Has anyone been in the NOL station recently?

[vwalton]

Hubby and son will be at that station tomorrow. Is the renovation still underway? Is the Magnolia Room usable?

 

[ColdRain&Snow]

Hubby and son will be at that station tomorrow. Is the renovation still underway? Is the Magnolia Room usable?

I was there exactly one month ago and observed that the Magnolia Room was still papered over. The ticket counters were still under reconstruction as well. If nobody can respond with certainty, can you come back and tell us what your husband and son discovered? I'll be passing through NOL later this month and am hoping that they have finished the MR facelift. Not that the Magnolia Room -- even after a remodel -- will ever be one of Amtrak's crown jewels, but NOL's spartan waiting area makes you appreciate it all the same. The coffee maker in the MR put out some of Amtrak's worst java anywhere, so let's hope that it will lose that distinction when it reopens as a refreshed facility. 

 

[dabrilloman]

Hubby and son will be at that station tomorrow. Is the renovation still underway? Is the Magnolia Room usable?

I was there exactly one month ago and observed that the Magnolia Room was still papered over. The ticket counters were still under reconstruction as well. If nobody can respond with certainty, can you come back and tell us what your husband and son discovered? I'll be passing through NOL later this month and am hoping that they have finished the MR facelift. Not that the Magnolia Room -- even after a remodel -- will ever be one of Amtrak's crown jewels, but NOL's spartan waiting area makes you appreciate it all the same. The coffee maker in the MR put out some of Amtrak's worst java anywhere, so let's hope that it will lose that distinction when it reopens as a refreshed facility.

As of April 2 it was still closed.

 

[vwalton]

Thanks for the info. They will be there today, so I'll let you know what they find.

 

[abcnews]

Thanks for the info. They will be there today, so I'll let you know what they find.

I was there last Wednesday afternoon with my family. It was closed, but we had arrived rather late - so we would not have really used the room. Arrived at about 1:15 PM - checked bags, boarded our sleepers for the 1:45 PM City of New Orleans - which departed at 1:44 sharp.

*Just north of NOL we saw several alligators too - from the SSL car. Great scenery...

 

[the_traveler]

Just north of NOL we saw several alligators too - from the SSL car. Great scenery...

Better than inside the car!

 

[abcnews]

It was an exciting hour - as we were cruising along the Bayou - north of New Orleans. We saw alligators swimming in the water, as well as birds, and other wildlife. We were about the only folks in the SSL. Funny - how people are so used to flying, so they get on a train, love all the extra space around them, and they don't seem to think to move about for quite a while. After a few hours, the SSL was half full.

We were running late because of lunch at Mother's in NOL. Great place for lunch... The chicken (if ordered) is very fresh, and cooked to order - but that takes longer to get it served. I was fine with the Red Beans & Rice for lunch. I knew I would have a steak that evening on the train, so the Red Beans & Rice was perfect for lunch.

 

[white rabbitt]

do y'all still call new orleans

Nawlins or has that changed

 

[manchacrr]

Magnolia Room is still closed. According to the Amtrak employees at the station, it will reopen in mid to late July. They are in the process of expanding the interior space within the room as well as getting all-new furniture.

 

[vwalton]

As said above, Hubby and son report that the Magnolia Room is closed and under construction. They also reported seeing alligators from the SSL...a fun change from the wildlife we typically see along the roadside here in Michigan!