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I read something about sleeping car passangers Boarding The Lake Shore Limited @ CHI an hour or two early, and having dinner. Does anyone know? My wife and I have a room between MSP-CHI, but wondering about food, as we are only going to CLV. Departs CHI 10:00 pm arrivers CLE 6:22 am I asked Julie's helper, but she didn't know. She said that if the train was late me might get breakfast. Thanks for any help. Posts: 39 | From: Saint Croix Falls | Registered: Aug 2005
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Even though not mentioned in the current System Timetable, there is reportedly some kind of complimentary "bon voyage" party in the Lounge car for Sleeper passengers.
Posts: 9977 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Plan to eat supper in Chicago BEFORE boarding the Lake Shore. Free cheese and crackers on styrofoam plates just won't compare to a sit-down meal.....even if it's just from one of the quickie places in Union Station.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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Trainut - I have recently taken the LSL. Sleeping Car Passengers are boarded (if they wish) at 8pm. There is a complimentary glass of wine along with cheese and grapes available in the diner. There are no meals served. If you are going coach from CHI to ClV I do not know if early boarding is available. I am not sure if or when the Cafe Car opens for snacks (I was asleep before the train left the station). I would recommend that you find a nearby resturant in Chicago or take advantage of one of the fast food places in the Food Court in Union Station. (I myself usually head to Robinson's for a Bar-B-Que sandwich - but there are several other places - Golds Hot Dogs, A Chinese take out, Micky D's and several others) Just ask for directions in the Metro lounge - the food court is one floor up from the lounge.
Dee
Posts: 460 | From: North Central CT | Registered: May 2004
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Dee, have you tried Robinson's ribs or shrimp? Excellent!! I always have to stop there and get several bottles of their sauce to take to my son in Denver. Once the Zephyr began getting in so late I startd getting an extra one for us to take home because it seemed there was never enough time once we finally got to Chicago.
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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I took the LSL eastbound in October. Now that the departure is at 10PM, there is no longer a dinner meal served. Instead, sleeper passengers who arrive early (to get on you are supposed to be there 8PM, but maybe can be a little later; we were there 7:45 and did not get on till about 8:15 but you'd better check at the Metro Lounge desk when you get in) can board early and have wine and cheese and crackers AND grapes. I found it very pleasant--not only nice to meet the people, but rather a good red Australian Shirazz, which I personally liked better than the California and Washington State wines I've had on the western trains (though I know it's sacrilege to say so). I am almost certain this is available only to sleeper passengers. To whom it's free--though of course we did leave a tip.
Even though you are departing coach, if you are coming in on a sleeper, the Metropolitan Lounge is available to you. I recommend, if the weather is decent, store your luggage there and enjoy something of Chicago and have dinner there. For places near Union Station, my new place of recommendation is Greektown. It's unfortunately in the other direction from Michigan Av/Millennium Park/the Lake, BUT the food is great and not expensive and it really is pretty close to Union Station. Just go out onto Adams and go in the OPPOSITE direction from the museum/Lake (you can see the museum way down at the foot of Adams at Michigan if you look out)--if Union station is at your back and you are on Adams, you go left. It's 4-5 blocks down, you cross over the highway bridge and then go past one more street where a church is on the opposite side and then you are there, at Adams and Halsted. You can't miss it, to your left are a string of restaurants. The ones I've eaten in are Greek Islands, right on the corner, big and bustling, lotsa local color--the wait staff comes over to say that Big Fat Wedding thing (oompah?) if you order the cheese dish that they light up at your table; and Rodity, two or three doors down at 222 S Halsted, quieter, more intimate, even less expensive, and just as good except for the bread (but with kickass taramosalata or whatever that fishy appetizer is, but it wasn't fishy it was really good). In either place, get as your main dish the moussaka, it's fantastic.
To get back, you can try a taxi, esp if the weather is chilly, but be sure to leave yourself plenty of time.
Of course if the weather is really bad, as it has been lately, you might prefer to stay right in Union Station. Note that many of the places mentioned in other posts are closed on Sundays, if that is the day you are there. Greektown, OTOH, is not.
If you happen to be over by Michigan Ave/the Lake etc, there is Russian Tea Time, 77 Adams. It's a lovely elegant place, much more expensive than Greektown, also open for lunch and dinner daily last I checked. The pirogi-type fare is a little bland to my tastes, but they do have other dishes (that cost more; we just had lunch so had various pirogi things, they call them different things, the one with cheese was tastiest); anyway, they have the most fantastic black bread on the table, and you can take the extra slices with you for the train!
OR, if you really have time and want to go someplace delicious, you can try Frontera Grill, the cheaper but still not cheap part of Topolabompo (sp?), for upscale haute Mexican food, very tasty, very trendy, very busy, you'll need a reservation. This is actually where we ate, we got a 5:30 reservation so we'd get back to Union Station in time for the wine party. It's on 445 N Clark between Hubbard and Illinois in River North, across the river from Wacker (to walk from the station, you'd take a RIGHT on Adams, i.e., toward the Lake, go just 2 blocks I think to Wacker, then take a left, Wacker bends around until it's along the river, and you'd then cross the river on the Clark Av Bridge I think, we came from another direction so I'm not 100 percent sure. But you can take a taxi, we took one back to Union Station, had no trouble getting one up on N Clark, it's a busy area. But note: This restaurant is closed Sundays and Mondays (and probably Sundays would not be so easy to get a cab).
Re taxis: I've never been in Chicago in winter so far, but if the city is like NYC, it might be very slow going to get a cab when the weather is bad.
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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Sojourner! You know more about the best places to eat in Chicago than I do, and I'm a Chicagoan. Nice to see another person who travels with knife and fork.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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Ms. Sojourner -- you should publish a "railroad gourmet dinner guide," listing all the hot spots and restaurants near all the AMTRAK stations (you certainly have been around enough to be able to do that!!!)
Have a great Christmas!! --RR Rich
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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Yes Ms Sojourner, We are leaving in two weeks and want to write down those eateries in Chicago. Robinson's barbeque was great and of course must do the pizza thing down the street, but if weather permits, will want to do some other choices as well. As to LSL, we have ridden coach back to Cleveland and the wine and cheese is definitely only for sleeper passengers. Lounge is open for a while but most of our trip is sleepy city back to Ohio. Best wishes Railroad Bill
Posts: 87 | From: Ohio | Registered: Apr 2007
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Several years ago one of the Chicago papers had a contest for the best sauce. I can't remember if it was a specific food or just the sauce. At any rate Robinson's won. Henry you may remember this. I think the paper was the Sun
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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Yes, I am slowly gaining lotsa poundage with all this train travel! Some of the Net foodies sites have been very helpful to me in finding where to eat in a new place, plus the NY Times and Washington Post travel articles sometimes help (though I rarely try the really expensive nouvelle places they sometimes mention), and I have a friend who passes along articles on interesting restaurants that she sees when she knows I'm going to a place. (There was one from Gourmet magazine on all the great hot chicken places in Nashville, though we never got to any.) And don't forget recommendations I get here--I've gotten some very good ones for Chicago, and Portland OR, for instance. And let's not forget our recently being informed here of the Coldstone Creamery right by the train for the Albququerque layover--I'm not sure if that deserves my thanks, since it is bound to mean even more calories for the trip!
But one thing with food recs, they can be very erratic. For example, I used to recommend the Krispy Kreme in Penn Station in NYC but I wouldn't recommend it any more, last few times I got a doughnut there, it was quite stale!!! And, worse yet, the Walnut Room since Macys took over Marshall Fields in Chicago--the last two times I stopped there, I had to eat out at the Frango Cafe to get the famous Frango mint ice cream, and last time, even the cafe, despite its name, didn't have it!
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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Well, I'll second the recommendation of Greek Town in general and The Greek Islands in particular. I've been eating there since college (1971 -- 76), and it's always been cheap and good.
In Washington, you'll find a number of decent eateries in Union Station. There's a Chinese/Malaysian place on the upper level in the concourse that is reasonable and excellent, and an Indian place down in the food court makes a great gujrati dal.
In Philadelphia 30th Street the choices are more limited, but the bar over by 31st Street (west side) has some very interesting West African (!) dishes, and the sub place in the middle of the food court makes some of the best "hoagies" (local word for subs) in PHL.
I never found anything worth eating in or around Penn Station, NY. NY is full of great, cheap eats, but not in that neighborhood.
Posts: 614 | From: Merchantville, NJ. USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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I agree Penn Station itself is quite bad for food, nothing like Grand Central. It's rare I have too little time to go outside when I'm changing trains there, but sometimes the weather is snowy & I have no boots; when that's happened I once had a not-great slioce of pizza and another time a boring & quite overpriced grilled cheese sandwich in Kabooz, next to the Krispy Kreme. With Krispy Kreme also no good now, the only thing I have had lately in Penn Station, other than the free coffee etc in the ACELA Lounge when I have access to it (it's pretty good coffee), is Haagen Daaz--it's a meal! ice cream after all is one of the 3 main food groups. Also for coffee, heading toward 7th Av & then over near the NJ Transit area there is a SEattle's Finest, though I've had better coffee at other stores of theirs, it isn't too bad. (I mention this because Krispy Kreme's coffee is awful, and some of the other coffee I've had in Penn Station was undrinkable.) The place that sells Haagez Daaz in the Amtrak area is often out of the 2 good HD flavors, Mayan chocolate and Belgian something chocolate, and even often out of the standby Baileys or Dublin (I forget the name); but the place that sells Haagen Daaz down at the Long Island Railroad often has 1 or more of these. To get there, you can walk toward 7th Av nearly all the way thru & take a left down the escalator to the LIRR (there is a sign) and then walk across past the doors to the tracks on your left & waiting room on your right toward the main corridor and stores, the place is right there, kind of facing you, you'll see a sign for Haagen Daaz. This is also the way to access K-Mart, btw, and the better bookstore in Penn Station, and the exit onto 34th St (if it's raining & you'd rather get out there).
As for places near Penn Station, the area is sometimes called Koreatown & there are plenty of Korean places, but I've never liked the food as much as many other sorts of Asian, and they aren't quite as cheap either. However, a few blocks from Penn Staiton is a very cheap simple cafeteriastyle Indian where I've had "chaat" lunch (they also have buffets but that is regular Indian fare, not as good) called Dimple, 11 W 30th btw 6th (Av of Americas) and 5th Av, nearer 5th, on N side of W 30th, 212-643-9464. It's open lunch and dinner time and was even open Sundays last I checked.
Some other places I've had recommended to me but haven't tried yet are Aura, 462 9th btw W35-36, a moderately priced Thai place, 212-971-8530, open for lunch and dinner (I'm not sure about weekends), said to get quite busy at lunchtime so one must come early; Djerdan 3, 221 38th #2 btw 7th & 8th Av, 212-921-1183, an inexpensive Balkan place that you step down to go to, but looked pretty nice; however, it's only open for L on wkdays (and maybe breakfast?) I was told to have stuffed cabbage, burek, goulash, or cevapi (che-VAP-ee, a sausage), and yogurt drink here.; and Minar, another Indian W 31 just W of 5th, said to be open for lunch & dinner, don't know weekend hrs.
In Washington I usually walk up to the Chinatown, where I esp like the Singapore noodles or (hotter) pork & eggplant claypot dish at Eat First on H St but also have enjoyed mango chicken at a Burmese place & pork and noodles at Chinatown Express (though when I had that a couple of months ago it wasn't as good as times before, but it sure is cheap, I think lunch was $7 with the tip!). There are also some excellent yuppie places in the Penn Quarter, if one has time (they can be crowded at peak hrs), e.g., the wonderful tapas places Jaleo and Zantinya (same owner). But it's good to know about the Malaysian/Chinese in Union Staiton in case I'm in a hurry. There is also a Ben n Jerrys that always has good flavors; it's right in Union Station just by the Amtrak tracks & ladies room; overpriced but location location location
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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The Krispy Kreme has been in Penn Station for quite a few years, David--and it used to be really good, but no more. They of course don't do the baking there, and they have stopped getting the stuff fresh, far as I can tell!
There is a Krispy Kreme on the E side of Manhattan, E 70s I think, also there quite some time--could be where the Penn Station place gets the doughnuts from, but I think there might be other Krispy Kremes in Manhattan as well. And goodness, there is even a Krispy Kreme on the Lathan Road in the Schenectady/Albany NY area, David.
Krispy Kreme actually may have overexpanded. Now they are back out of fashion, owing to their fat content, and not doing so well.
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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As Ms. Sojourner infers, I'm not sure if KKD is any kind of business enterprise over which to "crow".
Posts: 9977 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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A Krispy Kreme that does not do on-premises baking and glazing is NOT a KK, regardless of what the sign may say.
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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Yeah....I was actually aware that KKD had expanded beyond dixie. A friend in Northern Alabama actually bought stock in the company at the time because he thought the rest of the country was about to share our addiction.
I agree with George that if KK's are not baked on-site you might as well be getting your donuts at 7-11!
Years ago there was a KKD just a block or so from the train station in Spartanburg, SC. It was a great location because they were usually making fresh donuts about the time #1, the southbound SOUTHERN Crescent, arrived.
On several trips the drill was step off the train, visit KKD for enough sugar to last a week, and then go another two blocks and catch an 8:00am Trailways bus to Aheville.
Thanks to the demise of Trailways and the draconian cuts in Greyhound services, there are no convienent train to bus schedule interfaces remaining anywhere in the Carolinas that would benefit me.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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