Passengers travelling on long distance Amtrak trains in sleeper accommodation are able to access the lounge before leaving. If they are all like the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge in Los Angeles, then I fail to see the benefit here.
A friend and I had booked the Coast Starlight train from LA to Seattle and since it was overnight we booked a Superliner Roomette. This meant lounge access and so we arrived at the station, checked in and headed upstairs.
Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge
I had pretty low expectations for the lounge and I wasn’t disappointed. What is it with America’s obsession with beige, brown and tan in lounges? God it’s hideous! It’s displayed in abundance in this lounge, which probably hasn’t seen a refresh in years.
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- The entrance to the local correctional facility, I mean, the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge.
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- Green flooring, tan, beige and the stench of neglect.
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- The food area is on the right of this.
Another low water mark when it comes to design choices is the green patterned flooring. Perhaps this kind of thing goes unnoticed by the clearly myopic clientele, but really, green?! I know the US railways are chronically underfunded so there is an excuse, but it is a shame.
How About Some Free Snacks And Drinks?
Those who are peckish can choose from a couple of options proudly produced by Edna’s Bakery in San Luis Obispo. Oh Edna, what have you done? I think the best description is that it is food.
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- Some kind of pastry item.
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- It is dry as the desert sand and there is nothing to put on it.
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- Edna’s Coffee Cake Muffins.
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- It looks as excited to be here as I am.
It’s been a while since I’ve come across a more underwhelming thing to put in my mouth. Anyway, I tried both options in the name of research and I’m still alive so all is not lost.
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- Tea making facilities.
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- Not sure what the yellow drink is, but there’s been a run on it.
You can also make a cup of tea and get some yellow drink too, if you dare. Considering the fact that people only wait in this lounge for a relatively short period of time, I suppose it’s fine.
Overall Thoughts
The Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge in Los Angeles provides a quieter place to sit for sleeper passengers before taking the train. When it’s time to board, an attendant takes you in a group to the platform, which is very nice indeed. They have that part down to a tee.
I certainly would not recommend arriving early to experience the lounge. The 20 minutes or so that I was there was plenty. I do believe you can check-in here as well, as we were told to by Amtrak staff, but ended up doing that at one of the deserted windows along the way.
Have you been to the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge in Los Angeles before? Actually, how does this compare to other Amtrak lounges? I’d be curious to know. Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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It’s spartan but much prefer these warm tones to cold, sterile white and grey.
The attendant we had during a visit last year was incredibly friendly and helpful storing luggage while we went off for lunch in DTLA.
I did find the staff to be quite efficient, so nothing wrong with them at all. They really know their stuff and are happy to help, which is nice.
I was in the Chicago one a few months ago. It is about the same. Also, because they have four or five long distance trains all leaving within an hour or two window, it is packed. Also, the only snacks were bags of chips and mini cans of soda. When those were gone, they never restocked them. It was really sad. I don’t remember the carpet color though.
I would have imagined them to be similar enough, so good to see that confirmed. A shame there was no restocking of the items, that is unfortunate. With so many trains departing in such a short time, I’m not surprised it was heaving with people. Thanks for adding another data point, I appreciate it!
lounge attendant reasonably friendly… not anything worth calling her out for though. Dry pastries, bagged chips, but coffee was good. Attendant allowed food to be brought in. The people running the golf carts to the train were superb. Other than that, I could skip that entire lounge experience
I wish I had that golf cart experience now. All the rest sounds like what I had, almost precisely.
i’m sorry you didn’t get the thrill ride down the elevator and into a golf cart across the back tracks, ducking buses and trains, to trackside. maybe they don’t do that anymore. pity. it’s almost theme park!
Now that sounds like it would have been really quite fun! Maybe they are saving that for those who need extra assistance. Next time!!