Dressing For Dinner

[Andy]

I'm curious if others feel that passengers (especially sleeping car passengers) should dress a bit nicer for dinner. Personally, I don't think it's appropriate for people to wear T-shirts or sweats (!). Jeans are okay if they're nice, but some people I've seen dress so slovenly. Maybe it's that I think about the romance of rail travel or that one would tend to dress nicer on a cruise ship for dinner. Way back it seemed people took travel more seriously and dressed up to travel.

Does anyone make it a habit to be dressed well for dinner on the train?

 

[clearfork]

Everyone should dress like Cary Grant in North by Northwest. And, order a gibson before dinner.....

 

[gswager]

I dress casual. Those people are from all kinds of life- business suit, farmers, cowboys, laid back, college, etc. That makes the conversation between them over meal interesting. That's vacation!

 

[Andy]

Everyone should dress like Cary Grant in North by Northwest. And, order a gibson before dinner.....

That's what I think of!! I love that movie. Wouldn't like a gibson though. They could improve their liquor selection. I guarantee you couldn't order a gibson on the train these days.

 

[PetalumaLoco]

As long as people are clean, I'm cool. I dress better on train trips than I do hanging around back home. But I do remember sitting down to breakfast in the diner and welcoming our table guests by saying

"Pardon me if I look like I slept on a train". Good ice breaker.

 

[RRrich]

Everyone should dress like Cary Grant in North by Northwest. And, order a gibson before dinner.....

My first dinner on the train I asked for a Martini - I was told "Sorry, we're out of Martini mix"

and so it goes.

 

[ThayerATM]

Everyone should dress like Cary Grant in North by Northwest. And, order a gibson before dinner.....

That's what I think of!! I love that movie. Wouldn't like a gibson though. They could improve their liquor selection. I guarantee you couldn't order a gibson on the train these days.

I think that the ambience of dining on the train, from what little I can remember from 1945, is gone forever. I'm certainly not going to go to dinner in scrubs, but at the same time I'm not going to put on a suit and tie. Life on the train is casual, and casual dress is just fine with me.

As for a gibson... a guy on the City of New Orleans showed up in the CCC drinking a mighty large martini. I can't imagine that he would have had a hard time scaring up a gibson. After all, what does it take? Gin, vermouth, and a cocktail onion or two.

 

[the_traveler]

And you also expect people in coach to carry an extra bag of luggage with them just so they can dress up for dinner? :huh: Does that also include writing to Amtrak to tell them to increase the carry-on allowance from 2 bags to 3 bags to allow this? :huh:

 

[TimePeace]

I like to be presentable at dinner - kinda the same way I'd do at home if going to a halfway decent restaurant - no necktie or anything, but I won't wear just a tee shirt, I put on a shirt with a collar - clean pants (hopefully).

David

 

[Upstate]

Dress up for a meal served on plastic plates? Not me.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

Dress up for a meal served on plastic plates? Not me.

thats like dressing up to go to MC Donald's now i might dress up for dinner in the diner on via rails the Canadian.

 

[RailFanLNK]

I'm about as casual of a guy that you can meet. If I'm wearing a suit and tie....somebody has died! :lol: Wearing a pair of khaki pants and a polo shirt is "dressy" for me. So ...with those comments in mind, I usually always tuck in my shirt, wear a polo shirt, and syle what little hair I have left and be presentable. I NEVER wear a hat into the dining car and try to "freshen" up a bit before going. I'm a pro at looking like a slob but try not to do that on Amtrak's time, just my time at home. I have a phobia with my neck and ties just drive me nuts. When I played football an audible was called at the line of scrimmage, the hippie left halfback didn't catch the audible and both of us collided with his facemask going right into my Adams Apple. I can't hardly stand anything around my neck. Gives me the willies!

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

I am old enough to remember the days you are talking about. They did exist. But now they are gone.

Your clothes should be clean in the diner at all three meals, no reason to single out dinner, (any more).Also it is no different on the Canadian, though I can understand why one might think so.

On a related note, it used to be good form to check into a hotel wearing a suit. You did not need it afterwards and certainly not for checking out. But for checking in, yes, at one time.

And all that meant dress shoes as well as casual shoes. And this in the days before luggage on wheels had been invented. Guess there were tons more redcaps back then.

These are among the things you remember when you are 64 years old. Just imagine all that extra changing clothes on a rocking bouncing train.

 

[Upstate]

Way back it seemed people took travel more seriously and dressed up to travel.

Lots of things were took more seriously. Last time I went to traffic court there were folks in shorts and flip flops.

 

[sunchaser]

I am old enough to remember the days you are talking about. They did exist. But now they are gone.
Your clothes should be clean in the diner at all three meals, no reason to single out dinner, (any more).Also it is no different on the Canadian, though I can understand why one might think so.

On a related note, it used to be good form to check into a hotel wearing a suit. You did not need it afterwards and certainly not for checking out. But for checking in, yes, at one time.

And all that meant dress shoes as well as casual shoes. And this in the days before luggage on wheels had been invented. Guess there were tons more redcaps back then.

These are among the things you remember when you are 64 years old. Just imagine all that extra changing clothes on a rocking bouncing train.

I was also wondering if people still dressed for dinner on the train. I'm typically in jeans/t shirts/etc. But I thought it would be fun to dress up a little for lunch & dinner on the train- just to add to the special occasion that it will be!! But if there are others that don't, that's ok too. It won't affect me if others are more casual. When I travel, I do dress up a little, unless I'm going camping!! :lol:

 

[GoldenSpike]

I dress casual. Those people are from all kinds of life- business suit, farmers, cowboys, laid back, college, etc. That makes the conversation between them over meal interesting. That's vacation!

Casual here also and for the reasons you describe in the type of travelers you encounter.

The movies out of Hollowood still distort reality how travelers really dress.

 

[GG-1]

Aloha

What I like about the Train Dinner is you can dress as you feel and no one gets excited. I haven't worn a tie in ages, last two times my daughters wedding and then my wedding over 40 years ago.

Heck I would rather see some one at an Opera in a T-Shirt than not come, so in the diner, just enjoy yourself and acquaintances.

 

[Everydaymatters]

Aloha
Heck I would rather see some one at an Opera in a T-Shirt than not come, so in the diner, just enjoy yourself and acquaintances.

I actually saw people at the Opera this past year in Chicago wearing T-shirts and jeans. In the 70's, I recall myself and many others wearing a long gown to the opera.

Times have changed. Now I wouldn't be caught dead in a dress and certainly not while traveling overnight in coach.

Betty (signing my name to this post about wearing a dress just in case any of the new folks don't know I'm a woman)

 

[Tony]

That's vacation!

And you also expect people in coach to carry an extra bag of luggage with them just so they can dress up for dinner? :huh:

Dress up for a meal served on plastic plates? Not me.

All excellent points, and I think right on target.

I'm on vacation, not about to carry extra luggage just to dress for meals, and the ambiance of the diner cars themselves has long past.

 

[PRR 60]

I tend to dress up a little: actual slacks and a sport shirt (compared to jeans and a tee shirt or sweatshirt the rest of the time). It gives me a chance to wear something else for an hour or so.

I look the Amtrak dining car like an Applebees kind of restaurant: dress a little if you like, come as you are if you like.

 

[Guest]

I look the Amtrak dining car like an Applebees kind of restaurant: dress a little if you like, come as you are if you like.

I kind of think the dining car as a old roadside diner. Great when new, but slowly allowed to fall into disrepair.

I remember going to the real "Rosie's Diner" of TV commercial fame when it was still in NJ. The counter tops were worn right thru the formica (never noticed that on TV ). If the counters are like that, I guess no one should complain that my jeans had a spot or two where they were completely worn thru.

 

[volkris]

I think this is an important issue for Amtrak to consider as it seeks to restore its services to mainstream status.

A few years back I was working at a university when they began discussing a major overhaul to their dorms. With the latest generation of now college-aged kids the expectations have changed drastically from those even twenty years ago. Colleges across the country are facing empty dorm rooms, lost revenue, and student and parent dissatisfaction.

It used to be that kids would grow up sharing rooms with siblings, and they actually liked it that way. When they'd get to college they'd expect to share a room with a roommate--they'd even see it as a plus!--and the dorm would be a temporary family. Not anymore. Today the kids expect private rooms and dorm staff that are counselors/babysitters, not families.

It's the same with trains: I suspect that today's young adults don't want to dress up at all for meals and are uncomfortable sharing a table with strangers. They probably don't want the pleasure of meeting new people this way, viewing the meal from a much more utilitarian perspective...it's a way to eat while waiting for arrival at the destination, not so much a pleasurable and social part of the train riding experience.

Yes, I'm speculating here, but it's based on work I used to do that studied the generational gaps. Also, it matches observations I've made in the dinning cars; the less polite of kids will sometimes visibly turn their noses up at the situation.

Hopefully Amtrak has real demographic and market research data and is planning its evolution accordingly. This discussion does highlight, though, the different directions Amtrak is being pulled in and how difficult it is to serve everyone.

 

[caravanman]

I am not a fan of dressing for the whole meal, but quite like ranch for the salad..

Ed B)

 

[Andy]

Dress up for a meal served on plastic plates? Not me.

Are they using plastic plates now? I thought they use regular plates, at least they did on the Auto Train a few years ago.

 

[MrFSS]

Dress up for a meal served on plastic plates? Not me.

Are they using plastic plates now? I thought they use regular plates, at least they did on the Auto Train a few years ago.

All LD trains except the EB use the plastic plates.