Bayside (LIRR)
The Port Washington Branch is a pretty vital link for Northeastern Queens. It is the only rail service in the area, and the only express bus near it is the QM3, which only runs very limited peak-only service. Because of this, it has quite frequent service for the LIRR, running every 15-20 mins during the rush and every 30 minutes during the off-peak and weekends. Most of the branch's stations are pretty minimalistic, however Bayside has some nicer amenities, and also cool history in the form of the original station building from 1923!
The platforms are slightly staggered and 10 cars long. There are shelters with benches on the west side of the platform, and the bridge carrying Bell Boulevard over the tracks also provides shelter. Oddly, there are also shelters right next to the bridge on both platforms.
My train leaving the station
Helvetica!
Both shelters feature dot-matrix displays, which tell you the next four trains, as well as the stops the next train will make, and how crowded it is. However, these boards don't show you where the trains will platform. Admittedly not a huge problem, as most Port Washington trains are 10 cars long, but it could cause some confusion.
My phone REFUSED to capture a good photo of these boards, annoyingly
A slightly more legible photo
The station is in an open cut, so there is an overpass to get across the tracks. On both sides of the overpass, there are stairs and ramps down. There's a café on the south side of the overpass, and the north side leads to the station building, original from 1923, which now houses a rush hour only waiting room and ticket office. There are also TVMs in the overpass.
The café on the south side of the overpass
HISTORY in the form of the station building, built in October of 1923!
Outside the station building and overpass, there is a board with the next few trains' ETAs, as well as a sign for Historic Bayside. There are also restaurants and coffee shops on this side of the station. There are also bike racks behind the train time board.
The train time board
More history!
Station: Bayside
Ridership: 7,905 riders/day in 2014, which, according to Wikipedia, makes this the 10th busiest LIRR station. Very good!
Pros: It is a very well-situated station, serving not only Bayside, but also Bay Terrace. It also has bus connections to the Q13 and Q31, and it is ADA-accessible. Lastly, having a dedicated waiting room and a ticket office is a great benefit.
Cons: The waiting room is only open weekdays, and the ticket office is only open during the morning rush. Aside from that, great station.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Lots of shops along Bell Boulevard from 38th Av to Northern Boulevard. In addition, Northern Boulevard in this area has many Korean businesses. I highly reccomend the BCD Tofu House on 220th Street and Northern Boulevard, where I ate. You could also take the Q13 up to Fort Totten from here, which I've heard has great views!
Final Verdict: 9.5/10