CUS General Waiting Room - world's most uncomfortable chairs?

[MikeM]

I just did a loop trip from Toledo to Chicago and back last weekend. Definitely winter in Chicago. Had planned on doing some shopping downtown, but with all the extreme cold ended up cutting that short. My train into Chicago was several hours late, which in retrospect was wonderful, since it allowed me to travel the whole route from Toledo in daylight.

Which gets me to my main question -- what idiot picked out the grey metal chairs that are in the coach waiting area at CUS? I might complain about the generic black vinyl chairs at most airports, but these blue metal things have to easily be the most inhumane, under-padded, ergonomically tortuous chairs I've ever sat in. Typically I do sleepers through Chicago, so I'm in the Metro Lounge typically. This was a real eye opener. As a bonus gift, the cold air was just pouring through the station, so it was freezing throughout.

The other oddity was when it was close to boarding time, everyone lined up throughout the waiting room, based on an announcement that I did not hear (I think some do it by instinct...), which resulted in folks standing for up to 30 minutes before the boarding started up. Once it got underway, things went smoothly, but the whole front section of the waiting room near the exit doors was kept blocked off and the lines were wild.

I'll strap on my happy face again (and I might add, the train both ways was fine - the dinner on the Cap Ltd back was excellent, and the crew outstanding), but hopefully Amtrak will do something with the waiting room area when the Metro Lounge moves to address the seating and HVAC issues.

As a footnote..on the Cap Ltd, I was told that upwards of 50 passengers missed connections due to the meltdown of the Empire Builder. A dinner companion on the CL told me that his train didn't get into Chicago until 1am that morning, and he was one day delayed in his trip.

 

[PerRock]

Its standard practice these days for people to start lining up about half an hour before their train is called, regardless of any announcement. I have never seen the front section of the waiting room used really at all, the most use (besides passing thru it during the kindergarten walk) is for the gate personnel to stand in & check tickets. But I do agree the Chicago lounge needs serious improvements done.

peter

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

If you think those are bad park your tail on the Butt Burner slatted benches at FTW for more than a few minutes :angry2:

 

[SarahZ]

The main waiting room at CUS is awful. It's hot and muggy in the summer for the same reason it's freezing cold in the winter (doors constantly opening, poor HVAC systems, etc). In the summer, they bring in gigantic fans to help keep the muggy air moving. Bleh.

That front waiting area isn't really used. When they call for seniors and families at the beginning of the boarding process, they'll sometimes sit them in there until it's actually time to go. We've had to "pause" in there before when they called BC but then it turned out they weren't ready for us. The gate dragons have control over it, so you can't just head in there.

The worst is when people line up for the busy Michigan trains. The line often snakes back down the hall to the entryway. People stand right in the middle with all of their suitcases, shopping bags, and kids. You can't get around them to get to the restroom (or even in/out of the waiting area). Sometimes the Amcops will come through and tell everyone to move over to the wall to make a path, but not always. I've actually had to gently shove people out of my way when all-but-yelling, "Excuse me," doesn't work. Sometimes they just stare at me, like they can't comprehend why I'd want to walk where they're standing. Idiots.

These are just some of the reasons I'm happy they allow BC passengers in the Metropolitan Lounge now. If I get my ticket in advance, it's only a $16-20 upgrade. If I don't feel like paying for the upgrade, I steer clear of the boarding area until it's actually time to board. I usually hang out in the Great Hall or outside, depending on the weather. The Great Hall's benches are much more comfortable than the chairs in the regular waiting room. Plus, it's pretty.

 

[buddy559]

I believe the proper term for that is "gate lice" They can also be seen at airports crowding around the boarding door, blocking the exiting traffic, and making the whole process longer, and more confusing than it needs to be.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I believe the proper term for that is "gate lice" They can also be seen at airports crowding around the boarding door, blocking the exiting traffic, and making the whole process longer, and more confusing than it needs to be.

It's one thing when you already have an assigned seat and choose to stand in line and block the route anyway. But these folks cannot get assigned seats, sides, or cars. As a result they have to line up to have any chance to sit where they want or just to sit together. That's not something I would hold against them with a snobby derogatory term.

 

[NorthShore]

It's terrible design, overall. Too little space for too many people. I wonder whether the uncomfortable seating is also a matter not just of utility and cost savings but also to actually discourage people from feeling too "at home." (Sort of like how cities will have public benches which allow for a short sit but are designed to make you want to get up and keep moving along, to discourage loitering and the homeless population from stretching out and taking hold.)

I'm not old enough to remember when the station also had a large hall on the east end (where the tracks and amtrak facilities are) but I wonder whether such extra space did in the past or could make a significant diference.

 

[MrFSS]

It's terrible design, overall. Too little space for too many people. I wonder whether the uncomfortable seating is also a matter not just of utility and cost savings but also to actually discourage people from feeling too "at home." (Sort of like how cities will have public benches which allow for a short sit but are designed to make you want to get up and keep moving along, to discourage loitering and the homeless population from stretching out and taking hold.)

I'm not old enough to remember when the station also had a large hall on the east end (where the tracks and amtrak facilities are) but I wonder whether such extra space did in the past or could make a significant diference.

Well - I remember it as it was in the good old days. If you wanted to sit and wait for a train, you went to the Great Hall.

The main station area (where Amtrak stuff is today) was basically a big open hall (see picture below). Sort of like Grand Central Terminal is today, but without all the fancy stuff.

But, you still couldn't get to the trains until they called it and opened the doors to the tracks with several conductor types looking at tickets before you went out on the platform.

 

[zephyr17]

The original design of the station was that the Great Hall was the waiting room. The "concourse" building east of was open space without seats (or many seats). So that whole area that Amtrak is in now was one big open hall.

Pictures of it look quite a bit like old Penn station from the inside, big arches with glass, and they suffered the same fate. A great building torn down in favor of an underground rabbit warren.

 

[railiner]

Pictures of it look quite a bit like old Penn station from the inside, big arches with glass, and they suffered the same fate. A great building torn down in favor of an underground rabbit warren.

It looked a lot like Penn Station - NY, because the PRR owned 50% of the CUS, and was primarily in charge of its design and construction, using the same architects, I believe, but about 15 years later.....

I used to love boarding trains there, prior to its destruction in the later sixties. They used to roll out these eleborate check in desks for the RR and Pullman Conductor's to pull tickets prior to boarding, in front of the appropriate gates for the 'Big' name trains like the Broadway, the CZ, etc.

When the CZ backed in to its track from the yard, just as it came to a halt, the attendant in the obs car would dramatically throw the switch illuminating the beautiful neon Golden Gate Bridge on the 'drumhead' tail sign......

Another memory I cherish, was the train check-in announcement for the off-season combined Burlington Afternoon Twin Cities Zephyr-Great Northern Empire Builder-Northern Pacific North Coast Limited. Sometimes they would announce it as if it were three separate trains, with other train announcement between each.

 

[calwatch]

When there is no event you can wait in the Great Hall. The line up is there because people want to sit together and pick where they want to sit. If you don't really care where you want to sit and are happy with an aisle seat, you can wait until the end of the line and board there.

 

[railiner]

As for the practice of crowding around the boarding gate......well, like it or not, that's just human nature, and will probably never change. People do that at theaters, shopping malls, anyplace where one has to wait for an anticipated activity. If specific seats are assigned, that helps somewhat.

I might point out how civilized Amtrak did conduct the boarding of the more than 800 passengers on the recent excursion's they ran in Philly...

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

At least there are no dreaded Middle Seats on the train

 

[railiner]

At least there are no dreaded Middle Seats on the train

At least not on Amtrak....the same can't be said for single-level commuter trains.....

 

[June the Coach Rider]

If you think those are bad park your tail on the Butt Burner slatted benches at FTW for more than a few minutes :angry2:

I was just going to add FTW and PDX or EMY for that matter. They were made for people to sit for a few minutes. CUS is the worst, I have a 6 hour layover returning home each trip, waiting for the Lakeshore Limited, so I end up sitting on my pillow which I luckily have.

 

[Bob Dylan]

If you think those are bad park your tail on the Butt Burner slatted benches at FTW for more than a few minutes :angry2:

I was just going to add FTW and PDX or EMY for that matter. They were made for people to sit for a few minutes. CUS is the worst, I have a 6 hour layover returning home each trip, waiting for the Lakeshore Limited, so I end up sitting on my pillow which I luckily have.

The Benches in the Basement Waiting Room(Aka Dallas Union Station) in Dallas are Shakey and Darn Uncomfortable and the Wooden Old Timey Benches in the Bus Station Like Amtrak Waiting Room in Kansas City's Beautiful Union Station are also Not Something You Would Want To Park your Rear on for Long!

 

[SarahZ]

The benches in Dallas are awful. They aren't so much uncomfortable as rickety. I was scared about breaking them every time I shifted, so I ended up sitting on the floor.

 

[Joe F]

The original design of the station was that the Great Hall was the waiting room. The "concourse" building east of was open space without seats (or many seats). So that whole area that Amtrak is in now was one big open hall.

Pictures of it look quite a bit like old Penn station from the inside, big arches with glass, and they suffered the same fate. A great building torn down in favor of an underground rabbit warren.

I can remember CUS before they remodeled the waiting area 20-25 years ago. More than once I was sitting in a line on a bare concrete floor waiting to board the EB. That's where my (now-ex) wife taught me how to play Cribbage.

 

[zephyr17]

The original design of the station was that the Great Hall was the waiting room. The "concourse" building east of was open space without seats (or many seats). So that whole area that Amtrak is in now was one big open hall.

Pictures of it look quite a bit like old Penn station from the inside, big arches with glass, and they suffered the same fate. A great building torn down in favor of an underground rabbit warren.

I can remember CUS before they remodeled the waiting area 20-25 years ago. More than once I was sitting in a line on a bare concrete floor waiting to board the EB. That's where my (now-ex) wife taught me how to play Cribbage.

Sounds like that back in the cinderblock days, prior to the 1991 remodel. One thing you have to say about CUS is that the 1991 remodel made the underground warren better.