The great Thanksgiving exodus is underway, with lots of people leaving the city, and coming here, on this day before the holiday. NY1's Erin Clarke filed the following report.
It's all hands on deck at the city's transportation hubs this day before Thanksgiving.
At Penn Station, that means a lot of preparation by Amtrak to better handle one of the busiest travel days of the year.
"We add trains, and we add cars to existing trains," said Wick Moorman, president and CEO of Amtrak. "Additional staff here in the station for customer assistance. We have a lot more security."
By trains, planes and automobiles, many New Yorkers are joining the rest of America in the great getaway.
According to AAA, from Wednesday through Sunday, an estimated 49 million people will travel at least 50 miles this holiday weekend.
About 90 percent will drive. About 7 percent fly.
"It's cold, but it was mellow. My flight was mellow. There wasn't a lot of people on it, so it was good," said one commuter.
"Sounds like everyone is getting where they need to be for the holiday season," said another. "It's really good to see."
Amtrak expects about 750,000 passengers, many of them along the busy Northeast Corridor, which, of course, includes New York.
"Well, I'm traveling to Boston, and then, so that's like four hours," said one commuter.
She was one of many who streamed into Penn Station on Wednesday, a tide of travelers that began even before sunrise.
Many had advice on how to make it through this day.
"Don't get stressed out. You got to have fun with it," said one commuter.
"Take it easy, yeah. It's better to relax," said another.
"Make sure that you have your tickets booked, and be prepared, because traveling is crazy," said a third.
And some advice of my own for anyone taking Thanksgiving leftovers home on the return trip: the Transportation Security Administration forbids taking containers with more than 3.4 ounces of liquids on any flights - no exception, not even for grandma's gravy.