Amtrak Metropolitan and Acela Lounges Thread

[Plate C]

Interesting thread. I took the Lakeshore back around beginning of November which gave me access to the lounge in CHI. Lounge was spacious enough, nice/comfortable furniture, an assortment of snacks randomly scattered about 2 floors along with a drink station on the 1st floor. Decorated w/ large historical photos nice enough that I took some pics to share. Still, I felt it left a bit to be desired, which seems par for the overall Amtrak course these days.

If you are one of those travelers who dares to shower or sleep in a public area... these areas are limited in capacity/availability and I felt some uncertainty about cleanliness factors, seemed like places to be avoided if at all possible. I came prepared with my own liquor but for those wanting something beyond coffee/soda/water it looked like you could only get that at limited times for a price. I was amused to see they offer a free champagne toast in the lounge every day, think it's at about noon? It's a nice feature to dangle out there for the few people who happen to be there at the time, wish I knew the history on that. Some of the food items definitely needed to be replenished and were not. If you're just getting in you probably don't want to pick through what everyone else has left behind to get a bite to eat. Since Amtrak knows when their trains come/go, really not hard for them to have fresh offerings out for people. Re: what has been said about boarding, I appreciate that you can sit there on either lounge level relaxing and they'll call the trains on the overhead so you don't miss yours. True, it's not that hard to know your train time and check your watch, but still good to have that. They did call passengers together in the lounge and we were then led downstairs to another waiting area where several employees were attempting to assemble people without quite knowing what the other employees were doing. That part did seem pointless and disorganized, they should call you down and board you when the train is ready.

[dumpster.penguin]

Chicago's Metropolitan Lounge is enormous, big enough for the swell of long-distance passengers transferring from one delay to another. Quite pleasant, overall. There are places near TVs, places near snacks, places on the main level, places upstairs (with elevator), places near great big plate-glass windows. Times I've been there, all surfaces that can be cleaned have been very clean indeed. Unfortunately, the armchair upholstery is not washable. The armchairs were beginning to get grubby the last time I was there. Also, you mustn't bring your own food or drink, an indirect consequence of Amtrak's decisions about how to manage the space and defray its costs.

In Los Angeles, the first-class lounge is a bit out-of-the-way, but once you find it, it is sun-lit. The comfy chairs are wipe-clean. Some have foldable tray tables.

New York's Club Acela is dim, infested with mice, and disquieted by a loud TV. But it has a feature that outweighs all defects, at least for a short visit.

[Tadman]

For what it's worth, most airline premium lounges don't allow outside food, either. I got a serious talking to at Delta once. I think it has to do with mess making. If people set up a big picnic, it could irk other travelers looking to relax.

Also, agreed on NYP. It's gross. If that lounge were anywhere but NYP, I'd just walk the terminal or have a beer somewhere. There's a decent Turkish place across the road, too. DC is not far behind. It's my understanding that both are scheduled for replacement in the next year or so.

Chicago's old Met lounge was similar to the current DC and NYP lounges in size and quality. Perhaps they let them go to seed a bit before building a new one as it's not worth spending lots on a room about to be closed.

[ryanov]

My favorite things about the Metropolitan lounge in Chicago are the water dispensers on both floors, which provide sparking and still (and room temperature might be the third one? I forget) water, and the soda machine that provides some flavor shots that you could put into that seltzer, or the other sodas, if desired (I'm quite fond of vanilla seltzer).

I've also used the shower, before and after renovations. The line wasn't too long, and the shower is as nice as an accessible shower in a nice hotel. I'm quite happy to have folks think it's dirty and to not be in the line with them.

[Gilbert B Norman]

I've never been much of a Lounge fan. Definitely not on-board (auto Train; don't know why they have 'em), and not really a fan of Amtrak or Airline lounges. They simply do not offer "my space".

I confess, I have never set foot in the present CUS Met Lounge, but those I have set foot in, namely former CUS, Wash, NY, New Orleans, have all landed on me as a "glorified waiting room" with announcements, people coming and going, empty drink dispensers, and not really that clean. In fact, the last time I was eligible to use one, CUS during '10, I just sat out in the Head
House - just as I often did when I was with the MILW during Lunch.

But that's just me.

Overseas rail; OBB in Salzburg, Vienna, and Graz. A little nicer, but not really "my space". I must say at Graz last August, the Attendant did me a great favor when he said, "be sure to sit on the right side going over Semmering". I did, and even had the company of a very nice English speaking Polish gal (she was with FedEx in Warsaw) to share it with.

Airline Lounges; not really better than Amtrak, but that is based on United at O'Hare and Lufthansa at Munich. Nothing to call "my space". Showers at Lufthansa?, off limits outbound. Inbound only if connecting to another flight.

[Greg Moore]

I would suggest, if you get a chance, check out the CUS lounge. Of all I've been in, it's the best, by far.

I've been in 4 and I'd rate them as:

CUS - Clearly the best. My wife STILL raves about the showers there.
PHL - Nice and ornate, quite, direct access to the tracks. This is what all Acela lounges should strive to be
WAS - Quiter, less crowded than the corrals, and you get first boarding, but... yeah, it's a glorified waiting room with some snacks.
NYP - Has a clean bathroom unlike the public ones. This alone makes it worth it. But, overall it's a bit dark and outdated. Definitely needs a rework.

[Jeff Smith]

NYP is being replaced... and I agree, cramped, dark, unwelcoming.

[Rockingham Racer]

Boston just got a refurb.

[R36 Combine Coach]

NYP - Has a clean bathroom unlike the public ones. This alone makes it worth it. But, overall it's a bit dark and outdated. Definitely needs a rework.

Cramped and hidden in the SW corner. Blink and miss it.

[markhb]

Boston just got a refurb.

I hope that magnificent ceiling is still visible!

[leviramsey]

Boston just got a refurb.

I hope that magnificent ceiling is still visible!

it is. It's also much airier and the furniture is also quite nice.

Obviously, because the clientele is probably 90% Acela First Class (though, posting from 2171, out of the few dozen First Class pax to board at BOS, I think I was the only one who used the Lounge), there's a strong businessmen businessing vibe (TVs tuned to CNBC and Bloomberg). Still, nice quiet place to sit, a soda, and a bottle of water before setting off is enough for me.

Decor was photos of South Station in its glory days and also its nadir (when it looked like the throat was all of 4 tracks, with cars parked over current tracks?). Don't remember if that was the decor when I last used the lounge in 2017 for the LSL. Men's room had bizarre urinal/partition placement.

90 minutes or so ago

[ExCon90]

Great to see restoration like that. 50 years ago they would have lowered the ceiling and put in acoustical tile--or maybe they did?

[bratkinson]

Been in BOS, NYP, PHL, WAS, CHI, PDX and LAX in the past 6 months or so. Perhaps my biggest single complaint is lack of consistency.

Everything from furniture (the new stuff in BOS is very 'hard', and the new stuff in PHL & WAS is 'just OK' from a comfort standpoint. To me, NYP has the most comfortable chairs, old and beat up as they are, but the place is a dump. They can't get out of there fast enough. I'd be happy if they simply replaced the carpet and furniture and let it go at that then move it to the new place in the Moynihan building if and when they get there. The new Chicago lounge is nice, but the 'barrel' chairs are only a little better than bleacher seats in my opinion. So I sit at the normal-height tables. The high-chair/high tables in BOS and PHL are horrible. PDX, rather 'cozy', but too rustic, in my opinion. LAX? They need to double or triple its size to accomodate all the business class travelers and outbound sleeper passengers at the same time.

Snacks and beverages? Except for Chicago, I'd give them all a "D" or an "F". NYP is the worst...tiny water bottles, tiny cans of soda, (both usually warm and outbound pax stock up before they leave) and if you're lucky, the ice machine works. Snacks? Gooey day-old cinnamon buns and maybe some GoldFish. At least BOS, PHL, and WAS keep the freebies stocked and usually cold. PDX? Water only, and MAYBE soda once in a blue moon. LAX? A good supply and variety of snacks, including giant cookies that pax tend to stock up as well.

Customer service? WAS gets an "F". When I was there 6 weeks ago, two of the new couches had someone horizontal on them and sound asleep! Add to that, they NEVER call boarding for regionals, especially 178 and 148, which I usually ride home (including 148 I'm on as I write this!) I've given up on the lounge at WAS. In my last 3 departures to go home, I join the crowd at the gate and use my geezer status and AGR status to get priority boarding. All the other lounges go out of the way to ensure that passengers get to their train.

Location? PHL wins hands down! Hard to find, but they give direct access to the correct platform. The old lounge in CHI was a close second in terms of boarding ease, but as one poster noted, now they'll march you out 10 minutes or more before the gate dragons allow anyone to board! Lounge location in WAS is well located for boarding, too, as is PDX. NYP is usually 'go stand in line with the rest of the mob', but they let you know what gate before the mob gets notified, so we're in the front of the line. BOS...it's hit or miss that I've been escorted to the train ahead of time. My big problem with BOS? Nobody uses it! Whether I'm leaving on the last or 2nd last Acela of the day or on #449 to SPG, I've never seen more than 8-10 other passengers there!

[dumpster.penguin]

...NYP is usually 'go stand in line with the rest of the mob', but they let you know what gate before the mob gets notified, so we're in the front of the line.

Have the lounge pre-boarding announcements been automated anywhere? One year, I traveled more often and became aware that at NYP, one especially "enterprising" lounge attendant habitually made incorrect pre-boarding announcements on the loudspeaker (wrong gate, or wrong side of the hall). She accepted "tips" from travelers who wanted something better.

[Tadman]

Been in BOS, NYP, PHL, WAS, CHI, PDX and LAX in the past 6 months or so. Perhaps my biggest single complaint is lack of consistency.

This is a microcosm of the entire operation. Lack of consistency. You can't even get the same boarding procedure in the same station from day to day.

You know why people love Southwest so much? It's predictable and so easy to understand a trained ferret could ride that airline.