Article on Penn Station's ClubAcela Lounge (from AtlasObscura.com)

[Chaz]

Article on Penn Station's ClubAcela Lounge (from AtlasObscura.com) June 30

"

There’s a Secret VIP Club in Penn Station Its online reviews are terrible, so we went to investigate."




http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/theres-a-secret-vip-club-in-penn-station

"...To be honest, I’m not expecting much from the ClubAcela in Penn Station. Its online reviews are terrible. Visitors claim that the chairs are “old and worn” and that there’s a “foul stench of mildew and damp mixed with something else I just couldn’t place.” The VIPs who are allowed into this place claim that it’s cramped. It’s compared to a speakeasy, and I imagine that it’s dark. Supposedly, the best feature of the entire set-up is the bathroom.

When I walk inside, I am pleasantly surprised. There’s a broad desk topped with heavy black stone where three attendants greet people. There is no foul smell. This place is popular: just before I found the doors, a group of three people were waiting for admittance."

 

[WabashMike]

People's Internet comments are generally snarky half truths and downright lies? [end Sarcasm]

With what little space Amtrak actually has there they make do with what they have. This is the city that charges $1,000 per month for a cardboard refrigerator box. As for damp foul smell how can differentiate that smell from the East river?

 

[Manny T]

It's interesting that the article about Penn Station's "Secret VIP Club" (the Acela lounge), by an author who was "pleasantly surprised" after reading online reviews, chooses to illustrate the article, not with photos of the Penn Station lounge, but with photos of nice things like:

1. Seaboard RR Sun Lounge (1960)

2. Amtrak Lounge car (1974)

3. Old Penn Station terminal

4. Admirals Club (National Airport, DC)

5. Metropolitan Lounge (Chicago)

Relevance to his topic? None.

At the end he posts a user video of the Penn Station Lounge from 2012 which is critical of the dank, crowded under-lit space. Imo the video is spot on, except 4 years later the Penn Station lounge is even more deteriorated and worn out, dimly lit, unattractive and poorly stocked than he shows in the video. Much in need of a makeover.

 

[StriderGDM]

Given he didn't get past the front desk and obviously didn't, for whatever reason, ask to take photos, he really didn't have any of his own to present.

That said it is one of the weaker Atlas Obscura articles I've seen.

 

[greatcats]

I used that lounge last year while waiting for the Lakeshore, and while many people were in there and it is kind of dim, I found it comfortable and the staff was pleasant, including the redcap.

 

[railiner]

Saw a sign on wall in the video welcoming members of Continental Airlines President's Club....do they still welcome UAL club member's?

 

[trainman74]

Saw a sign on wall in the video welcoming members of Continental Airlines President's Club....do they still welcome UAL club member's?

Yes. (To clarify, only the ClubAcela lounges offer that benefit, not Metropolitan Lounges or any other Amtrak lounges.)

 

[MARC Rider]

I used that lounge last year while waiting for the Lakeshore, and while many people were in there and it is kind of dim, I found it comfortable and the staff was pleasant, including the redcap.

The other thing to consider is that compared to the alternative (i.e., the regular waiting area at Penn Station), the club Acela is pretty nice. The bathrooms alone are worth a $5,000/yr spend on Amtrak tickets. (or a $4,000 a year spend if you travel business class.) Agian, in comparison to the general bathrooms at Penn Station.

While it can be a bit crowded at the wrong time of the week, I've never found it damp or smelly. But then, some people are sensitive to things that most others don't notice.

 

[nferr]

Since the entire station sits in a basement I don't know what anyone expects. It's comfortable enough and way better than the outside waiting area. But if I have any time to kill I'm stashing my bags and heading outside anyway.

 

[the_traveler]

"... secret VIP club ..." :huh:

What's so "secret" about it?

 

[SouthernServesTheSouth]

Are there not more than one Penn Station? NYC, Baltimore, Boston and Phidalphia.. Which one is this article referring to?

 

[the_traveler]

Not Boston. It only has North Station, South Station (the "main" station), Back Bay and Route 128. (PRR did not go to Boston.)

 

[Eric S]

Are there not more than one Penn Station? NYC, Baltimore, Boston and Phidalphia.. Which one is this article referring to?

Baltimore, New York, and Newark, as far as Amtrak stations go. And only one of those has a Club Acela. And the article mentions the city a number of times as well.

 

[Thirdrail7]

"... secret VIP club ..." :huh:

What's so "secret" about it?

I'm in there on occasion. Have you seen me? If you have, you win a prize....and that's the secret.