City officials are eyeing Midtown South as the next big residential hot spot, hoping to transform a 42-block stretch near Penn Station into a housing haven like the Financial District post-9/11.

With my first-class ticket, I could access the Amtrak Lounge at Penn Station, my departure point. The Amtrak Lounge was very elegant. The Amtrak Lounge at Penn Station had tons of white marble and ...