PHL cappucino machine gone

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Dec 26, 2014
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I was in the PHL lounge today, and saw that the wonderful cappucino machine that had lots of choices of delicious drinks is gone. It has been replaced by a basic machine that makes coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.

Tad (the attendant) told me it was an experiment--a month of free use--and the cappucino machine is in a closet waiting to be sent back.

There was a "rate your drink experience" electronic poll on the fridge, from a smiley face to a frowny face.

I hit the smiley face before I looked at the machine and saw it wasn't the wonderful cappucino machine, so then I hit the frowny face twice to cancel that out and lodge my protest vote.

Someone at Amtrak management must have heard that we all love the cappucino machine, so in their attempt to get rid of anything classy that people love they of course had to get rid of it.

Oh I forgot that I went into the hot chocolate section to see if there was more than one hot chocolate choice (there wasn't), and when I tried to use the start again button it didn't work, and neither did the back button.

So not only does it give just basic drinks, it's already defective.
 
It was longer than a month... I used it in October. And when I say I used it... I had like 5 or 6 espresso drinks! Almost made up for the lack of a real breakfast on the meteor that morning.
 
Another Amtrak “Club” going down the tubes!

in PHL, it was changing to the plastic seats, then changing the name from Club Acela to Metropolitan Lounge, somewhere in there was the removal of the storage closets, now the cappuccino machine is gone! What’s left to destroy?

WAS and NYP were destroyed. Who is next?
 
I don't agree that the lounge in PHL was destroyed. Yes, having the closets removed was a loss, but I've found that if I leave my bags where I am, I'm fine.

I had planned to use luggage storage and go see the liberty bell since I could take any keystone train I wanted to. The attendant was very nice, but she suggested if I wanted to do that I should pay for baggage storage at the ticket counter. I just stayed in the lounge longer and ate more snacks and drank more espresso.
 
I had planned to use luggage storage and go see the liberty bell since I could take any keystone train I wanted to. The attendant was very nice, but she suggested if I wanted to do that I should pay for baggage storage at the ticket counter. I just stayed in the lounge longer and ate more snacks and drank more espresso.

I normally leave the lounge for 15-20 minutes just to grab a bite to eat, since I live in Philly.
 
15-20 minutes is one thing, but 4-5 hours is another.

Exactly. I’ve done this many times in Washington DC and Chicago (gone out to sightsee... once I even saw a broadway show in Chicago during a layover!).

I tried it in Portland once as well... the lounge attendant there was very against the idea that I was going to leave the station because I might miss my train.... in 2 hours. I wasn’t gonna NOT see the 4449! :)
 
I had planned to use luggage storage and go see the liberty bell since I could take any keystone train I wanted to. The attendant was very nice, but she suggested if I wanted to do that I should pay for baggage storage at the ticket counter. I just stayed in the lounge longer and ate more snacks and drank more espresso.

Completely off on a tangent, but hopefully a helpful hint: If you ever decide to go see the Liberty Bell, just walk down the side of the building it's in and look at it through the window. That way, you avoid the extensive security check, the exhibit hall that you have to walk through to get to the bell at the end, and the huge crowds and line.
 
Well, I just did check it out. It's still the annoying new machine, although you can get a chai latte out of it, so perhaps MARC Rider and I were talking of the same machine after all.

They were still asking for ratings, so I gave it three very frowny faces and one slightly frowny face to switch it up (in case the computer should put two and two together and realize someone voted much more than once!).

Tad (the attendant) said it is to be replaced tomorrow with something from Aramark--I will be in Philly part of the day tomorrow, so I will go check it out.

Meanwhile, instead of having a nice cappuccino for dessert after lunch, I just gave up and decided that was a good excuse to go over to Reading Terminal Market and get ice cream instead. (I saw the ice cream truck delivering the ice cream this morning, too, so I know it is fresh!)
 
Hey, when it's my free cappuccino disappearing, all is fair!:eek::rolleyes: Oh well, going to go get ice cream now--not a bad second choice!:)

Consider an apple dumpling from one of the Amish vendors at Reading Terminal Market. And maybe browse at Herbiary there, for all kinds of interesting stuff. Neither is cappucino, but one's a favorite treat of mine, the other a favorite store.
 
Consider an apple dumpling from one of the Amish vendors at Reading Terminal Market. And maybe browse at Herbiary there, for all kinds of interesting stuff. Neither is cappucino, but one's a favorite treat of mine, the other a favorite store.

Thanks, tricia!:) I had my ice cream (coffee ice cream of course--that'll learn 'em to mess with the cappuccino machine:D) before I saw your post, but I will check out both on my next trip to Philly.

And I will report back on what I find tomorrow in the PHL lounge--what the new machine is like. I'll stop there before I head home.
 
I am sorry to report that I was not able to fulfill my self-appointed task (and also sorry it took so long to post this--the hotel computer where I was yesterday kept cutting out and shutting off, and I had to get the train, so couldn't wait any longer to post).

I went over to 30th Street around noon, got a nice chef salad from downstairs, then went up to the lounge. They were still installing the machine! There were four or five gentlemen installing it, so the installation went well, but they still weren't done when I left around 12:45, and they weren't going to be for a little while longer.

I did notice that it can't be the same cappuccino machine they had earlier (someone said this new one was from Aramark, whatever that is worth) because it looked smaller.

Anyway, because the four or five guys were standing in front of it, I couldn't even get a good look at it.

I don't think I'll be back in Philly before March, so I pass on the challenge to anyone who will be in PHL before then and visiting the lounge to let us know what the machine is like, and I thank whoever you are in advance.:)
 
Sorry to bring back such an old thread, but I’m in the lounge at PHL now and have an update on what is offered.

Last time I was here, they had a newer coffee machine that had cappuccino. But it was a bit temperamental—if you pushed the cappuccino button, you might get cappuccino. Or you might get hot chocolate.

So now they have a newer machine again, but this one has all sorts of coffee combinations, plus hot chocolate, but no cappuccino.

Snacks on offer are the muffins, kind bars, and peanuts. But no cookies or cinnamon rolls.

Also, in the main station, the fast food places are still there and seem to be doing fine. The expensive, exclusive, trendy coffee stand is gone but Pret a Manger is still there. But I was glad to see my favorite—Salad Works—is open.
 
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