Imagine my surprise upon entering what are frequently called Union Stations in the States. These buildings weren’t the Town Train Stations of my home in Nova Scotia. Those buildings were made of brick usually with wooden door and window frames. There would be seating for perhaps twenty people in the ‘‘departures’’ section. A Ticket Master’s window at one end of the station and sheds for baggage at the opposite end. They were pretty drab, certainly no artwork was ever present on its walls, and they were freezing cold or blistering hot depending on the season. I was shocked when I first came upon the monstrous stations of New York City. Arriving by bus at night, I was dropped off right in between Penn and Moynihan Stations and wow, was I gobsmacked! The size of them, each taking up a full city block right in the heart of the city. There was the famous Madison Square Gardens which turned out to also house Penn Station and across the street was Moynihan Station which was lit up like a Christmas tree. The insides totally blew me away, though, talk about cavernous. These buildings were actually small cities complete with every type of service necessary
