I may be too late for Analise's trip, but I still want to post to correct the misinformation in this thread.

1. There are very few rear facing seats on Amtrak trains between BOS and NYP. There are some, but very few; probably less than 5%.

2. In dozens and dozens of trips on this route, boarding at one of the first three stops (BOS, BBY and RTE), I never, ever have had my seat choice limited to a rear facing seat. In fact, I can't recall a single instance where I've seen any passenger boarding at one of these stations not find a forward facing seat.

3. Every seat has access to a power outlet. That said, those sitting in an aisle seat will have to fish their cord under the legs of someone sitting in an adjacent window seat, so it's often preferable to sit in a window seat if you've got a lot of electronics.

4. There are times when seat selection is limited when boarding at RTE, but there typically is no shortage of selection when boarding at BBY (although, yes, you sometimes have to sit next to someone; it can sometimes be difficult to find an unoccupied pair of seats).

5. Regardless of where you sit, you can not count on an empty seat next to you. If you board at BOS, it's likely that no one will sit next to you when you depart, but it's very likely someone boarding at BBY, RTE or PVD will sit next to you.

6. When I can, I often will board at BOS, rather than BBY, for increased seat selection, but doing so absolutely is not necessary to get a forward facing seat and access to a power outlet. (Note that, although not official policy, one can ride a MBTA commuter rail train for free from BBY to BOS. Just look at the monitors behind the agents at the ticket window to see on which track the next BOS-bound train is arriving, and just hop on it. The conductors won't object and won't ask for a ticket. I often do this when I'm NYC-bound but have the time to travel back to BOS before my train departs.)

7. As noted, although the food options are more convenient at BOS -- since they're housed in the same building -- there is no shortage of food options convenient to BBY, including some surprisingly good food sold from the carts right in the station, and Au Bon Pain and Starbucks within an easy walk. (The best food options for the train are a sub from Al's State Street, or a chacarero sandwich from Chacarero, both easy walks from BOS.)

[Note, for those unfamiliar with the station codes, that BOS is Boston South Station, BBY is Boston Back Bay Station, and RTE is Route 128 (Westwood) Rail Station.]