Podracer

I used to commute from central Philly to LGA circa 2014. I do not recommend trying to sit reserve from Philly. As you say, there a lot of things have to go right for it to work out.

Amtrack is awesome but pricey. Although I did use it for some emergencies when I was short on time. One time I changed into uniform and shaved in the train lavatory on the way up.

But another option, depending on where you live, is to take the SEPTA to Trenton, then Jersey Transit from Trenton to Penn Station. Door to door for me was 3.5ish hours. This was my favorite way to go. No headaches, no traffic, no cheating death on the turnpike, no worrying about backup flights/loads/weather, no burning a half tank of gas, and the fare each way was total about $25. Although eventually I just moved to Brooklyn myself, and my commute got much easier