Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge LA: hours

I haven't been on it for a few years but am shortly travelling on 'Coast Starlight.'

What time does the lounge at Los Angeles Union station for sleeper and business class passengers open each morning?

Apart from sodas (soft drinks), what else is on offer in the food and beverage department at this lounge?

The Sunset Limited arrived a few minutes early recently. (A train attendant apologized for not arriving earlier. What? I would rather get up still earlier in the morning? I would rather it was late!) I was far from the first one off the train, but the lounge was open and no waiting line at check-in, with quite a few seats already taken, so it had been open for at least several minutes. I imagine the scheduled opening time is listed on amtrak.com.

My opinion is that the lounge has sparse offerings for snacks, and a big problem is that it has no ice available. I have yet to find a cold soda in either of the two small refrigerators. In the past, there have been individually wrapped cookies; those were missing on my recent visit.

For real food, you probably want to walk about four blocks to Philippes.

Posted hours for the LAX lounge is 5am to 10pm.

I was in the lounge a few weeks ago and there were individually wrapped cookies. I do not remember if chips were available. I think there were cold sodas in the refrigerators.

PRR 60 said:

Posted hours for the LAX lounge is 5am to 10pm.

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Yes, it is also available to the Pacific Surfliner Business Class passengers.

Here is the picture of the lounge.

DSC00014 by B H, on Flickr

DSC00020 by B H, on Flickr

In the morning, there are muffins / fruits / juice and in the afternoon its chips and giant chocolate chip cookies. Coffee and tea is available all day. The attendant has told me that they are working on getting an ice machine for the lounge.

Not too shabby, now if they can keep the "if its free I'll take three and one more for the road" folk to a minimum I'm sure things will be just fine.

Is that machine immediately to the left of the sink and tap ('faucet' in USA) a soft drink ('soda') Pepsi postmix dispenser?

Great photos...thank you...very clean and new looking (and nicely done - looks classy) but rather sparse food offerings (although I had read the latter elsewhere, so am not expecting much.)

unitedstatesfan said:

Is that machine immediately to the left of the sink and tap ('faucet' in USA) a soft drink ('soda') Pepsi postmix dispenser?

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No, I believe your only option for a soft drink is what's in the cans in the glass-door refrigerators.

(If that were a Pepsi dispenser, I'm sure it would have the Pepsi logo all over it!)

unitedstatesfan said:

Is that machine immediately to the left of the sink and tap ('faucet' in USA) a soft drink ('soda') Pepsi postmix dispenser?

Great photos...thank you...very clean and new looking (and nicely done - looks classy) but rather sparse food offerings (although I had read the latter elsewhere, so am not expecting much.)

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No its the cold / hot water dispenser.

anumberone said:

Not too shabby, now if they can keep the "if its free I'll take three and one more for the road" folk to a minimum I'm sure things will be just fine.

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That signs above the muffins, tells people not to do it. But with the giant cookies, I have seen people totally raid it. Asking the attendant if they have anymore since couple a$$h0le$ decided to take all the cookies with them to board, will elicit a shake of their head of disappointment, in humankind and a refill of the cookies plus handing me "TWO" cookies

What is the item in a glass jar immediately to the right of the almost empty orange juice dispenser?

Are they large mints (confectionery)?

unitedstatesfan said:

What is the item in a glass jar immediately to the right of the almost empty orange juice dispenser?

Are they large mints (confectionery)?

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Creamer for the coffee.

Sorry, I'm from a country where fresh milk is always available! I speak in jest, as the USA actually has a reasonably substantial dairying industry. Presumably Amtrak finds it cheaper to use 'creamer.'

Cheaper and easier, no refrigeration required. Longer shelf life too.

By the way, it's often not fake creamer - the main ingredient can be real cream that's just been ultra-pasteurized to make it shelf stable at room temperature.

Its not only in the lounge. It is the same creamer you will get on the train.

If you ask the Diner Server will bring you Soy Milk if available!

I find this Lounge gets so full when the CS is running 3+ sold out sleepers. This June, one could hardly move about with all the people standing and the cluster of bags by the check-in desk. The attendant was very nice, but had a hard time with so many people in the Lounge.

If on the northbound CS with its 1010 departure is it a good idea to front at the lounge at 0850 or is that too early? I assume that if the train is docked, the staff announce boarding at around the 0930 mark to give any oldies time to walk to the platform (or perhaps in a few cases be conveyed in a buggy.)

unitedstatesfan said:

If on the northbound CS with its 1010 departure is it a good idea to front at the lounge at 0850 or is that too early? I assume that if the train is docked, the staff announce boarding at around the 0930 mark to give any oldies time to walk to the platform (or perhaps in a few cases be conveyed in a buggy.)

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Almost all get transported via the golf cart young and old through the backdoor. You could walk to the platform but they generally operate under the assumption that everyone is taking the cart to the train. The lounge has a backdoor that the redcaps use to come pick people up.

DSC00013 by B H, on Flickr

There were so many getting on the CS that two Agents walked us down the elevators (multiple runs) down the tunnel to the correct ramp. They just used the golf cart for those who needed it. The Conductor said he hade every sleeper room occupied leaving LAX. They had to get the walkers out of the room so they could get people to the golf cart. Over crowded was an understatement that day.

We had an over-crowded situation in July when travelling on the CS also. We arrived about 8:45 at the lounge (for a 10:10 departure) and every seat was already taken. We managed to get a seat for my Mom while the kids and I went downstairs for a bit. My mom didn't need help walking but we were worried about everyone trying to get down the elevators at the same time so we actually left the lounge before the announcement and made our way to the track ourselves (luckily we have done this trip a few times so we knew right where to go). Shortly after we arrived, so did everyone else (mostly walking). So the LAX lounge was a bit of a bust for us that trip.

They announced it was a very full train leaving LAX for us also.

The lounge at LAUS is a very popular lounge and for its size, can get really crowded when the LD trains depart. Other than for the CS, crowding does not seem to be an issue for the other LD trains. Rest of the day, the lounge is there for the use by Business Class passengers on the 12 roundtrip Surfliner that come through LAUS.

Considering that the starlight has three sleepers and the other trains have two each, that makes some sense.