Acela to Boston: wait downstairs and watch the arrival board for the arriving DC train w/ same number. Walk down and grab open seats before the crowds arrive.
If you end up waiting overnight at the Amtrak/NJ Transit waiting area, be prepared to be continuosly annoyed by an Amtrak automated message voiced by a lady who asks us to 'Be safe'.
Buy your way into a bathroom at Rosas pizza.... Get a slice.... Drop the kids off at the pool... And minch away... If tou think that gross ....mulitiply by 100 = shitty public bathroom....
Although it still gets crowded, it is usually faster to get on an evening train if you wait for track assignments in the Exit Corridor rather than main NJ Transit area.
Pickpockets are an urban legend... most people lose their wallets. 99% of the food/drink vendors offer overpriced low grade food, go outside and you'll be served much better.
Penn Station is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. Serving 300,000 passengers a day at a rate of up to a thousand every 90 seconds, it is the busiest passenger transportation facility in the United States and by far the busiest train station in North America.