Penn Station plans and King Charles III

Here’s what needs to be done at Penn

Commuters need nothing fancy at Penn Station [“Many questions on Penn renewal,” Editorial, Sept. 12]. This is what we need:

Modern, fast, camera-equipped elevators to replace dirty elevators in the train station and at Penn subway stations.

Full access with sufficient capacity to all platforms, including the west end of the Long Island Rail Road concourse, with elevators and escalators that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Clean bathrooms.

Improved, enlarged waiting rooms in multiple locations.

Freedom from panhandlers.

Inexpensive fast food to grab on your way to a train.

Multiple newsstands where you won’t be ripped off.

Viable signage showing where things are.

Have trains ready for boarding at least 10 minutes before departure, and have them announced when ready.

Rebuild and reopen the passageway from Penn to the Sixth Avenue subway and PATH trains.

Simplify the Gateway project: On every non-holiday weekend, shut down one Hudson River tunnel for major repair. No waiting for collapse.

 — Ron Troy, East Northport

I wonder whether elected officials and others who support the Penn Station plan and the enormous real estate project surrounding it are aware of the new trend in working from home or that firms have relocated from New York City because of COVID-19 and the increase in crime.

Who will use these new office buildings? Are the office buildings at Hudson Yards or the rebuilt World Trade Center fully occupied?

Before any of these grandiose plans are even considered, the powers that be should have the newly planned rail tunnels under the Hudson River built. Because if the existing tunnels fail, and that seems to be the opinion of some, no one coming from south of New York City would be able to use the improved Penn Station, let alone the new office buildings proposed for the area.

 — Lewis Damrauer, Dix Hills

Charles ideal bridge between old and new

King Charles III was a victim of bad timing his entire life [“Succession, but maybe not survival,” Opinion, Sept. 11].

Born into an antiquated institution, he had an elite but isolated childhood. He fell in love with someone who failed standards of his family. He married, not for love, but to please others. He struggled to make things right and, while his marriage failed, he succeeded in raising a well-respected heir and ultimately wed the woman he really loved.

He learned from his errors. He became a loving father, an affectionate grandfather and a caring husband. King Charles isn’t the stuffy, awkward young man who tried overly hard to please everyone. He has matured into a wiser, more sensitive leader who understands failure. Instead of giving up, he used those experiences to develop character, making him a stronger, more modern leader.

I believe he is the perfect bridge between the old and the new.

 — Dolly Kalhorn, North Babylon