Does LAX have a First Class Lounge ? LAX Safe late at night?

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kashed

Train Attendant
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Aug 24, 2007
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I will be taking the Coast Starlight from LAX to PDX where Im switching to the Empire Builder--however I need to get to LAX first from EMY---The Coast Starlight leaves LAX 10:15 AM.

The 2 options that fit my schedule is a train/bus combo that arrives at 2:45 AM and a Bus/train combo that arrives at 9:25 AM--which I feel is cutting it a bit close--but Im also hesitant to sit in LA station in the wee hours of the AM. . .
 
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I will be taking the Coast Starlight from LAX to PDX where Im switching to the Empire Builder--however I need to get to LAX first from EMY---The Coast Starlight leaves LAX 10:15 AM.
The 2 options that fit my schedule is a train/bus combo that arrives at 2:45 AM and a Bus/train combo that arrives at 9:25 AM--which I feel is cutting it a bit close--but Im also hesitant to sit in LA station in the wee hours of the AM. . .
Aloha

Well what you want gets you more train riding, but why go from EMY to LAX and back through EMY again.

In general I would not be concerned about the early morning hours, actually I would not worry about LAUS at all but would stay inside and near the operating sections of the station. I would also pay attention to people around me.
 
I will be taking the Coast Starlight from LAX to PDX where Im switching to the Empire Builder--however I need to get to LAX first from EMY---The Coast Starlight leaves LAX 10:15 AM.
The 2 options that fit my schedule is a train/bus combo that arrives at 2:45 AM and a Bus/train combo that arrives at 9:25 AM--which I feel is cutting it a bit close--but Im also hesitant to sit in LA station in the wee hours of the AM. . .
Aloha

Well what you want gets you more train riding, but why go from EMY to LAX and back through EMY again.

In general I would not be concerned about the early morning hours, actually I would not worry about LAUS at all but would stay inside and near the operating sections of the station. I would also pay attention to people around me.

Ive never taken the Coast Starlight from LAX to EMY b4 and want to see the scenery--plus its a rewards trip:) Ty for the info:)
 
The management company at LAUPT has building security on premises 24/7, and most of their staff are pretty good at keeping the local indigents out of the building. They check people sleeping in the seats for Amtrak tickets, and if you can't produce a stub for today's travel, or a ticket for tomorrow's, you're asked to leave the building.

The Amtrak ticket office is open 24 hours, except for 2 20-minute periods when the buses come in, 2.45a and somewhere around 4a, and there is a seating area near the ticket office, next to the arrival/departure board.

You'll start seeing commuters arriving around 5am, and that'll continue for several hours.

Be mindful of your surroundings, and be aware of who's nearby. Good advice for any situation, but particularly appropriate for yours.

Keep in mind that if your bus/768 combination is tardy, that 14 makes the same stops at VNC, SIM, OXN, and SBA. That being said, 768 has a pretty good OTP overall.

(I've been in LAUPT at all hours of day and night, and have always felt quite comfortable doing what I've needed to do. I'm sure my uniform and demeanor have a lot to do with it, but I've never been approached by any unsavory characters.)

Travel light!

~BJG

I will be taking the Coast Starlight from LAX to PDX where Im switching to the Empire Builder--however I need to get to LAX first from EMY---The Coast Starlight leaves LAX 10:15 AM.
The 2 options that fit my schedule is a train/bus combo that arrives at 2:45 AM and a Bus/train combo that arrives at 9:25 AM--which I feel is cutting it a bit close--but Im also hesitant to sit in LA station in the wee hours of the AM. . .
 
Inside the terminal you will be fine. Just don't leave as outside is a different story. It really is a short night as Metrolink starts bringing in the downtown commuters very early.

Wb,

So. Cal.
 
I will be taking the Coast Starlight from LAX to PDX where Im switching to the Empire Builder--however I need to get to LAX first from EMY---The Coast Starlight leaves LAX 10:15 AM.
The 2 options that fit my schedule is a train/bus combo that arrives at 2:45 AM and a Bus/train combo that arrives at 9:25 AM--which I feel is cutting it a bit close--but Im also hesitant to sit in LA station in the wee hours of the AM. . .
To answer your qustion in the heading if their is a First Class lounge...yes there is.

It is at the Traxx Bar across from the Traxx Restaurant. I used it about a week ago. It opens at 8:45 a.m.. An Amtrak employee will check your sleeper ticket and admit you. There are small tables and chairs with a few plug-ins available, but no WIFI. When I asked the employee if there was WIFI, she didn't know what the term meant. The bar offers coffee, tea, and assorted juices.

About 9:30 a.m. red caps will be availble just outside the door if you wish to be transported along with luggage to train side.
 
To answer your qustion in the heading if their is a First Class lounge...yes there is.
It is at the Traxx Bar across from the Traxx Restaurant.
Actually, the answer is no, there is no First Class LOUNGE!

Yes, while the Traxx Lounge is used as the First Class WAITING AREA for the northbound CS (departure ONLY), it is NOT available (as an Amtrak lounge) for the arriving CS or for any other LD train! It is a private business, and the bar is closed at the CS's departure time in the morning. During other departures and arrival times, the Traxx Lounge is open and is used as a bar!

I take the statement "First Class Lounge" as meaning an Amtrak facility where you go and wait for hours (if need be) for your train - as you can in NYP, WAS or CHI. So for LAX, I have to say no. (The Traxx Lounge is used by Amtrak only from like 8:30 AM to 10:15 AM - if that long.)
 
I will be taking the Coast Starlight from LAX to PDX where Im switching to the Empire Builder--however I need to get to LAX first from EMY---The Coast Starlight leaves LAX 10:15 AM.
The 2 options that fit my schedule is a train/bus combo that arrives at 2:45 AM and a Bus/train combo that arrives at 9:25 AM--which I feel is cutting it a bit close--but Im also hesitant to sit in LA station in the wee hours of the AM. . .
Actually, the daylight hours, check you luggage to be held, including carry on at the station and then wonder straight out the front doors to Olivera Street where they have some little shops set up and nice restaurants. It is like a little step to Mexico. Since the CS leaves at 10:15 AM I dare say not too much will be open on Olivera Street. With that, I would just stay inside and not wander. The main annoyance is the homelss that depending on the mood of securtiy will be shooed away. Traxx is nothing more than a bar area (I've seen it set up) behind velvet ropes and a sign saying for Coast Starlight sleeper passangers or something like that. Do wander the inside of the station and look around. From the very front entrance you have TRAXX to your right (the portion that serves as the lounge for CS) the old ticket counters to the left. While it is closed, do look inside and imagine what the place looked like years ago and think about what Hollywood stars might have gone through there. continue deeper into the station is the main waiting area and a shop to your right where you can get breakfast type stuff for a fee. About half way down the waiting area there are doors on either wall that lead to a nice courtyard...I prefer the one on the right. At the end of the waiting area turn right and past the electronic displays you will see the Amtrak Check In Desk. You will also see, near the electronic displays the tunnel leading to all the Amtrak and Metrolink trains. DO NOT TAKE A SUBWAY ANYWHERE. Nothing really nearby to see. At the end of the waiting area you will see what looks like two doors standing in the middle of the floor with Pacific Surfliner above them. I understand at one time they had a door for every departing route, but no longer. To the right of the doors will be a standing sign for Coast Starlight. Hope this all helps. In PDX they have a Metropolitan Lounge for sleeper passangers.
 
I will be taking the Coast Starlight from LAX to PDX where Im switching to the Empire Builder--however I need to get to LAX first from EMY---The Coast Starlight leaves LAX 10:15 AM.
The 2 options that fit my schedule is a train/bus combo that arrives at 2:45 AM and a Bus/train combo that arrives at 9:25 AM--which I feel is cutting it a bit close--but Im also hesitant to sit in LA station in the wee hours of the AM. . .
Actually, the daylight hours, check you luggage to be held, including carry on at the station and then wonder straight out the front doors to Olivera Street where they have some little shops set up and nice restaurants. It is like a little step to Mexico. Since the CS leaves at 10:15 AM I dare say not too much will be open on Olivera Street. With that, I would just stay inside and not wander. The main annoyance is the homelss that depending on the mood of securtiy will be shooed away. Traxx is nothing more than a bar area (I've seen it set up) behind velvet ropes and a sign saying for Coast Starlight sleeper passangers or something like that. Do wander the inside of the station and look around. From the very front entrance you have TRAXX to your right (the portion that serves as the lounge for CS) the old ticket counters to the left. While it is closed, do look inside and imagine what the place looked like years ago and think about what Hollywood stars might have gone through there. continue deeper into the station is the main waiting area and a shop to your right where you can get breakfast type stuff for a fee. About half way down the waiting area there are doors on either wall that lead to a nice courtyard...I prefer the one on the right. At the end of the waiting area turn right and past the electronic displays you will see the Amtrak Check In Desk. You will also see, near the electronic displays the tunnel leading to all the Amtrak and Metrolink trains. DO NOT TAKE A SUBWAY ANYWHERE. Nothing really nearby to see. At the end of the waiting area you will see what looks like two doors standing in the middle of the floor with Pacific Surfliner above them. I understand at one time they had a door for every departing route, but no longer. To the right of the doors will be a standing sign for Coast Starlight. Hope this all helps. In PDX they have a Metropolitan Lounge for sleeper passangers.
Thank you:)
 
The management company at LAUPT has building security on premises 24/7, and most of their staff are pretty good at keeping the local indigents out of the building. They check people sleeping in the seats for Amtrak tickets, and if you can't produce a stub for today's travel, or a ticket for tomorrow's, you're asked to leave the building.
The Amtrak ticket office is open 24 hours, except for 2 20-minute periods when the buses come in, 2.45a and somewhere around 4a, and there is a seating area near the ticket office, next to the arrival/departure board.

You'll start seeing commuters arriving around 5am, and that'll continue for several hours.

Be mindful of your surroundings, and be aware of who's nearby. Good advice for any situation, but particularly appropriate for yours.

Keep in mind that if your bus/768 combination is tardy, that 14 makes the same stops at VNC, SIM, OXN, and SBA. That being said, 768 has a pretty good OTP overall.

(I've been in LAUPT at all hours of day and night, and have always felt quite comfortable doing what I've needed to do. I'm sure my uniform and demeanor have a lot to do with it, but I've never been approached by any unsavory characters.)

Travel light!

~BJG

I will be taking the Coast Starlight from LAX to PDX where Im switching to the Empire Builder--however I need to get to LAX first from EMY---The Coast Starlight leaves LAX 10:15 AM.
The 2 options that fit my schedule is a train/bus combo that arrives at 2:45 AM and a Bus/train combo that arrives at 9:25 AM--which I feel is cutting it a bit close--but Im also hesitant to sit in LA station in the wee hours of the AM. . .
The station is also patrolled by the LA Sheriff's Department Transit Services Bureau deputies.
 
I will be taking the Coast Starlight from LAX to PDX where Im switching to the Empire Builder--however I need to get to LAX first from EMY---The Coast Starlight leaves LAX 10:15 AM.
The 2 options that fit my schedule is a train/bus combo that arrives at 2:45 AM and a Bus/train combo that arrives at 9:25 AM--which I feel is cutting it a bit close--but Im also hesitant to sit in LA station in the wee hours of the AM. . .
Actually, the daylight hours, check you luggage to be held, including carry on at the station and then wonder straight out the front doors to Olivera Street where they have some little shops set up and nice restaurants. It is like a little step to Mexico. Since the CS leaves at 10:15 AM I dare say not too much will be open on Olivera Street. With that, I would just stay inside and not wander. The main annoyance is the homelss that depending on the mood of securtiy will be shooed away. Traxx is nothing more than a bar area (I've seen it set up) behind velvet ropes and a sign saying for Coast Starlight sleeper passangers or something like that. Do wander the inside of the station and look around. From the very front entrance you have TRAXX to your right (the portion that serves as the lounge for CS) the old ticket counters to the left. While it is closed, do look inside and imagine what the place looked like years ago and think about what Hollywood stars might have gone through there. continue deeper into the station is the main waiting area and a shop to your right where you can get breakfast type stuff for a fee. About half way down the waiting area there are doors on either wall that lead to a nice courtyard...I prefer the one on the right. At the end of the waiting area turn right and past the electronic displays you will see the Amtrak Check In Desk. You will also see, near the electronic displays the tunnel leading to all the Amtrak and Metrolink trains. DO NOT TAKE A SUBWAY ANYWHERE. Nothing really nearby to see. At the end of the waiting area you will see what looks like two doors standing in the middle of the floor with Pacific Surfliner above them. I understand at one time they had a door for every departing route, but no longer. To the right of the doors will be a standing sign for Coast Starlight. Hope this all helps. In PDX they have a Metropolitan Lounge for sleeper passangers.
If you want to parcel check bags at LAUS, make sure you have some small bills!

I was connecting from 3 to 14 and wanted to go up to Phillipe's for breakfast (they make a mean corned beef hash, in addition to their justly famous French Dip sandwiches. Everything there is pretty darn good), since 3 had gotten in around 7:30am. They don't have a cash register or anything in the baggage room, and I didn't have exact change ($3/bag). Had to wander around asking the folks off of 3 picking up bags if they had change for a $10.

BTW - the small place with breakfast stuff is Union Bagel. Avoid Union Bagel unless you are ready to pass out from starvation. If it is a weekday, I understand the cafeteria in the MTA building (east end of the tunnel) is open to the public and is pretty good. Haven't been there myself, though.
 
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They don't have a cash register or anything in the baggage room, and I didn't have exact change ($3/bag). Had to wander around asking the folks off of 3 picking up bags off if they had change for a $10.
I would have walked over to Union Bagel and asked them to change a $10. (Or if they said they can't do so without purchasing something, buy a paper, and pay with a $10 bill! ;) )
 
They don't have a cash register or anything in the baggage room, and I didn't have exact change ($3/bag). Had to wander around asking the folks off of 3 picking up bags off if they had change for a $10.
I would have walked over to Union Bagel and asked them to change a $10. (Or if they said they can't do so without purchasing something, buy a paper, and pay with a $10 bill! ;) )
Or the newsstand, which is a bit closer in the middle of the waiting room. I had a bunch of stuff and didn't want to drag it any further than I had to. Would have if someone hadn't come up with change :rolleyes: .
 
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