Lounge Lizards

[billthebarn]

Apparantly, that's the name given to coach passengers who go into the SSL to get a night's sleep. Some of these people do not know that this is against the rules. You are not allowed to sleep in the SSL overnight. Or the diner.

Sometimes this rule is not enforced. That is management's fault. A few months ago I was on the TE and, after breakfast, I went to the SSL and got one of the few unoccupied seats. Not far from me was a sprawled out middle-aged woman sound asleep....taking up three seats. Meanwhile other passengers were looking for seats. The conductor came into the car and I thought "finally this situation will be rectified". He woke her and asked her destination. He then left and she went back to sleep....dribbling liquid from her mouth for all to see.

This lady, like others, probably doesn't know she was breaking the rules. Derelict Amtrak employees fail to enforce the rules. So it's partially up to us to make sure the NO SLEEPING OVERNIGHT IN THE LOUNGE rule is known. So when a person posts that he (or she) will be camping out in the SSL, let's set them straight.

 

[Ryan]

Where's that rule written down?

Also, the topic was just discussed extensively here:

http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/55510-best-of-the-lounge-lizards/page-1

 

[billthebarn]

That's an easy one, Ryan. In THE RULEBOOK.

PAGE 17: The diner is the place for having meals. You cannot sleep here.

The SSL is for sightseeing and visiting with other passengers. You cannot sleep here.

The bathrooms are for other functions...none of which is sleeping.

The "sleepers" are for (you've got it) sleeping.

As the traveler says, you cannot book your trip in the SSL. Very easy to understand.

 

[Ryan]

What rulebook?

 

[yarrow]

yeah, what rulebook?

 

[bobnjulie]

The book of common sense, which seems to be sadly lacking nowadays.

The book of humankindness, in which compassion and consideration and courtesy state that public places should be used by all the public and that seats you purchase are to be used for private activies, such as sleeping, drooling, etc.

The book of No Duh!, in which the world understood that when one purchased hot chocoate, one did not mean tepid chocolate.

The book in which one made choices in one's life... choose to spend money laying down in a private room or choose to be more thrify and sacrifice a portion of sleep for more cash in one's pocket.

Just my 2 cents... but it's like preaching to the deaf. When I drive on the road, I encounter people who own the road and have not read the book and therefore cut me and shove in places and cut over from the far left lane. Therefore, when I am on the train, I should not be surprised to encounter the same people.

There is actually a beautiful commercial from Dignity Health regarding the worst of humankindness and the best. Some people will get it and others will not. Again, just my 2 cents and will not stop me from enjoying my train trip in my roomette or in my coach seat. I will experience the best and worst in people on the train as I do when I am working or driving or running errands. I am however blessed to have run in to an extrordinarily amount of kind, caring and compassionate people on the train and will focus on such during every trip.

Oh... and maybe I can do some random acts of kindness on my vacation if I happen to get particularly riled. Fun thought and one to keep uppermost on my to-do list.

 

[mjaynes288]

I am commonly told I lack common sense so I ask you what it says on this. I am disabled and on a tiny fixed income. I need to go see my parents. I am traveling alone. I have food allergies and will not risk a severe allergic reaction by eating anything prepared on the train. A roomette would cost 6% of my annual income roundtrip at the lowest bucket rate. I do not think a sleeper makes any sense. If I could get a sleeper at a price that did not include the cost of meals and a wine and cheese tasting I cannot eat or drink anything at it might make more sense.

I need lateral support to sit without significant pain. The only seat on a superliner I can get the support I need is at a table in the SSL. I am on the train overnight. Around 1 in the morning I put a pillow on the table and try to sleep. I wake up frequently. I cannot go back to sleep with people walking through so I generally stay awake after 5 in the morning. When someone wakes me up and asks if they can sit with me I put my pillow away and try to start a discussion. I have thought of bringing my ultralight wheelchair for another comfortable seat but I do not want to take that space away from someone who needs it to travel and I cannot sleep in my wheelchair.

 

[jerichowhiskey]

Is there a view to be had at night? I figure Amtrak windows were all tinted and makes it hard to see anything lit anyhow.

 

[MiRider]

Before I started traveling exclusively in sleepers, I *snoozed* in the SSL a few times.

One time was on the SWC and the Conductor pretty much hung out in one of the booths all night.

He DID NOT care and the majority of the other *snoozers* were women.

See.... when you can't choose your seatmate in coach, it's really weird to put yourself in the vulnerable position of sleeping next to a strange male.

Bad enough that the majority of men and I DO mean majority, don't know how to sit without splaying their legs and invading personal space.

If you don't or can't understand that, too bad.

I don't want to hear any 'what would you do if you had to fly overnight?' either because not a situation I intend to be in.

Anyway, that SWC trip was one of my favorites.

We all wound up hanging out with Rick, the Conductor, talking about trains and BBQ.

He even treated the gang to coffee when the Cafe opened.

I have NEVER seen the SSL filled up first thing in the morning - NEVER.

The conductors will clear any *snoozers* out by the time the cafe is open.

Stay in your roomette and you won't have to witness any liquid dribbling from the mouths of middle aged women trying to make their way in life.

SMDH!

 

[JayPea]

My personal opinion and my personal opinion ONLY is that I don't think there's anything wrong with sleeping in the lounge so long as there's room for everyone who wishes a seat. At night, when very few are there, I don't see a problem. I have seen a conductor wake up everyone who was sleeping in the SSL, this at 6AM on the EB to Portland, but even then he only made them sit up and not leave. If someone is sleeping and taking up more than one space, then yes, they need to be awakened,

 

[calwatch]

I agree. At night, no one is hurting anyone else, provided there is a space for someone to sit down and see the vast nothingness that is most of America that you pass through on the SSL late at night. On the other hand, you should not complain if the lounge car gets a little raucous either - there were some people tossing and turning as we were having a loud conversation in the lounge car, which is the place for those conversations at night (or quite frankly, at any hour in some instances). If it bothers you get earplugs.

Generally if it is solo passengers you tend to be assigned with someone of the same gender. I would hope most conductors do that as a matter of policy for trips that go on the overnight, to avoid any misunderstanding or misperception.

 

[TVRM610]

Once on a sold out Crescent my seatmate was very large and there was simply no way I could comfortably fit next to him. So glad that the OP was not on that train to police a policy that doesn't exist case my only option was to try to take a nap in the cafe car. One of the reasons I only travel in sleepers now for overnight.... I was in sad shape (tired) the next morning.

 

[rrdude]

Is there a view to be had at night? I figure Amtrak windows were all tinted and makes it hard to see anything lit anyhow.

No, the problem with seeing at night is that Amtrak "thinks it's wise" to keep the INSIDE of the SSL lit up like christmas tree, so the reflection off the inside of the windows makes it virtually impossible to see anything OUTSIDE at night, unless you are looking at lights of city, urban area. Last month I actually turned off every single overhead light in the SSL, (that had a button to do so, same as the reading lights in coach) and boy was is nicer.... not great, but nicer

 

[AmtrakBlue]

This thread is making me sleepy.

 

[June the Coach Rider]

So if there is no written rule, why do some of the sleeper people become so upset about others sleeping in the lounge car? I can clearly understand if there are no seats open and they want to be in there and not wake up their co-passenger in their sleeper, but they already have nice flat beds to sleep on and should be sleeping themselves.

Of course because of my disability, I am stuck downstairs and never get a chance to even see the observation/sightseeing car so it does not matter to me, I am just wondering what the reason for the complaint.

 

[SarahZ]

Is there a view to be had at night? I figure Amtrak windows were all tinted and makes it hard to see anything lit anyhow.

There are other reasons to use the SSL at night, such as reading or talking on your cell phone when it's after quiet hours. When I worked night shift, I often hung out in the SSL all night because I couldn't sleep. I didn't want my snack-munching to bother my seatmate, and I didn't want to turn the reading light on, so I went to the SSL.

Also, as Joanie states, I don't feel comfortable sleeping next to a strange man - not because I think he'd do anything; it just feels uncomfortable. I couldn't afford a roomette back then, so I'd sit in the SSL all night and then try to catnap during the day when my seatmate was in the SSL enjoying the view. More often than not, I just slept when I got to ABQ. It was only 26 hours, totally doable with coffee and walking outside during fresh air stops.

Anyway, I'll never forget one night when I was talking (quietly) on my cell phone and some guy with a sleeping bag kept glaring at me. I glared right back. The SSL is not a quiet sleeping car.

 

[Ryan]

Is there an echo in here?

I'm also a little curious why June thinks that it's "sleeper people" that are complaining about this.

 

[jebr]

People should be allowed to sleep in there if they so choose and they're not using up space that other people would be using, if the space was available, to sightsee or be louder at night than what would be allowed in the coach car. (Not just space that theoretically could be used, but actual customers going in there and not having room. I don't hear of that too often during night.) They should not expect it to be quiet, and people using it for other purposes should have priority, but if they want to sleep in there overnight and aren't causing other people trouble, what's the big deal?

 

[Meat Puppet]

Apparantly, that's the name given to coach passengers who go into the SSL to get a night's sleep. Some of these people do not know that this is against the rules. You are not allowed to sleep in the SSL overnight. Or the diner.
Sometimes this rule is not enforced. That is management's fault. A few months ago I was on the TE and, after breakfast, I went to the SSL and got one of the few unoccupied seats. Not far from me was a sprawled out middle-aged woman sound asleep....taking up three seats. Meanwhile other passengers were looking for seats. The conductor came into the car and I thought "finally this situation will be rectified". He woke her and asked her destination. He then left and she went back to sleep....dribbling liquid from her mouth for all to see.

This lady, like others, probably doesn't know she was breaking the rules. Derelict Amtrak employees fail to enforce the rules. So it's partially up to us to make sure the NO SLEEPING OVERNIGHT IN THE LOUNGE rule is known. So when a person posts that he (or she) will be camping out in the SSL, let's set them straight.

Please take a picture next time so I can add it to my "Best of the Lounge Lizards" photo album.

 

[TVRM610]

Is there anyone who is a good artists who could make a caricature of a lounge lizard? Would be very funny.

For those of us who frequent steam excursions you could also make a drawing of "vestibule hogs" ha.

 

[SarahZ]

People should be allowed to sleep in there if they so choose and they're not using up space that other people would be using, if the space was available, to sightsee or be louder at night than what would be allowed in the coach car. (Not just space that theoretically could be used, but actual customers going in there and not having room. I don't hear of that too often during night.) They should not expect it to be quiet, and people using it for other purposes should have priority, but if they want to sleep in there overnight and aren't causing other people trouble, what's the big deal?

Precisely. I really don't care.

 

[SarahZ]

So if there is no written rule, why do some of the sleeper people become so upset about others sleeping in the lounge car? I can clearly understand if there are no seats open and they want to be in there and not wake up their co-passenger in their sleeper, but they already have nice flat beds to sleep on and should be sleeping themselves.
Of course because of my disability, I am stuck downstairs and never get a chance to even see the observation/sightseeing car so it does not matter to me, I am just wondering what the reason for the complaint.

Because some people are night owls? My boyfriend doesn't go to sleep until 3:00 AM most nights, and I usually don't go to bed until midnight or 1:00.

 

[Ryan]

Yeah, but we're snobby sleeper passengers so our opinions don't count.

 

[June the Coach Rider]

So if there is no written rule, why do some of the sleeper people become so upset about others sleeping in the lounge car? I can clearly understand if there are no seats open and they want to be in there and not wake up their co-passenger in their sleeper, but they already have nice flat beds to sleep on and should be sleeping themselves.
Of course because of my disability, I am stuck downstairs and never get a chance to even see the observation/sightseeing car so it does not matter to me, I am just wondering what the reason for the complaint.

Because some people are night owls? My boyfriend doesn't go to sleep until 3:00 AM most nights, and I usually don't go to bed until midnight or 1:00.

Oh,that makes sense. I don't know and that is why I asked. I can understand now that people would be needing the seats. Geez, being downstairs, I really do miss out on alot. :-(

 

[benale]

If I have a seatmate on an overnight coach trip, I'll usually go to the Sightseer car overnight. It;s not as comfortable as a coach seat,but you can sit by yourself,and that's a plus. I really don't feel comfortable sharing a seat overnight with a stranger.