Prior to boarding my Coast Starlight train for Portland, my wife and I spent about 30 minutes in the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge at Los Angeles Union Station.
You’ll find the lounge on the second floor of the station, near where the trains depart: just follow the signs.
It’s a small lounge, but includes seating for 40-50 along with complimentary coffee, tea, soft drinks and other beverages, light snacks, and newspapers. Wi-Fi is also available, though quite slow. I noticed that people waited like vultures around the muffins and cookies, so be warned.
In the lobby, a sculpture entitled “Pioneer of Railway Construction,” by Chinese artist, Yuan Xikun depicts Chinese American’s contribution to railroad construction in the USA.
The lounge is open from 5:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. daily and available to same-day passengers traveling in a sleeping car or traveling on Pacific Surfliner in business class. It is also available to Select Plus and Select Executive Amtrak Guest Rewards members.
If your train is delayed or you need help with a ticketing issue, Amtrak staff are available in the lounge.
CONCLUSION
This is not a lounge I would arrive early for, but is a perfectly pleasant place to wait for your train. Los Angeles Union Station is so beautiful, though, that if you don’t have lounge access at least you can wait for your train in one of the most beautiful stations I’ve ever encountered.
They’ve now opened two of the old bars that used to be in there. From the pictures they look just as amazing as Cedd Moses, the cocktail luminary (behind places such as the Varnish, Seven Grand and Walker Inn) and serial restaurateur who is part of the team behind the restaurant, said, “Every great train station should have a great oyster bar,” citing those at New York City’s Grand Central Station or the more recent Stoic & Genuine at Denver’s own newly restored Union Station. To that end, his group has brought in David Lentz, from the Hungry Cat Hollywood, to create a seafood-heavy menu. Beers will cover a wide spectrum, with a menu of 18 brews offering kristalweizen, a rare wheat beer filtered to serve as a crystal clear substitute for Champagne, along with a soon-to-be ready oyster stout. In addition, there’s a “lightly saline” Gose beer and a pronounced dedication to house-aged sour ales to pair with Lentz’s oysters and steamed mussels.”
Good stuff!
Wow, that posted weird. That snippet was from the LA Times.
There was a point when you could access this lounge with an Amtrak BP and a United Club membership. I think I did it in 2010. It looks exactly the same in your pictures as it did then.
Does the Metro lounge have luggage storage for the day?
Yes, but not behind lock and key.
Do you know where there is luggage storage for the day (behind lock and key), if not the lounge?
I don’t recall lockers at Union Station (for security reasons). But I don’t see why you could not leave your luggage behind desk in the lounge.
Just encountered the Lounge today by accident – amazing (for a train station). The biggest thing left out in all these posts is that the Lounge has it’s own SUPER CLEAN TILED PRIVATE BATHROOMS – which, if you’ve ever had to deal with the regular bathrooms in Union Station, you’ll agree is on its own worth the upgrade to a Business Class ticket!