CHI Legacy Club Closed, Metropolitan Lounge now $25

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Mystic River Dragon said:
Thank you! If it is, I think perhaps a spring trip to Chicago may be in my future![emoji4]
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I already have three trips before the turn of summer planned, but I’ll leave some there for you if they’re still doing it. LOL As I said before, I first saw it there last May.
 
Yeah they definitely didn't have that candy table when I was there last February. Either that or I ate the whole thing so fast I don't remember it. :giggle:
 
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Good news for me. 

I think $25 for a day pass for connecting coach passengers is a fair deal - especially with the option for a hot shower. I will connecting in Chicago an $50 bucks was just too much. $25 are just fine. 

Are towels included and means day pass, that you can leave the lounge, stroll around and come back two hours later without paying a new entrance fee? 
 
Rincewind said:
Good news for me. 

I think $25 for a day pass for connecting coach passengers is a fair deal - especially with the option for a hot shower. I will connecting in Chicago an $50 bucks was just too much. $25 are just fine. 

Are towels included and means day pass, that you can leave the lounge, stroll around and come back two hours later without paying a new entrance fee? 
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I'm sure the rules are no different for paying coach passengers.  What I believe will happen is that you'll pay the attendant your $25 and your ticket will get marked.  You'll have to show your marked ticket upon re-entry.  Also, I'm sure towels will be included as I am assuming you'll get all the perks as the people who are entitled to complimentary entry.
 
tim49424 said:
I'm sure the rules are no different for paying coach passengers.  What I believe will happen is that you'll pay the attendant your $25 and your ticket will get marked.  You'll have to show your marked ticket upon re-entry.  Also, I'm sure towels will be included as I am assuming you'll get all the perks as the people who are entitled to complimentary entry.
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What if you don't have a ticket? Sounds like anyone can get entry for $25, not just ticket holders...
 
Depends on the degree to which they hope to attract some of the Metra passengers who used Legacy. They would not be Amtrak ticketed, but I guess we will know soon enough what the story is.
 
It was my understanding the you can have outside food in ML but only at the tables out by the food and soda area.   Monday the 4th I had a sandwich from Luke's and saw at least 2 other tableseating outside food at the tables.  No one said a word.
 
OBS said:
Based on the condition of the candy when I was there in December, I think the same stuff has been there since the lounge was built......
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I was there on Monday 1-28 and the celery had brown ends  on it, I was there again 2-04 and it looked to be the same celery and dried out carrots  I did use the shower there, nice but the need to giver you a little floor mat/towel and maybe some labels on the shampoo, conditioner, and soap.
 
jimontheriver said:
It was my understanding the you can have outside food in ML but only at the tables out by the food and soda area.   Monday the 4th I had a sandwich from Luke's and saw at least 2 other tableseating outside food at the tables.  No one said a word.
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The rule is no outside food.  It is posted on the inner door of the ML.  The attendant makes periodic announcements over the PA about it.  Unfortunately, the rule is not enforced consistently.  I've seen people kicked out of the lounge because of violation of the rules.  I've seen others get away with it.
 
cpotisch said:
This sounds like a great middle ground. Was there anything big that the Legacy offered which the Met doesn’t?
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You could eat outside food in the Legacy Club.

Frankly, I don't care how much hassle it is for Amtrak, they should allow outside food back into the Metropolitan Lounge. It is a much-missed amenity.
 
neroden said:
You could eat outside food in the Legacy Club.Frankly, I don't care how much hassle it is for Amtrak, they should allow outside food back into the Metropolitan Lounge. It is a much-missed amenity.
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Agreed 100%. It’s annoying to have to eat outside food in only a small bit of the lobby.
 
tim49424 said:
Common sense would dictate that the lounge is for ticketed passengers only.  
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Why is that common sense?  The sign just says "Day passes are available for $25"  

That could mean Day passes for anyone who wants to spend $25 to sit in the lounge, anyone with an Amtrak or Metra Ticket, or anyone with an Amtrak ticket. I'm guessing the policy will change depending on who is sitting behind the counter. 
 
tim49424 said:
Agreed 100%. It’s annoying to have to eat outside food in only a small bit of the lobby.
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I'm not a fan of the policy but it is consistent with Club Acela and most (not sure if all?) airline lounges.

While they aren't in the best location, at least they do have tables where you can eat the food you bring back, that is an improvement compared to other lounges. 
 
crescent-zephyr said:
I'm not a fan of the policy but it is consistent with Club Acela and most (not sure if all?) airline lounges.
While they aren't in the best location, at least they do have tables where you can eat the food you bring back, that is an improvement compared to other lounges. 
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Did the old ML ever have a no outside food policy? I started using it the last couple years of it’s existence and it was allowed. I’ve been in the Club Acelas in Washington and Boston plus the ML’s in LA and PDX but didn’t know their policies. I suspect the lounge in NOL has no policies in place but I’d be shocked if they didn’t allow outside food. I’ve never flown first class (only flown twice overall, both times back in 1990) so that no outside food policy is news to me.
 
The Washington DC Club Acela wouldn't even let me bring a Jamba Juice in. Pretty crazy. I'm not sure when the rule came to Chicago's ML but it's been that way for years at Club Acela's on the East coast. 

Who would tell you not to bring in food to the New Orleans lounge? No one is ever there! ha. 

Flying first class domestically generally won't get you into airport lounges anyways. You have to be upper tier in the frequent flyer miles or flying international. (or pay $$$ with select memberships). 
 
crescent-zephyr said:
The Washington DC Club Acela wouldn't even let me bring a Jamba Juice in. Pretty crazy. I'm not sure when the rule came to Chicago's ML but it's been that way for years at Club Acela's on the East coast. 
Who would tell you not to bring in food to the New Orleans lounge? No one is ever there! ha. 
Flying first class domestically generally won't get you into airport lounges anyways. You have to be upper tier in the frequent flyer miles or flying international. (or pay $$$ with select memberships). 
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LOL I agree about NOL. I mentioned on another thread that I was totally unimpressed, almost ashamed by it. It makes me feel very grateful for the other lounges and their shortcomings.
 
crescent-zephyr said:
I'm not a fan of the policy but it is consistent with Club Acela and most (not sure if all?) airline lounges.
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I haven't been to an airline lounge since I quit flying in 2008, but at the time ALL airline first-class lounges allowed outside food.  (My family were frequent flyers and had memberships in all of them pretty much.  We carried the food to the lounge and ate it there. Openly.)

So.  I don't know if the airlines changed their policy, but if they did, it was in the last 10 years.  I'd need to see evidence that they changed their policy; I believe that they still allow outside food.

This "no food" policy is just another example of gratuitous customer-hostility for the benefit of the employees, which is the sort of thing Amtrak needs to stop doing, pronto.
 
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neroden said:
So.  I don't know if the airlines changed their policy, but if they did, it was in the last 10 years.  I'd need to see evidence that they changed their policy; I believe that they still allow outside food.
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Evidence? I'm not on trial and google is free and easy but here ya go... 

 
The Chicago Metropolitan Lounge is cleaned and stocked by outside contractors, it is not a policy to benefit Amtrak employees in Chicago. I personally prefer limiting outside food, since so many passengers would likely be too lazy or thoughtless to clean up after themselves. It would be hard to keep the place clean. If the tables outside are not sufficient, the food court beckons.
 

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