am I the only one bothered by pajamas in dining car?

[Bob Dylan]

It's apparent that we all have differing points of view on this matter which is good!

I have been on several LD Trains in the Diner for Breakfast where the LSA has told people to go dress appropriately and they will be seated and served.( Guess they are in the wrong Legally but I thought they did an Outstanding job!)

With my own eyes I've seen women in their PJs with their hair in curlers and wearing fuzzy slippers and people sent back for wearing pajamas, wife beater t-shirts ( aka tank tops), underwear and being barefoot or flip flops!

I know times are changing, but I don't care to sit with people @ Breakfast who dress like this in public, there is plenty of comfortable,casual clothing to wear as has been mentioned in this thread!

YMMV

 

[tommylicious]

Well when they're serving Boardman powdered eggs (no actual egg content) and Boardman microwave extra nitrite bacon (first cooked in Shenzen China), served in a cardboard box, it's hard to ask someone to dress up.

 

[SarahZ]

They have yet to invent the machine that is capable of measuring how much I don't care about this issue.

If someone has been sitting in coach all night or dragged themselves out of their roomette at an ungodly hour, thanks to that interminable PA that starts yammering about donut holes and coffee at zero-dark-thirty, then they can show up in pajamas or sweats or whatever they please.

(A full-on peignoir set would be a bit unreal, but at the same time, it would be rather amusing and would make 6:30 a.m. way more entertaining. And hey... I'd have a great story to tell. Bonus.)

I, personally, would feel uncomfortable if I didn't put on jeans and a shirt, but that's me. I WISH I could head in there wearing my Yummy Sushi pajamas, but it feels like a restaurant, and I'd feel weird going to a restaurant in pajamas, so no pajamas for me.

Anyway, I'm just there to shove eggs into my face and drink a gallon of tea before I shuffle back to my room to take a nap, so as long as the people sitting with me don't expect abundant enthusiasm and witty repartee, they can show up in a Cookie Monster costume for all I care.

 

[SP&S]

I prefer people to be more appropriately dressed, but one sees PJ attired folks in more and more situations and it really doesn't hurt anything. After all, other people are not put on this earth to live up to my expectations.

 

[SarahZ]

After all, other people are not put on this earth to live up to my expectations.

 

[FormerOBS]

Unless the rules have changed in the past two years (I doubt it), there's not much the OBS staff can do.

Bare feet are out because they are covered by the rules about proper footwear. Slippers, flip-flops, etc. are potentially dangerous, but are a bit harder to regulate. Indecent, overly revealing, and/or suggestive attire is not allowed, but this, too, can be interpreted subjectively, so it can be dangerous territory for the OBS crew to address. A passenger with obvious cleanliness, sanitation, and odor issues, can be dealt with if necessary. This is rare, but we always made sure to get the backing of the Conductor before doing anything about it.

In the situation described by the OP, the best thing I can say is that these passengers are potentially making their fellow passengers uncomfortable, and possibly putting the crew in the middle of a no-win situation. I never had a problem with a small kid in PJ's at a very early breakfast or a very late dinner, but I think most adults can and should know that PJ's in a sit-down restaurant are not appropriate for them. I never expected my passengers to "dress" for dinner (although some did); but I always expected them to be clean, modestly dressed, and presentable. This is simple courtesy, and I think most grownups know the difference --- or should. If they don't, then educating them is probably not something the OBS crew can accomplish.

Tom

 

[zepherdude]

It matters little to me, I would never wear jammies to the diner. To each their own. I always dressed for First Class when I flew. No one dresses to travel anymore. I would never up for the train. Let people be people.

I do stand by NO SHOES, NO SHIRTS, NO SERVICE.

 

[desertflyer]

I do stand by NO SHOES, NO SHIRTS, NO SERVICE.

I wish this saying would also address pants, as I feel they are an equally important part of restaurant attire.

 

[Manny T]

Not sure this has been taken into account--in the diner we are forced to sit with complete strangers, whoever is assigned to our table by the luck of the draw. We have no choice, or very little choice, if you have ever tried to get up and move once seated in the diner.

Now if I'm led to a table where an individual or individuals are clothed in unsuitable attire, e.g. pajamas, I suppose I can balk, ask to be seated someplace else, or decide at that moment to have my meal at my seat or in my compartment. But if I'm already seated and perhaps have ordered, and along comes a person or person dressed in pajamas who are to be seated at my table--this is beyond the pale, obnoxious in the extreme.

These pajama clad persons should have the decency to eat in their rooms or at their seats. It should not fall upon Amtrak personnel to remedy the situation.

Nor should I be subjected to their slept-in garments while I am trying to eat. I don't even want to think about it. This is not the society I signed up to live in.

 

[Thirdrail7]

Where is Devil's Advocate when you need him? Since he's unavailable, I will do my best to pinch hit.

These pajama clad persons should have the decency to eat in their rooms or at their seats. It should not fall upon Amtrak personnel to remedy the situation.

Nor should I be subjected to their slept-in garments while I am trying to eat. I don't even want to think about it. This is not the society I signed up to live in.

Playing Devil's Advocate makes me ask...what is the difference between sitting with someone in proper pj's or someone who slept in their jeans and shirt in coach....for a day and a half?

 

[ToniCounter]

Where is Devil's Advocate when you need him? Since he's unavailable, I will do my best to pinch hit.

Playing Devil's Advocate makes me ask...what is the difference between sitting with someone in proper pj's or someone who slept in their jeans and shirt in coach....for a day and a half?

Let met take it a step further...

Someone mentioned that verifying passenger's attire is not part of the official duty of Amtrak dining car employees.

What if a passenger decided to show up in a bikini, speedo, or just plain birthday suit?

 

[Asher]

Well, a couple of things are not clear to me about this subject. First of all, are we talking Breakfast only. And, another thing that comes to mind before I render my take on this somewhat disgusting ritual some folks have, their has to be a limit for how long this person or persons has been wearing this garb. I mean, were they wearing them when they got on the train, have they slept in them for over a week. I'm cutting them slack if its just one night. Otherwise #*#**

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Where is Devil's Advocate when you need him?

Sleeping off a late night freak show thousands of miles away from home. Anyway, here are some thoughts ...

Naturally I wear whatever the hell I want at home. If that happens to be Hello Kitty jammys or Incredible Hulk Underoos then so be it. But when I'm out in public I try to wear something a bit more socially acceptable. Mainly because I consider myself a functioning adult who was raised to see what I do in my own private home and what I do when I'm out and about in public as two distinct situations with different rules. Also, today's grungy American social etiquette is already so lax and vague that it's super easy to meet or exceed such limited expectations. Or at least it should be. To me wearing pajamas in public isn't a problem in and of itself.

For me the bigger issue is that the dividing line between private and public behavior seems like it's being blurred unnecessarily, almost into oblivion in some cases. Seeing teens walk through airports in sleepwear hugging oversized pillows is weird to me but it's not something I typically worry about. When the jammy family sits next to me on a plane or train it's not the clothing that concerns me. It's their dirty shoes on the furniture and walls, their blaring electronic toys, their immature behavior and poor social manners, and their indifference to body language feedback from those around them. In many ways the world is a much more casual place today than in previous generations, and in some ways that's a positive thing, but it still shouldn't mean the dining car or aircraft cabin has suddenly morphed into your own private living room.

Everyone is going to have their own specific view of what precisely crosses the line, and that's perfectly natural and normal, but displaying a little extra class doesn't require much effort and can go a long way to making others feel comfortable and relaxed around you. If wearing PJs in public brings you immense happiness you can't get any other way then by all means rock the look which makes your life worth living. On the other hand, if it's just a matter of being lazy or indifferent to the feelings of others then perhaps you should consider spending that social capitol elsewhere.

I travel to other countries fairly often and I'm sure I make all kinds of social mistakes I never even notice, especially when I'm visiting an area that itself attracts dozens of other widely varying cultures. That being said I do make a genuine effort to error on the side of caution and keep an eye out for feedback from those around me. That way I can save all the really offensive stuff for the one place it truly belongs. Here on the Internet!

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

In reading thru all of this, what comes to my mind is, are we all insisting that sleeper passengers "dress up" whenever they leave their accommodations (room, compartment)?

Do we what to enforce different rules for dress, depending on the time-of-day?

Do we want to enforce different rules for dress, depending on the distance one is from their accommodations?

If one is on a Viewliner II or a Superliner, it is OK to walk to the bathroom or shower in your PJ's, but no further? Its OK, but only in the morning? What hours are "morning"? I mean, I am a morning person. To me, by around 9am, I've been up for hours and its well into my day. Matter of fact, by 9am, I am starting to get hungry and looking for my 2nd meal.

If its OK to wander around in your PJ's in the morning, why the artificial limit of to/from the bathroom is OK, but not to/from the dining car? I mean, come on, no one here has ever eaten breakfast while still wearing their PJ's, especially on days where there is no work or school?

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

If people are in their pajamas at breakfast, it implies they haven't washed yet. I do not want to eat at a table with people who have not washed yet.

I think DA's post (#38) was excellent and covered just about everything.

I would add that, ever since the late '60s, we have gone through periods in our country when people looked disgusting and had no manners. The difference is that, in those days, rudeness and grunginess were done on purpose to annoy others, but today, many people don't realize that they look awful and that there is such a thing as manners--they have not been taught that.

On the other hand, even I have been known to walk down to the coffee machine in my sleeper car in (decent) nightwear. Usually, the SCA sees me right away and tells me they'll bring me my coffee!

 

[JoeBas]

These pajama clad persons should have the decency to eat in their rooms or at their seats. It should not fall upon Amtrak personnel to remedy the situation.

Nor should I be subjected to their slept-in garments while I am trying to eat. I don't even want to think about it. This is not the society I signed up to live in.

Amtrak is Public Transportation. That, by definition, means dealing with the public, in all of their increasingly "gross" (IYO) glory.

Don't like it? Private Varnish, brah.

 

[JoeBas]

If people are in their pajamas at breakfast, it implies they haven't washed yet. I do not want to eat at a table with people who have not washed yet.

I can guarantee you that you've eaten at lunch, and at dinner, in people dressed in normal clothes, who haven't washed. In, like, a week. This IS Amtrak we're talking about here!

 

[ToniCounter]

I can guarantee you that you've eaten at lunch, and at dinner, in people dressed in normal clothes, who haven't washed. In, like, a week. This IS Amtrak we're talking about here!

That may be fine for coach passengers, but I've also met sleeping car passengers

who don't take showers. Their excuse was that they hate train showers and they

wanted to wait until checking into a hotel.

 

[JoeBas]

So it's fine for coach passengers to be unwashed, but not sleeper passengers? :huh:

 

[MikefromCrete]

A five-year-old kid wearing pijamas in a public place? Fine. Anybody older? I don't think so. Use some common sense people. As far as people not taking showers on the train, before the advent of the Superliners and Viewliners, there were no showers on trains. Somehow, people survived.

 

[ToniCounter]

A five-year-old kid wearing pijamas in a public place? Fine. Anybody older? I don't think so. Use some common sense people. As far as people not taking showers on the train, before the advent of the Superliners and Viewliners, there were no showers on trains. Somehow, people survived.

probably totally unrelated, but how did people go to the bathroom on trains back in the late 19th century?

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

So it's fine for coach passengers to be unwashed, but not sleeper passengers? :huh:

Interesting thought. We shall refer to the coach class now as the "unwashed class"?

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

probably totally unrelated, but how did people go to the bathroom on trains back in the late 19th century?

Men or women?

A man could go wherever. A proper woman would hold it in, until they got home.

When they "invented" public rest rooms, they had a very difficult time with women because they refused to use them (and continue to hold it in until they got home, the way their mother taught them).

 

[JoeBas]

A five-year-old kid wearing pijamas in a public place? Fine. Anybody older? I don't think so. Use some common sense people. As far as people not taking showers on the train, before the advent of the Superliners and Viewliners, there were no showers on trains. Somehow, people survived.

probably totally unrelated, but how did people go to the bathroom on trains back in the late 19th century?

Ever see the old signs "Don't flush while in the station"? That should give you a hint...

 

[John Bredin]

So it's fine for coach passengers to be unwashed, but not sleeper passengers? :huh:

Sure. You can't blame, or look down on, a person for not doing what they cannot do. A coach passenger cannot shower, a sleeper passenger can.