Urban Travel, Sustainability & Accessibility: train

Showing posts with label train. Show all posts

Friday, October 16, 2026

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO ACCESS GENT CENTRUM DAMPOORT

MODERN LODGING WITH TRANSIT ACCESS TO ALL OF BELGIUM

Aparthotel Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort is not in the town center, but around Dampoort station, there are a half dozen or so Turkish and Middle Eastern pita shops, restaurants and bakeries.

Some reviewers have said the neighborhood looks seedy.

It is not polished, but it is growing area and I never felt like I needed to take anything but public transit and foot power – even when I arrived around 11 p.m.

Buying tickets for local buses and intercity trains is very easy online.

You can go to famous Bruges or the Flanders part of northern France for less than $10 one way, when you buy a 6 euro plus pass and book off times (basically not rush hour).

The areas around the fabled towers and historic monuments of Gent can be a bit noisy, so I found the Dampoort location to be quiet and peaceful.

Thursday, October 15, 2026

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO ACCESS GENT CENTRUM DAMPOORT

MODERN LODGING WITH TRANSIT ACCESS TO ALL OF BELGIUM

The main street where Aparthotel Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort is located is a bit gritty.

It’s a dockland area that clearly soon will be a hipster area, as a hip office building has been built nearby, condos are going up and some older buildings are prime for renovation.

The walk along the waterfront feels safe.

It is well lit.

You walk past live aboard moored boats, open fields ready for redevelopment on them, then some preserved heavy dock equipment, an urban skate park and ultimately a pedestrian bridge that leads to a food hall and retail – about 20 minutes from the hotel.

Wednesday, October 14, 2026

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO ACCESS GENT CENTRUM DAMPOORT

MODERN LODGING WITH TRANSIT ACCESS TO ALL OF BELGIUM

Aparthotel Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort had tons of amenities – work out area, games to play, warm lobby, outdoor patio and a full restaurant and bar.

The lobby featured the famous Adagio offering of tons of things to buy for the room – from Belgian beer to microwave dishes to snacks to toothpaste and other items.

All items are priced more than a store, but not at a gouging rate.

Tuesday, October 13, 2026

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO ACCESS GENT CENTRUM DAMPOORT

MODERN LODGING WITH TRANSIT ACCESS TO ALL OF BELGIUM

Aparthotel Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort is about a 5 minute walk from a bus terminal next to Dampoort station

Theses buses will take you very close to the town center as well as other interesting parts of Gent.

I used this as a base for nearly a week in Belgium and I would highly recommend it for that.

I slept like a baby.

The room was well soundproofed and my request to have a unit away from the very busy 4-lane road that the hotel sits on was honored.

Monday, October 12, 2026

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO ACCESS GENT CENTRUM DAMPOORT

MODERN LODGING WITH TRANSIT ACCESS TO ALL OF BELGIUM

The nights at Aparthotel Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort were quiet, the bed was comfy, the bathroom was luxurious and the shower had lots of warm water.

A beer on the waterfront patio from the Hotel’s Eat In restaurant was great and one day I fueled up on the breakfast buffet.

It is a 10 minute walk to restaurants and shops and only a 20 minute walk to the center of lively and historic Gent.

Sunday, October 11, 2026

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO ACCESS GENT CENTRUM DAMPOORT

MODERN LODGING WITH TRANSIT ACCESS TO ALL OF BELGIUM

Aparthotel Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort is a fabulous property.

It is well managed – I asked for extra bed sheets, help with the non-functioning AC and dead battery room safe and go help in less than 30 minutes.

The property is 10 minutes from Dampoort Rail Station – I used it for low cost, high speed rail connections to Antwerp, Mechelen, Brussels, Bruges and Lille, France.

There is a large Carrefour grocery store very close to Dampoort Station and I used it to buy breakfast and snack food foods for the full kitchen in the aparthotel.

Tuesday, September 1, 2026

PEDESTRIAN MOBILITY IS THE FUTURE

MORE THAN 1/3 OF AMERICANS CANNOT/DO NOT DRIVE

Bicycle delivery bike parking lot at 11th Street and 1st Avenue in the Lower East Side.

Each of the hundreds of bikes takes a delivery vehicle off the street and reduces pollution and congestion.

The more we emphasize multimodal mobility, the more we can design wide sidewalks to accommodate wheelchair users and other people with disabilities.

The more we reduce car dependency, the more critical mass we’ll have for train, bus and gondola transportation that is fully accessible and inclusive to all.

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

PEOPLE DESERVE ACCESS TO PUBLIC PLACES AND SPACES

IF A GIANT FACILITY CAN RETROFIT FOR WHEELCHAIR ACCESS, SURELY A POSTAGE STAMP SIZED PARK COULD MAKE THIS A FUNDING PRIORITY

Greenacre Park is a privately owned, publicly accessible "vest-pocket" park in Midtown Manhattan.

The urban oasis features a 25-foot waterfall that masks city noise.

It has a small cafe on East 51st St. between 2nd-3rd Aves.

Sadly, it does not have ramped access to the lower waterfall viewing area.

The elevated seating, under a canopy, that serves the café also is not accessible.

Though it was built before the ADA in 1971, surely this landmarked park could do some simple fundraising to become inclusive to all locals and visitors.