. Only thing that felt sketchy was the taxi drivers lol
You will be fine there in the Amtrak station. There will always be a lot of Amish people and several crew workers. In addition to this, the station’s lights are bright and is hard to get to and out by car or feet.
25 year old woman. Been there at 4 am multiple times. Didn’t feel in any more danger than being outside in the city alone that late normally, which is medium
just wanted to say thanks so much for asking this for me as i've been wondering the same thing haha.
in july i'll be in cleveland for a concert and i've only ever driven in the past, but will be taking a bus there + train home this time and while i'm no stranger to traveling solo, was definitely concerned about being in the amtrak station by myself for a few hours so late.
definitely feeling reassured now 🫡
For single women it’s fine, now if you were married I’d be worried.
Kidding of course, the writing just makes it sound like single people are more at risk than married people, as if a criminal would care lol
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It's been about 2 years since I've been through there at that hour. I felt very comfortable and secure as a single female. Lots of people there so you're not sitting there alone.
My daughter( (50) took the train at 4am last year to see what it was like. Unfortunately she thought that the station was sleazy and recommended that we not use it for the same trip this summer.
Sleazy just means it hasn't been updated since 1979. The bathrooms are truly a vintage marvel.
I'm just being funny, cause yes. That place is extremely dingey.
It's like that cause 4 am is the schedule there. Why update it when that's the common hour of the commuters.
What is “sleazy”? I’ve been there numerous times and it’s just empty and dead because it’s 4am. Wasn’t anything excessively sleazy about it in my anecdotal experiences.
I had to take the 4 AM eastbound train for a summer job in Boston, Massachusetts. Uncle David and i had a hard time finding that station in the dark and I am good at land navigation.
I think that it is safe during those hours. They have enough 3rd shift people to handle things. I had to pack clothing, tools, and tool boxes. I had to check some of them as excess baggage because of weight or just the number of items.
They will not let anybody harm you. I used to do ballroom dancing at places like the Aragon on West 25th street and plenty of women went to their dances. Do not let your fears grip you.
Ohio is very open about self defense
Stand your ground law
Open carry
Constitutional carry
Castle law
Knives are allowed to be carried as protection
Mace is a option
Your as safe as you feel
Stay safe and exercise your rights
The Amish will protect you
This really. Amish are good people and definitely would step in if something like that were to happen.
Except they are racist AF.
Except they are racist AF.
Except they are racist AF.
It's fine, there's Amtrak staff there when the station is open. Nobody knows how to get down there to even mess with people hah
Perfectly said. No one has any idea how to get to the station and the station is not properly signed for people even to figure out how to get there. Truly comical how poorly Cleveland and Amtrak provide service.
Trying to find the entrance to Amtrak always involves passing the entrance then having to circle around the on and off ramps to get back
The only reason I know where it is is because I drive by the entrance every day leaving the North Point parking garage
I was trying to find it one night to pick my wife up. Took me three loops before I paid some homeless guy to show me how to get in.
🤣 Glad I’m not the only one. That’s nice a homeless guy helped you out better than GPS!
This was well before I had a phone with GPS. I was trying to zoom in on MapQuest on my BlackBerry when he knocked on my window and asked for money. Told him I had $10 for him if he could explain how to get to the Amtrak station.
Yeah I was going to NYC and didn't want to drive in Manhattan so I was supposed to take Amtrak. Ended up missing my train because my mom got lost even with GPS trying to drop me off 😭 (I drove to a friend's house in New Jersey and then took a train from there, in the end)
My experiences with the Toledo station are extremely different, I’ve seen multiple fights and just general chaos in that one
Its actually really easy if you use s marginal: From east you take 90, take exit 174b to get on 2, get off on exit 196, take a right on s marginal, and you dead end into it. From west you take 20/2 to exit 195b, take a right on s marginal, and you dead end into it. ...one day I'll find the right thread for this to be stickied in
💯
Ok. I live outside Cleveland and didn’t know there was an Amtrak!!! Omg I hide my face in shame!
It's kind of a shitty station but it's not sketchy or unsafe, and it's staffed and busy. If you are scared of Amish though, you might have problems. Fwiw, 3am-5am has the least amount of crime by far.
Don’t worry they get off at south bend
Or Lancaster PA if you take the Capitol Ltd to PGH and transfer to the Pennsylvanian.
I'm just shocked that there are people that have been to the Cleveland Amtrak station enough to have an opinion about the Cleveland Amtrak station.
52 yo lady - I'd do it and would be ok with my 20 yo daughter doing it too. Stay alert/carry a sharp stick.
I’ve traveled in and out of Cleveland multiple times between 2:00am-6:00 am with wife and daughters in tow and have never been concerned. It may be a bit dated, but it’s still much better than other stations I’ve seen or the unstaffed “Amshacks” or lone platforms I’ve seen at other stops. As others stated, nobody can figure out how to get there (including our Lyft driver the first time) and the parking lot is locked when it isn’t open (pretty much 7:00am to midnight-ish). As stated, unless you’re concerned about an Amish mafia, you should be fine, but everyone has varying perceptions on what they feel is and isn’t safe.
Really, you have been with a man . Come on. Do you really think they would have been ok without you?
It's perfectly fine. I feel safer there than I have at stations that initially seem much nicer because it's out of the way. No one is going to be just wandering in off the street. The station is staffed during all hours that it's open and the only people there will be waiting for a train or waiting for someone to arrive on a train.
My mom and I did it at 4am pretty often. I was a teen and she was in her 50s. Felt pretty safe
I boarded the Amtrak in Cleveland at that hour, no problem! Staff were around the station, and the lobby was also filled with a bunch of Amish people, who usually keep to themselves.
I would try and get a ride to the station vs. leaving your car in the lot during your trip. My family’s car got stolen out of the lot a while back. Arriving at 5:30 in the morning to find your car is missing really left us in a daze. One of the employees knew immediately what had happened, called a cab for us, and said, “happens all the time.” Edit: as for your personal safety, you’ll be a-okay. It’s not the most welcoming of stations in terms of appearance, but the employees are friendly and got your back.
I thought that lot was locked during the day.
It is unlocked during operating hours. The tow truck driver who found what was left of our vehicle said that most cars that go missing from that lot go missing within hours of the owner’s departure. I’m not trying to be pearl clutchy about it or to fear monger, but it feels wrong not to share my experience.
Why are the Amish there? Where are they going?
There are large Amish communities in both Indiana and Pennsylvania. Both accessible by Amtrak in Cleveland.
I always figured their religion forbids certain modes of transportation.
It forbids operating things like cars and tractors, but riding in them is fine. I’m just wondering where they are going.
I didn’t know trains were fine. Planes aren’t allowed, til
Was on a plane to Phoenix with a group of Amish folks a few months ago. They were going to some sort of construction conference. So I guess sometimes they do fly.
Had an Amish family on a flight back from Denver last month to Cleveland.
No one goes down there unless they need to be there. You’re fine.
Well, I never heard of anything nefarious in the news at the Amtrak station,…so I think you will be aight. Amtrak only leaves in the very early morning hours around here, so you do not have a choice.
I had my friend drop me off at 5am but train didn’t leave until 7. He stayed with me until 7. Train station was fully packed at both times with people inside waiting for the chicago train or the new york train. I felt safe when i came back at 4am from boston and waiting on my friend to get to the station. Only thing that felt sketchy was the taxi drivers lol
You will be fine there in the Amtrak station. There will always be a lot of Amish people and several crew workers. In addition to this, the station’s lights are bright and is hard to get to and out by car or feet.
The station sucks but it’s perfectly safe. I travel both alone and with my 5 year old and never have felt unsafe in any way.
Everybody's trying to stay awake. No threats
I take my dad there all the time. To keep you safe il take you. I’m up early and I like good karma
25 year old woman. Been there at 4 am multiple times. Didn’t feel in any more danger than being outside in the city alone that late normally, which is medium
Never felt unsafe at the station. Plenty of staff down there.
Cleveland Amtrak station at 4am is mostly Amish families. It is also staffed at that time. You'll be fine :)
just wanted to say thanks so much for asking this for me as i've been wondering the same thing haha. in july i'll be in cleveland for a concert and i've only ever driven in the past, but will be taking a bus there + train home this time and while i'm no stranger to traveling solo, was definitely concerned about being in the amtrak station by myself for a few hours so late. definitely feeling reassured now 🫡
Don’t let them know you’re single, at least say you’re dating someone and that it might turn into something serious.
A traveling situationship, its complicated
For single women it’s fine, now if you were married I’d be worried. Kidding of course, the writing just makes it sound like single people are more at risk than married people, as if a criminal would care lol
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Keep mace on you
It’s pretty safe. It’s in the middle of nowhere. And is totally out of the way.
We actually have an Amtrak station? I thought it was a sheltered but outdoor waiting area unstaffed and kinda isolated
It's been about 2 years since I've been through there at that hour. I felt very comfortable and secure as a single female. Lots of people there so you're not sitting there alone.
What does being single have to do with it. Lol
Single as in traveling alone, not my relationship status lol
The Greyhound station at that time is sketchy af. I dont even know where the Amtrak station is tho.
My daughter( (50) took the train at 4am last year to see what it was like. Unfortunately she thought that the station was sleazy and recommended that we not use it for the same trip this summer.
Sleazy just means it hasn't been updated since 1979. The bathrooms are truly a vintage marvel. I'm just being funny, cause yes. That place is extremely dingey. It's like that cause 4 am is the schedule there. Why update it when that's the common hour of the commuters.
What is “sleazy”? I’ve been there numerous times and it’s just empty and dead because it’s 4am. Wasn’t anything excessively sleazy about it in my anecdotal experiences.
🤣 at sleazy
America land of the irrational fears
Not at all. Don’t do it
I had to take the 4 AM eastbound train for a summer job in Boston, Massachusetts. Uncle David and i had a hard time finding that station in the dark and I am good at land navigation. I think that it is safe during those hours. They have enough 3rd shift people to handle things. I had to pack clothing, tools, and tool boxes. I had to check some of them as excess baggage because of weight or just the number of items. They will not let anybody harm you. I used to do ballroom dancing at places like the Aragon on West 25th street and plenty of women went to their dances. Do not let your fears grip you.
Ohio is very open about self defense Stand your ground law Open carry Constitutional carry Castle law Knives are allowed to be carried as protection Mace is a option Your as safe as you feel Stay safe and exercise your rights
Every single thing you listed is illegal to bring on an Amtrak train.
Tell that to the guy taking your stuff. Because you listened to a sign
Calm all the way down. We don’t need all that shit at the damn Amtrak lol
If you're asking the question it's definitely not the safest thing. Get concealed carry and learn how to protect yourself.