Things To Do Near Union Station Chicago?

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Are coach passengers allowed in the Metropolitan Lounge? Or is that just for sleeping car passengers?
 
If you have a same day Sleeper ticket, a Loungr Pass or are Select Plus or Select Executive yes! Otherwise its the "Bullpen" Waiting Roomand w the Mercy of the Infamous Chicago Gate Dragons!
 
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Okay, I give. What's a gate dragon? (Jeez I already got called a lounge lizard, maybe I'm a gate dragon too)

I like waiting in Union Station. It's so pretty in the big room. But I guess you are talking about right near the train.
 
junebug said:
Okay, I give. What's a gate dragon? (Jeez I already got called a lounge lizard, maybe I'm a gate dragon too)I like waiting in Union Station. It's so pretty in the big room. But I guess you are talking about right near the train.
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Gate dragons, I think, are the people who control the gates at Union Station, especially for Amtrak. It's a lot more strict of a boarding procedure than METRA is, which was really annoying when until a few weeks ago I've only done METRA out of Union Station (and Megabus a block south.)

junebug said:
What's Select Plus and Select Executive, by the way?
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They're the top two tiers of Amtrak's rewards program. Select+ requires 10,000 points, or $5,000 spent on Amtrak tickets if all of your tickets are over $50 (if the trip is under $50, there's a 100 point minimum that will apply for the first four under $50 trips in a given day, so 100 tickets under that rule.) Select Executive requires 20,000 points, or $10,000/200 trips.

Note that tickets earned by means other than Amtrak travel (such as buying points, using the AGR mall, or a car/hotel reservation) will not count towards Select+/SelectE status.
 
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junebug said:
Okay, I give. What's a gate dragon? (Jeez I already got called a lounge lizard, maybe I'm a gate dragon too)I like waiting in Union Station. It's so pretty in the big room. But I guess you are talking about right near the train.
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Jurassic Park 4-Attack of the Gate Dragons - Gate Dragons from Chicago Union Station go on a savage rampage in the Loop and it is up to a cooperation between InGen and the Amtrak Unlimited Consortium to corral them back to their original confines.
 
I love the gate dragons. :) They keep everyone from cutting in line and acting like an idiot. The trains back to Michigan on Sunday night are a zoo, and I love watching the gate dragons yell at people. It's hilarious. They don't take crap from anybody. Kudos to the gate dragons.
 
Sitting waiting for the LSL on my return trips, I am usually sitting people watching for many hours, I can't walk around much, so I usually park myself in the outer waiting area and just watch the people. It is amazing how people think rules do not apply to them. Especially the new 5 minute gate closing before departure. People go crazy with every excuse in the book and the gate dragon just says, no and walks away.
 
I found out Beggar's Pizza AND Lou Malnati's both will deliver to Union Station! Where should I meet the driver? The manager of Beggar's said "by the boards" may be easiest, but the driver would come wherever we want him to. I'll park my luggage with my sister and go meet the delivery guy. What place do you think would be the easiest too meet him?

And thanks for all the info! Perhaps I need a gig as a gate dragon/lounge lizard ;)

*Decisions, decisions. Lou Malnati's sausage and mushroom individual pan pizzas for dinner on the train and their Italian Beef and fries for lunch in the station? Or Beggar's thin crust pizza for dinner on the train, and something from them for lunch???????*

;) ;) :)
 
I would meet the driver wherever the manager said would be easiest. It'll be much easier for you to navigate to the door than for the driver to navigate some of those entrances, especially given traffic patterns and taxi stands.

I have NO idea where "by the boards" is.
 
Sorcha said:
I would meet the driver wherever the manager said would be easiest. It'll be much easier for you to navigate to the door than for the driver to navigate some of those entrances, especially given traffic patterns and taxi stands.
I have NO idea where "by the boards" is.
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Me neither, Sorcha.
 
I would ask the pizza dude what he means by "by the boards". Perhaps he can let you know which street so you can use that exit. All I can think of are those boards that show arrivals/departures, but those are all over the station. :unsure:
 
LOL, Sorcha, I did ask him, and he didn't know. I think that was just what the delivery guy told him.

By the way, the manager of Beggar's Pizza was a sweetheart!

AND totally thrilled to know that you guys all recommended Beggar's.
 
I wonder if he meant the Canal St. exit where all the cabs sit. There are a bunch of concrete barriers there, and there's a long lane for cabs and such. That would be the easiest place for them to meet you since you can't idle/park anywhere else near the station.

"By the boards" makes me think of boarding cabs, or maybe they used the wrong word for those barriers. /shrug
 
Sorcha said:
I wonder if he meant the Canal St. exit where all the cabs sit. There are a bunch of concrete barriers there, and there's a long lane for cabs and such. That would be the easiest place for them to meet you since you can't idle/park anywhere else near the station.
"By the boards" makes me think of boarding cabs, or maybe they used the wrong word for those barriers. /shrug
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Maybe. I was thinking where the cabs are on Canal would be the easiest, too.
 
Sorcha said:
I wonder if he meant the Canal St. exit where all the cabs sit. There are a bunch of concrete barriers there, and there's a long lane for cabs and such. That would be the easiest place for them to meet you since you can't idle/park anywhere else near the station.
"By the boards" makes me think of boarding cabs, or maybe they used the wrong word for those barriers. /shrug
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There are also arrival/departure boards right in the entryway off of Canal, and would probably be the best place to meet a delivery person at, I would think.
 
I thought about that too, but since there are boards all over the station, I thought it was a little confusing. When you tell me "by the boards", I immediately think of the boards by the tracks.

I do believe it's Canal St, though, due to the cab stand and the set of boards. When I delivered pizzas, I always used cab lanes and such since it was easier, and I didn't get hassled as long as I had my sign lit and flashers going.
 
I would highly recommend Beggar's. I've been eating their pizza since first place they opened their original Blue Island store 35+ years ago.

"By the boards" could be in the main waiting room where they have a center location with arrival and departure boards.
 
oldtimer said:
I would highly recommend Beggar's. I've been eating their pizza since first place they opened their original Blue Island store 35+ years ago.
"By the boards" could be in the main waiting room where they have a center location with arrival and departure boards.
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Aha! that makes sense. Wow, Beggar's is that old? Well I just have to have some, then. How would you compare it to Home Run Inn's piizza, Timer?

Well, my friend can't drive us. We are decided to drive to Glenview. We can park there for the duration of our trip.

It's 28 minutes to Union Station. We can stash our bags in the lockers, and go to Beggar's.

.....Nom :p Nom :D Nom :lol: Nom.....
 
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