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hessjm

hessjm

OBS Chief
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Jul 7, 2008
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Downtown Grand Rapids
I had a chance to poke around the Legacy Club today. Access will cost you $10 a day and will get you priority boarding to your train. I was told that there wasn't any access for any of the Select statuses. Right now they just have a few snacks but they will improve that selection soon. In the future they are going to add a bar to the Club.

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The first photo, especially, looks like it is the former Fred Harvey Gold Lion Restaurant.....
 
Very nice. But, a question: For those of us who are not in a layover at CUS, what's the advantage over the Metropolitan Lounge? Granted, it is a lot prettier, but...

I arrive about an hour before departure, have a cranberry juice and a bag of pretzels. Then, I'm good to go.

Oh, wait...you said a bar. ;)
 
railiner said:
The first photo, especially, looks like it is the former Fred Harvey Gold Lion Restaurant.....
Click to expand...
According to the Hard Hat tour guide on Amtrak Train Day, the Fred Harvey restaurant is north of the Legacy, on the same side of the Great Hall. It would take a lot of work to make the Fred Harvey restaurant look nice.
 
willem said:
railiner said:
The first photo, especially, looks like it is the former Fred Harvey Gold Lion Restaurant.....
Click to expand...
According to the Hard Hat tour guide on Amtrak Train Day, the Fred Harvey restaurant is north of the Legacy, on the same side of the Great Hall. It would take a lot of work to make the Fred Harvey restaurant look nice.
Click to expand...
Check this out...columns and chandelier's look familiar? ...http://chicagopc.info/Chicago%20postcards/restaurants/gold%20lion%20rest.JPG
 
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J-1 3235 said:
The Legacy Club is located in what was the Men's washroom. The smaller room with the turquoise ceiling was the Barber Shop.
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It's amazing to see how nice washrooms were in the past compared to the hopelessly tacky and poorly maintained afterthought we expect today.

railiner said:
willem said:
railiner said:
The first photo, especially, looks like it is the former Fred Harvey Gold Lion Restaurant.....
Click to expand...
According to the Hard Hat tour guide on Amtrak Train Day, the Fred Harvey restaurant is north of the Legacy, on the same side of the Great Hall. It would take a lot of work to make the Fred Harvey restaurant look nice.
Click to expand...
Check this out...columns and chandelier's look familiar? ...http://chicagopc.info/Chicago%20postcards/restaurants/gold%20lion%20rest.JPG
Click to expand...
They sure look similar to me.
 
The assertions that follow about locations are my recollections of statements by volunteers or Amtrak employees at Train Day.

In the OP's second picture, there is a stairway behind the distant display of posters. That stairway goes to the men's toilets.

The first photo I attached shows a storeroom north of the Fred Harvey restaurant. I imagine the column design was consistent through all rooms on the west side of the Great Hall. If I recall correctly, this room was a powder room for the women. There are large murals above the decorative strip near the top of the picture.

The second photo I attached shows the space of the Fred Harvey restaurant. I expect that the columns look different because the outside appearance is a façade and it has been removed from these columns. The alcove on the west wall of the Great Hall is behind the curved wall. There was a fire in this space when it was being used as a movie set, and it was never restored.

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The room that used to be the barber shop is said to be where they will be putting in the bar.

This is definitely where I'm planning to wait for my trains from now on, once the bar is in. I see the price going up if it proves to be popular, which I think it will.
 
Actually, it appears that Amtrak is marketing this as a Priority Boarding lounge. The cost is $10 til Aug. 1 then goes up to $20. The press release says "quiet , comfortable lounge seating" "complimentary refreshments", "Comp. Wi-Fi and charging stations", "Train status monitors", and "Satellite TV"....
 
OBS said:
Actually, it appears that Amtrak is marketing this as a Priority Boarding lounge. The cost is $10 til Aug. 1 then goes up to $20. The press release says "quiet , comfortable lounge seating" "complimentary refreshments", "Comp. Wi-Fi and charging stations", "Train status monitors", and "Satellite TV"....
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So now I'm confused... Is this an Amtrak run operation, or 3rd party, leasing space from Amtrak?

  1. With contract with Amtrak to market?
  2. 3rd party company "on their own" to try and make a profit, on un-used space. I assume, rented to them, from Amtrak?
  3. Any reimbursement from one entity to the other?
Thanks.
 
The Legacy Club was being advertised frequently over the PA when I was in CUS yesterday. Listeners were advised to ask Amtrak personnel about it, so Amtrak must be in on the deal to some extent, at least.
 
CHamilton said:
The Legacy Club was being advertised frequently over the PA when I was in CUS yesterday. Listeners were advised to ask Amtrak personnel about it, so Amtrak must be in on the deal to some extent, at least.
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That's my take too Charlie, OTOH, it just doesn't seem to fit the current "though process" that I think is happening at Amtrak.

Maybe Amtrak is just being generous n their promotions, and really wants the club to be a business success, for obvious rental-income (and to a lesser degree, pax comfort) reasons.....

So somebody else "do the math". At $20 per person, per visit, how many visitors per day, do you think they'd need to get using it, considering:

  • Fully allocated labor cost
  • Square footage rental
  • Insurance
  • Utilities cost (electric, water, portion of waste, internet, etc., etc.)
  • Cost of good inventory.... (Snacks, beverages) including shrinkage
  • Sale of "adult beverages" income...
  • Payment(s) to Chicago Alderman
  • Payments(s) for "protection"
 
As a former resident of Chicago, I'd think the "payments to the alderman" would add up pretty quickly. :D On topic, if I were a coach passenger, I'd consider it. As a sleeping car passenger, I'll go to the Met Lounge for free.
 
I visited the Legacy Club a few weeks ago and can confirm it is a superior, first class lounge.

Whether it is worth the fee depends entirely on each traveler's inclinations and time.

The facility is far superior to Amtrak's Metropolitan Lounge on every objective level--except for the fee. But there are two ways to look at that. Sleeping car PAX are also paying a fee for the Metropolitan Lounge--with their sky high ticket prices. Also, if I just paid $300-400-500 for my Sleeping car ticket, does another $10 for lounge privileges make a difference?

To understand what the Legacy Club is all about, it would help to read an article George K. posted about massive upscale renovations planned for CUS. Here is the link: http://www.dailynews724.com/local/amtrak-plans-union-station-makeover-h513373.html

Putting 2 + 2 together, I come up with this: Amtrak is the landlord of CUS. Third party operator of Legacy Club pays Amtrak rent; in return, Amtrak also provides staffing.

The point of the Legacy Club--it's an advertisement for the future CUS. It shows what the station can be once all the hidden spaces are opened up, renovated, and brought back to their former glory, as Amtrak solicits proposals from retailers, service and food operations.

In this interpretation, the Legacy Club isn't so much a passenger facility as it is a prototype--a showcase for prospective commercial tenants in the new CUS. Get on board, guys, build something like this for the captive audience at CUS, and prosper.
 
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Manny T said:
Putting 2 + 2 together, I come up with this: Amtrak is the landlord of CUS. Third party operator of Legacy Club pays Amtrak rent; in return, Amtrak also provides staffing.

The point of the Legacy Club--it's an advertisement for the future CUS. It shows what the station can be once all the hidden spaces are opened up, renovated, and brought back to their former glory, as Amtrak solicits proposals from retailers, service and food operations.

In this interpretation, the Legacy Club isn't so much a passenger facility as it is a prototype--a showcase for prospective commercial tenants in the new CUS. Get on board, guys, build something like this for the captive audience at CUS, and prosper.
Click to expand...
I think that is absolutely spot on, the first step in a (finally) revitalized Union Station, hopefully something that rivals Washington Union Station.

FYI - Here's a link for the original Tribune article (have to register to read). It is easier to read (not all run together) and has some pictures.
 
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This is good news, looking forward to seeing it completed! Great to have options for a true executive style lounge. And even at 20/day is still a bargain for a real lounge. I avoid the Met lounge, overcrowded, no real amenities, and feels like the lobby of an old Ramada inn.... this holds a lot of promise especially with the METRO Deli no longer an option to kill time in.
 
They should of swap lounge.. Use this new location for the sleeping passengers, and and use the metro lounge for the others to pay to use.
 
I agree about swapping lounges!!

And closing the Metro Deli was quite an interesting move. What was the Metro Deli essentially? A bar for commuters after work. Now it's closed.

What's Amtrak's next move in the Legacy Club? Installing a bar in the old barber shop space. I predict hordes of commuters will rush to join!!

Turns out, Amtrak may be more savvy at real estate than at operating passenger rail service.
 
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