Penn Station Newsstand Remodeled, No Longer Sells Papers or Magazines

The sign above the entrance still says "Newsstand." Inside, there is not a newspaper, magazine, or paperback book to be found.

The small retail store at Baltimore's Penn Station has been remodeled, replacing what was once a wide selection of reading material with snacks, drinks, and travel accessories. The wall that formerly held magazines now carries racks of Doritos, Cheetos, cupcakes, Twinkies, carry-on bags, and a few Baltimore-themed sweatshirts. A second wall is lined with refrigerated cases stocked with bottled water, juices, soft drinks, and yogurt. A third wall holds popcorn, beef jerky, potato chips, Oreos, and Skittles. The front counter, which once had newspapers on a lower shelf, no longer does.

Rail passengers waiting for their train can no longer thumb through the latest issue of Vogue or The Atlantic. About the only reading material left in the store, as journalist Ed Gunts noted in his documentation of the change, are the labels on packages of Chex Mix and sour gummy worms.

No explanation for the inventory overhaul was available. The research notes contain no statement from Amtrak, station management, or the store's operator about why printed reading material was removed or when exactly the remodel took place. The store's name, meanwhile, remains unchanged on the signage.

Baltimore has long carried the nickname "The City That Reads." It now has one fewer place to do so.