Chicago Metropolitan Lounge

[tommylicious]

Brilliant! I thought this lounge was separate from the biz/sleeper lounge and that you had to pay admission fee to get it.

 

[Eric S]

It's the Metropolitan Lounge.

You're thinking of the Legacy Club that charges for access.

 

[tommylicious]

Eric you're right thank you for clarifying

 

[D.P. Roberts]

Here are a few photos from my visit on Tuesday to the new lounge.

After you check in (I didn't get a photo of the check-in area), you enter a hallway that runs down the middle of the downstairs area. On the right of the hallway is this beverage area. On the day we were there, they set up tables in this area & served free cold cut sandwiches, chips, and other snacks. At the end of the hallway near the bottom of the stairs they had a table set up with about 15-20 bottles of wine. An Amtrak employee there was collecting punch cards - I assume you could get a card that entitled you to 5-6 drinks, one per punch. I have no idea how you get the punch card, or if the quantity / variety of food is permanent, sorry.

On the right side of the hallway is a more open room that is geared towards work spaces. There are a number of large tables here, including a counter that ran along one wall, as well as numerous seating areas:

On the left side of the downstairs area you'll find a kids' corner. Most of the TVs in the new lounge were playing CNN, but this one was playing a children's movie. There were speakers in the ceiling for the movie, but you could really only hear them in the kids area:

 

[penguinflies]

Used the ML tonight. A few thoughts:

My expectations are based on experiences with Admirals Club and United Club, minus complementary alcohol.

Street access was closed, second floor was closed off with stanchion.

One agent present at the desk on the lower level. Arrived at 6pm for 7pm train, checked in and did a general walk through. No one appears to cleanup/walk through late. Papers thrown on one couch, crumbs on most the seats. About 20 people in the lounge. Ice maker out of ice, syrups add-on on the soda machine were not working (sticky note was on the syrups to say they were inoperative). Offers, tea, pepsi, coffee, and some nutrigran bars (which caused the crumbs all over the couches). Did not see any Doritos or pretzels.

.

Called to board train over intercom @ 30 mins prior, was shown the door to south tracks (no escort). Walk out into the hall and toward the tracks and the group of us get yelled at by the agent boarding economy for cutting in line with coach class passengers already boarding. Then she yells, are you from Legacy? Inform her we're from ML. So then business class is boarding with coach so all the coach passengers are trying to go up the cafe car. Just a Charlie Foxtrot.

Is there a way to board business class before coach without using the ML? I would prefer to relax at the Junction upstairs then go through that again.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

Just outside this TV room is another area geared towards kids, or possibly teenagers:

Next to the kids' area downstairs - also on the left side of the hallway - is a large area that seems geared towards individuals rather than groups. I have no idea why they put that next to the kids area. This area features some huge chairs that offer a little more privacy. They remind me of the type of throne chair you often see Count Dracula occupying in horror movies:

 

[D.P. Roberts]

The upstairs area has floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto Canal St. There's an entrance to the lounge there, but it was unoccupied when we arrived on Train 29. The door was locked, so there's no admittance unless someone is at the desk. We did see an Amtrak employee at the desk later in the day. There's also a drink station upstairs, as well as food (when we were there at lunchtime) and restrooms. Since the check-in desk, baggage room, etc. are downstairs, most of the passengers were downstairs. The better lit, more appealing upstairs area was largely empty, even around 1:00 when the California Zephyr, Empire Builder, and several other trains were getting ready to board.

Here are a few other seating areas squirreled away in different corners of the lounge:

There are two showers in each of the restrooms downstairs. Each is locked with a keypad - I assume you can obtain a code to open the door if you need a shower. Since they were locked I didn't get a photo of what they looked like, but based on the restrooms I would assume they have a bright white marble look.

There were outlets everywhere - not just on the walls, but also on the furniture. Most of them also had USB ports. Wifi was fine.

I wrote up a report of our boarding process and other thoughts on the lounge in my trip report, so feel free to check that thread out for more details.

 

[SarahZ]

The Dracula chairs would be perfect for those who want to nap.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

The Dracula chairs would be perfect for those who want to nap.

They look too rigid and upright. It would be nice if they could be reclined a ways, but the mechanics involved would probably eventually lead to trouble.

 

[SarahZ]

 

[Eric S]

Is there any signage or other indication of the hours that street level entrance is open?

 

[SarahZ]

Is there any signage or other indication of the hours that street level entrance is open?

I'll take a closer look tomorrow. I took that as I was walking to the cab stand.

 

[SarahZ]

Posted hours are 6 am - 9 pm. The hours are on a screen behind the desk, not printed near the door(s).

You can't enter from Canal St. The door has a security keypad. The entrance and check-in desk are across from the old Metro Deli location, on the way to/from the Great Hall:

 

[SarahZ]

Also, to settle the chair debate, they're durable cloth, not faux leather:

 

[SarahZ]

There is a baggage room, with a door, located behind the check-in desk:

 

[wwchi]

thanks for the update on the hours it's open! Wonder why at 6:20 the other morning it looked closed! Oh well...next time!

 

[Eric S]

Thanks for checking on that, SarahZ! Much appreciated.

 

[SarahZ]

Thanks for checking on that, SarahZ! Much appreciated.

You're welcome! I didn't have much time to explore. They called my train shortly after I arrived.

I couldn't find the Pennsylvania Room. I think I zigged instead of zagging. Next time.

 

[neroden]

Well, the Canal Street entrance isn't much use if it's locked and shut all the time. (Maybe it's intended for arriving passengers on Thruway Buses, but they haven't moved the Thruway Buses yet?)

 

[wwchi]

weird too because if it's meant as an EXIT only to the taxi stand (which is only there temporarily anyway until the construction is done) who would bother to go check into the lounge after arriving on a train to walk through it to get to the taxi stand? I just go out the other side of canal st. exit and walk across the street for a cab.

 

[SarahZ]

Well, the Canal Street entrance isn't much use if it's locked and shut all the time. (Maybe it's intended for arriving passengers on Thruway Buses, but they haven't moved the Thruway Buses yet?)

I'm wondering if it's simply for emergencies and the exterior decoration serves as an advertisement for the lounge.

If you were to walk in from that Canal Street entrance, you would have to go downstairs and then walk through the snack area to get to the lobby with the check-in desk. There is no way to control access at the Canal Street door, so I can see why they wouldn't allow people to use it.

There are a lot of doors on the upper level as well, when you walk in from Canal Street and head toward the stairs to the Great Hall, but they only open outward.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

... who would bother to go check into the lounge after arriving on a train to walk through it to get to the taxi stand? I just go out the other side of canal st. exit and walk across the street for a cab.

I have used a lounge to kill time. Knowing Amtrak can be late, I tend to take an earlier train. If its on-time (or even early), I use the lounge to wait until a more appropriate time to leave to go to my meeting or event.

 

[TylerP42]

Do they watch the baggage room? Like as in does anyone take notice of people walking in or out?

 

[SarahZ]

I have two gripes about the lounge. One can be fixed pretty easily, and the other is going to be a perma-gripe.

The first: pre-boarding is a joke. By the time they got us to the Wolverine, we were fighting against a swarm of BC pax who'd boarded from the cattle pen, families with kids, elderly passengers and those who needed assistance, and coach passengers who'd simply walked to the train from the concourse instead of waiting in the cattle pen. So, instead of being first to the train as usual, we were in the middle of the (clueless) herd.

Additionally, they walked us from the lounge exit, which is near the ATM and vending machines, kitty korner from the Metra ticketing area. I can navigate the south concourse just fine, but even I had trouble keeping up with the Amtrak employee. We had older/unfamiliar passengers who got a bit lost in the crowd, and it wasn't even that busy. I can only imagine the nightmare on a busy day. Once they remodel the south concourse, this might work out better. I also think these are still growing pains and they'll figure out a better/faster way to pre-board people.

The perma-gripe: When they call your train, you come to the check-in lobby for the kindergarten walk. The problem is that the lobby is full of people trying to check-in, store their bags, retrieve their bags, use the restrooms, etc. It was a bit of a cluster. This is the worst staging area, as it's the smallest area in the lounge.

 

[SarahZ]

Do they watch the baggage room? Like as in does anyone take notice of people walking in or out?

As you can see in the picture I posted, the check-in desk attendant is looking right at the baggage room. She's talking to a lady inside the room.

Every time someone walked in or out, the attendant looked directly at them (unless the attendant was helping someone at the desk). It's pretty hard for the attendant NOT to notice people coming in and out of the room, as the door stays closed and is only a few feet from the desk.