I paid $180 to sit in business class on a 9-hour Amtrak ride from Rochester to NYC. Next time, I’ll stick to coach.

I booked a coach seat on a 7:15 a.m. train from New York City to Rochester for $69, hoping to spend some time upstate before nightfall.

I left my apartment in Brooklyn just before 6 a.m. on the Thursday my train was scheduled to leave, ensuring I would arrive at Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station with time to spare.

I sleepily got off the subway and made my way into Penn around 6:40, thrilled I had time to grab a coffee and a breakfast sandwich before boarding.

As I sipped on my iced latte, that excitement faded. Amtrak delayed the Maple Leaf train I was set to board by 10 minutes at a time for the next hour. I ended up idling in the hall for the full hour, checking the boards every few minutes and standing awkwardly with my luggage, because I was afraid of missing an update.

I finally boarded the train at 8:10, my coffee dripping condensation on my hand as I lined up with the other coach passengers to get our tickets scanned.

I easily found open rows of seats in the car at the front of the train.

I popped my roller bag on the shelf atop my seat, dropped my backpack into the chair closest to the aisle, and settled into a window seat.

Looking around the car, I estimated it was about 60% full. I saw other solo travelers like me taking two seats, and pairs of passengers sitting together. The car was mostly quiet, with people snoozing and speaking in hushed tones.

The calm, quiet space was a welcome respite from the chaos of Moynihan.

I was able to put my backpack under the seat next to me, and I loved having the free legroom under my own chair. I even rested my legs on the empty seat next to me for some of the ride.

The tray table was convenient, as I could use it to rest my Kindle or laptop, and I was grateful for the outlet right under the window.

I was excited to have a window seat to check out the New York landscape during the ride, but the views were a bit of a letdown because I was sitting on the right side of the train. I only caught glimpses of the Hudson River if I craned my neck to look at the window across from me.

I’d definitely sit on the left side if I could redo the trip.

I spent my first few hours on the train catching up on some work on my laptop and listening to music in my seat.

I got up a few times to go to the restroom and fill up my water bottle, but I didn’t venture out of my car until a little after noon when my grumbling stomach got too loud to ignore.

The café car was at the back of the train, so I walked through several cars to find it. It was nice to have a reason to move my legs after four hours of sitting in the same position. I also had fun peeking at the other cars, walking past groups of people dining at the handful of tables in the café car.

I quickly ordered a $9.50 Caesar salad and a $2.50 bag of chips. Because the café was in the caboose, it was bumpier than the rest of the train, so I held onto a railing in the car while I waited for my food.

Little did I know that those bumps would be a harbinger of what was to come on my return journey.

The rest of my trip was uneventful and peaceful. My car stayed pretty quiet throughout the journey, and even as people got on and off, it never got too crowded, so I was able to keep my row to myself.

I spent the afternoon binge-watching a show on Netflix, and before I knew it, I was arriving in Rochester.

Overall, I liked my experience in coach. It felt similar to riding in economy on an airplane, with more legroom and space to walk around.

A business-class ticket on the Maple Leaf from Rochester to New York cost me $180.

My business-class ticket included a larger reclining seat with a footrest, extra legroom, and a free non-alcoholic drink. An Amtrak representative also told Business Insider that business-class tickets are refundable and that purchases are eligible for a 25% point bonus on Amtrak Guest Rewards.

I arrived at the Louise M. Slaughter Rochester Station on Friday at 1 p.m. for my 1:30 p.m. train. When it was time to board, I found the business-class car at the back of the train, connected to the café, which seemed convenient.

The Maple Leaf starts its journey to New York from Toronto and makes stops in Niagara Falls and Buffalo before arriving in Rochester. The train’s singular business-class car also has only six rows of seats, with one side featuring single seats rather than pairs. Given all of that, it wasn’t a huge surprise that only one seat was open by the time I boarded.

The lone remaining seat at the front of the car was the accessible seat, so it lacked a footrest and a traditional tray table. A conductor told me no one had reserved the seat for this trip, but I still felt uneasy sitting there, looking around every few minutes for anyone who might need the accommodations the seat provided.

As I settled into the comfortable, singular seat, I noticed the car seemed louder than the coach car I had been sitting in during the journey there, likely because of its smaller size.

Because the business-class car was in the caboose, it offered a noticeably bumpier ride than the coach car at the front of the train. My seat jostled more easily, and I felt a little nauseated when I looked at my phone screen for too long.

My seat was also right in front of the archway leading to the café, so I could hear everything happening there and in the smaller business-class area.

I was glad I had charged my AirPods ahead of the journey.

After about an hour and a half, another single seat opened up at the very back of the car, so I gathered my belongings and relocated there.

The train was quieter when I moved because some passengers had gotten off, and I was further from the café. I was happy for the lower volume, swapping my headphones for my Kindle so I could read.

I was also glad to have a back-of-seat tray table again and to use the footrest attached to the chair in front of me, one of the main perks of a business-class ticket. The layout was particularly comfortable when I leaned back a bit in my chair.

However, my new seat was even bumpier than the first chair since it was at the very end of the train. I don’t usually sleep on transportation anyway, but I definitely wouldn’t have been able to snooze with the jolts from the tracks.

Around 6 p.m., the train rolled into the Amtrak station in Albany, and the conductor announced we would be stopping there until 7:40 so a train from Ontario could connect to ours. The café car closed a few minutes before the stop, and it wouldn’t reopen until we were running again.

The extended stop was frustrating, as I was eager to get back to Manhattan. Plus, the lights and AC weren’t on most of the stop, so it got hot and stuffy on board.

While we were stopped, most passengers got out to wander around the platform. I used the time to grab some food from a restaurant at the station.

After I ate a subpar chicken wrap, a bag of Skinny Pop, and a granola bar, I spent the rest of the hour walking back and forth across the platform.

I was happy to walk around after sitting for so long, but I would have liked the option to nap on a row of seats, as I did on my journey to Rochester. My time in the coach seating was looking better and better as time went on.

Once the café car opened for the final leg of my journey back to New York, I popped over to grab a ginger ale as my complimentary beverage.

It was my only visit to the café during the ride, and I thought the beverage was a nice perk. I had to hold it still because the car was so bumpy, so I downed it quickly to free up my hands.

I also heard an announcement that the train was full after we departed Albany, which made me grateful for my solo business-class seat. Coach probably wouldn’t have been as fun if I’d had to sit with someone I didn’t know for so many hours.

I could see more of the New York scenery on my way back to Manhattan than I could on the journey to Rochester.

I saw quaint towns, stunning views of the Hudson River, and purple wildflowers lining the tracks. My eyes tracked a man kayaking across the river before the sun set, and I spotted a deer and her fawn grazing in a field, seemingly oblivious to the train a few hundred yards away from them.

I finally made it back to Penn Station around 10:40 p.m., smiling as I thought about the sights I had seen on my journey home.

I had a pleasant experience on my round-trip ride from Rochester to New York, but I think a coach ticket is the way to go for a trip upstate.

The business-class ticket didn’t offer enough perks to justify the extra cost, and sitting in the caboose for nine hours wasn’t fun.

It also seemed like the Maple Leaf only gets crowded in coach between Albany and Manhattan, so even if you have to share a row of seats for some of the ride, you’d still have a good chance of sitting alone for part of the journey.

I’ll save my business-class tickets for longer rides or Amtrak routes that offer full meals. Until then, you can find me in coach.